Intestinal Microbiota Mediates the Beneficial Effects of γ-Polyglutamic Acid on Calcium Homeostasis and Bone Properties in Lambs
Xingfu Zhang, Lili Guo, Yabo Zhao, Wurilege Wei, Jing Zhang, Lingli Dai, Bin Yang, Zaixia Liu, Xu Wang, Chen Bai, Ruiping Du, Manman Tong, Shuyi Li, Jianmeng Wang, Yanyong Sun, Liwen Song
TL;DR
This study shows that γ-PGA improves calcium absorption and bone health in lambs by enhancing gut health and modulating gut microbes.
Contribution
The novel finding is that γ-PGA's benefits on calcium and bone health are mediated by specific gut microbes and intestinal transporters.
Findings
γ-PGA at 1.2 g/(d·head) improved lamb growth and duodenal health.
γ-PGA increased expression of calcium transporters and altered calcium-regulating hormones.
γ-PGA reshaped the duodenal microbiota, identifying key microbial hubs like [Eubacterium]_ruminantium_group.
Abstract
Optimizing calcium metabolism is crucial for skeletal development and overall productivity in growing ruminants. Twenty-four Sunite lambs were randomly assigned to four groups and fed 0, 0.6, 1.2, or 2.4 g/(d·head) of γ-PGA for 60 days. Growth performance, serum parameters, duodenal morphology and calcium transporter expression, bone microarchitecture, and duodenal microbiota were analyzed. Supplementation with 1.2 g/(d·head) of γ-PGA (the M group) yielded optimal results, significantly improving final body weight and size. It enhanced duodenal health, evidenced by increased villus height, crypt depth, and microvilli density. Crucially, this dose significantly upregulated the expression of key duodenal calcium transporters (TRPV5/6, CaBPD9k, PMCA, VDR, claudin-12) and altered systemic calcium-regulating hormones (elevated calcitriol, PTH, FGF23). Bone micro-CT analysis revealed changes…
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Taxonomy
TopicsBiopolymer Synthesis and Applications · Animal Nutrition and Physiology · Animal health and immunology