ISSUE FOCUS 40 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE October 2024 it is a necessary basis to achieve overall gut health in animals. Butyrate aids in gut development for young animals and in maintaining it in adult animals. On top of this, it can be combined with the above-mentioned feed additives that focus on the gut microbiome for a total solution. BENEFITS OF BUTYRATE ON GUT INTEGRITY The benefits of butyric acid on gut health are numerous. In summary, they can be categorized into 3 groups of action, namely: nutrient efficiency, modulation of immunity and indirect antimicrobial action. Next to intestinal health, more and more human research suggests that butyric acid ameliorates liver functioning and cardiovascular diseases. All these functions originate from a local effect as 95% of the available butyric acid is utilized by the epithelial cells and gut associated immune system. Only a small percentage reaches the liver and might enter the bloodstream. Intestinal absorption occurs mainly via transporters, either via protons or sodium coupled transport. Within the epithelial cells, butyric acid is metabolized into ATP and used as a direct energy source. Moreover, immune cells have specific receptors for butyric acid resulting in anti-inflammatory or immune modulating effects. Firstly, when epithelial cells have more energy their proliferation and differentiation increases resulting in longer villi and more digestive enzyme production. In practice, this results in rapid intestinal development in young animals and persistent nutrient digestion and absorption in older animals, for example calcium absorption in laying poultry species. Secondly, butyrate downregulates inflammation by strengthening the gut barrier with tight junction's proteins and by modulating the immune response. Butyrate is known to stimulate the specific immunity and to prevent the non-specific immunity from overreacting. Next, butyrate can induce regulatory T-helper cells which have a central role in suppressing inflammatory responses. Butyrate is also known for inducing an early maturation of the immune system, which is vital for preventing intestinal diseases in young chickens and piglets. Thirdly, butyrate has an indirect antimicrobial function. The antibacterial effect is low compared to other SCFA or MCFA, but butyric acid upregulates the host primary defense responses for production of antimicrobial peptides. Simultaneously, butyric acid creates unfavorable conditions by changing the local pH in the hindgut. Moreover, one specific mechanism in Salmonella is studied extensively. Butyrate can alter the bacteria’s genetic expression resulting in less transcription of ‘invasion’ genes. This lowers Salmonella’s ability to invade and colonize its host. In practice this results in lower shedding of the bacteria, but not in eradicating it from the intestinal tract. THE IMPORTANT ROLE OF BUTYRATE IN BROILERS AND PIGLETS The speed at which broilers are raised comes together with various intestinal challenges, ranging from immunity, absorptive and digestive capacity to intestinal dysbiosis. The fact that butyrate has a positive influence on all these aspects makes it an almost necessary solution throughout the production cycle of these animals. Butyrate stimulates the adaptive immune response, which is vital for broil- • Nutrient efficiency • Modulation of gut immunity • Indirect antimicrobial action Table 1. Butyrate’s role in gut integrity
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