A Dietary Supplement Containing Nucleotides, Oligosaccharides, Vitamin E and β-Carotene Promotes Immune Response and Gut Microbiota Changes in Kittens
Applications: Immunogen
Reactive species: Unspecified reactive species
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Abstract: Kittens are born with some protection against pathogens and continue to receive this protection via their mother’s milk. They also receive a starter community of healthy gut microbiota from their mother, which offers defense against ingested harmful bacteria. Following weaning, this protection can start to diminish, leaving kittens vulnerable to infections. Certain nutrients and ingredients are known to help boost these immune defenses. This study tested the effects of feeding a diet with or without a nutritional supplement to 50 kittens for 52 weeks. All kittens received routine vaccinations against five common diseases and were tested throughout the study for immune responses. Their gut microbiota were also examined regularly via analysis of feces. The dietary supplement improved the kittens’ immune response to one of the five vaccinations and increased levels of several immune markers. Kittens receiving the supplement also showed beneficial changes to their gut microbiota. In conclusion, the dietary supplement tested here improved antibody response to Chlamydia vaccination and altered cytokine profiles. This supplement could be a beneficial addition to kitten diets to enable a healthy transition to adulthood."
Article snippet: In total, 100 μL of each diluted blood sample was pipetted into 96-well flat-bottomed microtiter plates with lids (***) and exposed to three different conditions by adding 100 μL R-10 medium (unstimulated, negative control), 100 μL of a 10 μg/mL solution of phytohemagglutinin (PHA; positive control;***) or 100 μL of a 10 μg/mL solution of
rabies antigen (RA; Creative Diagnostics, Shirley, NY, USA, ref. DAGF-021).
Figure 1. Antibody titers (units) in serum samples collected at weeks 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 20, 28, 36, 44 and 52 against rabies virus.