Table 4.
Intestinal lesion score and relative mRNA expression of intestinal tight junction proteins and proinflammatory cytokines in broilers.
| Treatment1 | Control group | CP-challenged model group | Antibiotics (positive control group) |
B. subtilis PB6 low-dosage group | B. subtilis PB6 high-dosage group | SEM2 | P value3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Occludin | 1.11ab | 0.50c | 1.39a | 0.75bc | 0.65bc | 0.093 | 0.009 |
| ZO-1 | 1.04c | 1.43bc | 1.68abc | 2.54a | 2.01ab | 0.145 | 0.009 |
| TRL4 | 1.1 | 1.06 | 0.98 | 1.38 | 1.24 | 0.069 | 0.335 |
| IL-1β | 1.32 | 2.04 | 1.47 | 2.14 | 2.87 | 0.199 | 0.106 |
| TNF-α | 1.06ab | 1.45a | 0.93b | 1.33a | 0.95b | 0.083 | 0.022 |
| IFN-γ | 1.12 | 1.83 | 1.15 | 1.68 | 1.76 | 0.137 | 0.289 |
| Lesion score4 | 0.00d | 1.25a | 0.33c | 0.75b | 0.66b | 0.088 | <0.001 |
1Treatment information: control group: basal diet; CP-challenged model group: basal diet and CP challenge; antibiotics (positive control group): CP challenge+10 mg/kg enramycin; B. subtilis PB6 low-dosage group: CP challenge+4 × 107 CFU/kg of feed B. subtilis PB6; B. subtilis PB6 high-dosage group: CP challenge+6 × 107 CFU/kg of feed B. subtilis PB6. ZO-1: zonula occludens-1; TRL4: Toll-like receptor-4; IL-1β: interleukin-1β; TNF-α: tumor necrosis factor-α; IFN-γ: interferon-γ. 2Standard error of the means; n = 6 chickens/group. 3Mean values within a column with unlike superscripts letters (a, b, and c) are significantly different (P < 0.05). 40 = no gross lesions; 0.5 = severely congested serosa and mesenteric hyperemia; 1 = thin-walled and brittle intestines with small hemorrhagic spots (>5); 2 = small amounts of gas production and focal necrotic lesions; 3 = large amount of gas-filled intestines and necrotic plaques.