Oba Patrícia M, Lee Anne H, Vidal Sara, Wyss Romain, Miao Yong, Adesokan Yemi, Swanson Kelly S
Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL.
Gnubiotics Sciences SA, Epalinges, Switzerland.
J Anim Sci. 2021 Jan 1;99(1). doi: 10.1093/jas/skaa399.
GNU100 is a novel animal milk oligosaccharide (AMO) biosimilar. In a recent in vitro fermentation study, GNU100 was shown to be fermentable by feline gastrointestinal microbiota and lead to increased short-chain fatty acid production. Our objectives herein were to evaluate the palatability, safety, and gastrointestinal tolerance of GNU100 in healthy adult cats. Exploratory end-points were measured to assess utility. In study 1, 20 adult cats were used to test the palatability of diets containing 0% or 1% GNU100. In study 2, 32 (mean age = 1.9 yr; mean body weight = 4.6 kg) male (n = 12) and female (n = 20) adult cats were used in a completely randomized design. After a 2-wk baseline, cats were assigned to one of the following treatment groups and fed for 26 wk: control (CT, no GNU100), low dose (LD, 0.5% GNU100), medium dose (MD, 1.0% GNU100), and high dose (HD, 1.5% GNU100). On weeks 2, 4, and 26, fresh fecal samples were collected for the measurement of stool quality and immune and inflammatory markers and on weeks 2 and 4 for microbiota and metabolites. On week 4, total feces were collected to measure apparent total tract macronutrient digestibility. On weeks 2, 4, and 26, blood samples were collected for serum chemistry, hematology, and inflammatory marker measurement. The palatability test showed that 1% GNU100 was strongly preferred (P < 0.05), with GNU100 having a 17.6:1 consumption ratio compared with control. In the long-term study, all cats remained healthy, without any signs of gastrointestinal intolerance or illness. All diets were well accepted, resulting in similar (P > 0.05) food intake, fecal characteristics, immunoglobulin A, and calprotectin, and dry matter, organic matter, fat, and crude protein digestibilities. Fecal butyrate was greater (P = 0.02) in cats fed HD than cats fed LD or MD. Fecal indole was lower (P = 0.02) in cats fed HD than cats fed LD. Cats fed CT had a higher (P = 0.003) relative abundance of Actinobacteria than cats fed LD. The relative abundance of Peptococcus was impacted by diet and time. At 4 wk, Campylobacter was lower in fecal samples of cats fed HD. Overall, the data suggest that dietary GNU100 supplementation was highly palatable, well tolerated, did not cause detrimental effects on fecal quality or nutrient digestibility, increased fecal butyrate concentrations, and reduced fecal indole concentrations, supporting the safety of GNU100 for inclusion in feline diets and suggesting potential benefits on gastrointestinal health of cats.
GNU100是一种新型动物乳寡糖（AMO）类似物。在最近的一项体外发酵研究中，GNU100被证明可被猫的胃肠道微生物群发酵，并导致短链脂肪酸产量增加。我们在此的目标是评估GNU100在健康成年猫中的适口性、安全性和胃肠道耐受性。测量探索性终点以评估其效用。在研究1中，20只成年猫被用于测试含有0%或1%GNU100的日粮的适口性。在研究2中，32只（平均年龄=1.9岁；平均体重=4.6千克）雄性（n=12）和雌性（n=20）成年猫采用完全随机设计。在2周的基线期后，将猫分配到以下治疗组之一，并喂养26周：对照组（CT，不含GNU100）、低剂量组（LD，0.5%GNU100）、中剂量组（MD，1.0%GNU100）和高剂量组（HD，1.5%GNU100）。在第2、4和26周，收集新鲜粪便样本以测量粪便质量以及免疫和炎症标志物，在第2和4周收集样本用于微生物群和代谢物分析。在第4周，收集总粪便以测量表观总消化道常量营养素消化率。在第2、4和26周，采集血液样本进行血清化学、血液学和炎症标志物测量。适口性测试表明，1%的GNU100更受青睐（P<0.05），与对照组相比，GNU100的消耗比例为17.6:1。在长期研究中，所有猫都保持健康，没有任何胃肠道不耐受或疾病的迹象。所有日粮都被很好地接受，导致食物摄入量、粪便特征、免疫球蛋白A和钙卫蛋白以及干物质、有机物、脂肪和粗蛋白消化率相似（P>0.05）。高剂量组喂养的猫粪便丁酸盐含量高于低剂量组或中剂量组喂养的猫（P=0.02）。高剂量组喂养的猫粪便吲哚含量低于低剂量组喂养的猫（P=0.02）。对照组喂养的猫放线菌的相对丰度高于低剂量组喂养的猫（P=0.003）。消化球菌的相对丰度受饮食和时间的影响。在第4周，高剂量组喂养的猫粪便样本中弯曲杆菌含量较低。总体而言，数据表明日粮中添加GNU100非常可口，耐受性良好，不会对粪便质量或营养物质消化率产生不利影响，会增加粪便丁酸盐浓度，并降低粪便吲哚浓度，这支持了GNU100可安全添加到猫日粮中，并表明对猫的胃肠道健康有潜在益处。
