China Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine ›› 2023, Vol. 50 ›› Issue (11): 4482-4490.doi: 10.16431/j.cnki.1671-7236.2023.11.017

• Nutrition and Feed • Previous Articles     Next Articles

The Effect of Supplementing Ellagic Acid on the Diversity of Fecal Microbiota in Pure-blooded Foals in the Middle and Late Stages of Lactation

YANG Fan1,2, CHEN Kaixu1,2, GUO Cuijie1,2, ZANG Changjiang1,2, HE Linjiao1,2, LI Xiaobin1,2   

  1. 1. Xinjiang Meat and Milk Herbivorous Animal Nutrition Laboratory, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China;
    2. Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Horse Breeding and Exercise Physiology, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China
  • Received:2023-04-13 Online:2023-11-05 Published:2023-10-27

Abstract: 【Objective】 The experiment aims to investigate the effect of supplementing different levels of ellagic acid on the diversity of fecal bacteria in foals, and to explore the changes in fecal microbiota, in order to provide reference for the diversity of gastrointestinal microbiota and intestinal health in lactating foals.【Method】 Fifteen three month old pure blood ponies with similar birth dates and a weight of (143.33±16.10) kg were selected for the experiment.All the foals were randomly divide into 3 groups with 5 foals in each group, named control group, group Ⅰ, and group Ⅱ.Under the same feeding conditions, the ponies in control group did not undergo any treatment and the ponies in group Ⅰ and Ⅱ were fed with 15 and 30 mg/kg BW ellagic acid every day for 60 days.On the 60th day of the experiment, fecal samples of the foal were collected by rectal sampling method before feeding, and the diversity of fecal microbiota was measured.【Result】 The OTUs results showed there was a total of 789 OTUs in all groups, and 182 unique was in group Ⅰ.There was no significant difference in alpha diversity between the experimental groups and the control group (P>0.05), but group Ⅰ showed a trend of increasing Shannon, Chao1, and ACE indices.In terms of microbial abundance, the top 10 dominant bacterial species in each experimental group and control group were the same, with the main being Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Verrucomycetes, and the abundance accounts for more than 92.94% of the total.There was no significant difference in the abundance of phyla, family, and genus level microbial communities among each group (P>0.05).LefSe analysis showed that there were 9 species of differential bacteria in group Ⅰ and 2 species in group Ⅱ.The top 10 predicted functions include global and overview maps, carbohydrate metabolism, and amino acid metabolism, but the differences were not significant (P>0.05).【Conclusion】 Bacillota, Bacteroidota, Actinomycetota and Verrucomicrobiota were the dominant flora in the feces of pure blood horses during lactation.Supplement of 15 mg/kg BW ellagic acid could improve the fecal flora diversity and increase the species of fecal flora.

Key words: ellagic acid; lactation; foals; microbial diversity

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