Soyasaponin and vertical microbial transmission: Maternal effect on the intestinal development and health of early chicks

作者：Mingkun Gao, Shu Chen, Hao Fan, Peng Li, Aiqiao Liu, Dongli Li, Xiaomin Li, Yongfei Hu, Guofeng Han, Yuming Guo, Zengpeng Lv · 发表于：iMeta · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1002/imt2.70044 · 被引用次数：21 · 研究领域：Animal Nutrition and Physiology、Gut microbiota and health、Phytoestrogen effects and research

Abstract Multiple factors, including genetics, nutrition, and health, influence the vertical transmission of microbiota from mothers to their offspring. Recent studies have shown that avian microbiota can be passed to the next generation via the eggshell and egg albumen. However, it remains unclear whether these microbial communities are regulated by nutrition and how they are associated with the host genotype. Chickens, with their controlled rearing conditions and stable genotypes, provide a promising model for investigating microbiome transmission in birds. This study aims to determine whether host genotype‐associated bacteria are vertically transmitted between generations, and how maternal nutritional intervention with soyasaponin modulates this microbial transfer, thereby shaping chick intestinal development and informing effective nutritional strategies. We established a microbial vertical transmission model across various anatomical sites in breeder hens, chicken embryos, and chicks. Avian gut microbiota and reproductive tract microbiota can both be found in chicks at various developmental stages. Supplementing breeder hen diets with soyasaponin interacts with vertically transmitted Bifidobacterium adolescentis to produce γ‐aminobutyric acid. This compound modulates offspring intestinal development through distinct mechanisms in chick epithelial cells, including the inhibition of LC3 and caspase3‐associated autophagy and apoptosis pathways, as well as the promotion of p...