Evaluation of Alterations in Nutrient Utilization and Intestinal Health in Response to Heat Stress in Pekin Ducks Based on a Pair-Feeding Experimental Design

The objective of this study was to investigate alterations in nutrient utilization, standardized ileal digestibility of amino acids (SIDAA), and intestinal health in response to heat stress (HS) in Pekin ducks. A total of 240 healthy 28-day-old male Pekin ducks were randomly allocated to three group...

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Main Authors: Xiangyi Zeng, Arshad Javid, Gregory S. Fraley, Gang Tian, Keying Zhang, Shiping Bai, Xuemei Ding, Jianping Wang, Yan Liu, Yue Xuan, Shanshan Li, Qiufeng Zeng
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Animals
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/15/2213
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author Xiangyi Zeng
Arshad Javid
Gregory S. Fraley
Gang Tian
Keying Zhang
Shiping Bai
Xuemei Ding
Jianping Wang
Yan Liu
Yue Xuan
Shanshan Li
Qiufeng Zeng
author_facet Xiangyi Zeng
Arshad Javid
Gregory S. Fraley
Gang Tian
Keying Zhang
Shiping Bai
Xuemei Ding
Jianping Wang
Yan Liu
Yue Xuan
Shanshan Li
Qiufeng Zeng
author_sort Xiangyi Zeng
collection DOAJ
description The objective of this study was to investigate alterations in nutrient utilization, standardized ileal digestibility of amino acids (SIDAA), and intestinal health in response to heat stress (HS) in Pekin ducks. A total of 240 healthy 28-day-old male Pekin ducks were randomly allocated to three groups: a normal control (NC) group, an HS group, and a pair-fed (PF; provided an amount of feed equal to that consumed by the HS group to eliminate the effects of feed intake) group, each with eight replicate cages of ten birds. The results showed that HS significantly reduced the apparent utilization of dietary energy, ether extract, and crude protein compared to both the NC and PF groups (<i>p</i> < 0.05), but yielded comparable SIDAA to the PF group. The HS group exhibited reduced mRNA levels of <i>EAAT3</i> and <i>PepT1</i>, along with elevated mRNA levels of <i>CAT1</i>, <i>GLUT5</i>, and <i>FATP6</i> in the jejunum compared to the NC or PF groups, respectively (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Furthermore, HS resulted in a significant deterioration of jejunal morphology and goblet cell count compared to the NC and PF groups (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Serum fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran levels were significantly higher in HS ducks than in NC ducks (<i>p</i> < 0.05), but did not differ from PF ducks. At order-level classification of ileal mucosal microbiota, HS markedly increased the relative abundance of <i>Bacillales</i>, <i>Deferribacterales</i>, and <i>Actinomycetales</i> versus NC (<i>p</i> < 0.05), while significantly decreasing <i>Bifidobacteriales</i> abundance relative to PF (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Collectively, HS induces a leaky gut and microbiota dysbiosis that compromises gut health, thereby reducing dietary nutrient utilization in Pekin ducks. The observed reduction in feed intake constitutes a primary driver of intestinal health deterioration in heat-stressed Pekin ducks.
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spelling doaj-art-19bd2a99eaba48e58e86935f483583f12025-08-20T03:02:48ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152025-07-011515221310.3390/ani15152213Evaluation of Alterations in Nutrient Utilization and Intestinal Health in Response to Heat Stress in Pekin Ducks Based on a Pair-Feeding Experimental DesignXiangyi Zeng0Arshad Javid1Gregory S. Fraley2Gang Tian3Keying Zhang4Shiping Bai5Xuemei Ding6Jianping Wang7Yan Liu8Yue Xuan9Shanshan Li10Qiufeng Zeng11Animal Nutrition Institute, Key Laboratory for Animal Disease-Resistance Nutrition of China Ministry of Education, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, ChinaDepartment of Wildlife and Ecology, University of Veterinary & Animal Science, Lahore 54000, PakistanAnimal Science Department, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USAAnimal Nutrition Institute, Key Laboratory for Animal Disease-Resistance Nutrition of China Ministry of Education, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, ChinaAnimal Nutrition Institute, Key Laboratory for Animal Disease-Resistance Nutrition of China Ministry of Education, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, ChinaAnimal Nutrition Institute, Key Laboratory for Animal Disease-Resistance Nutrition of China Ministry of Education, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, ChinaAnimal Nutrition Institute, Key Laboratory for Animal Disease-Resistance Nutrition of China Ministry of Education, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, ChinaAnimal Nutrition Institute, Key Laboratory for Animal Disease-Resistance Nutrition of China Ministry of Education, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, ChinaAnimal Nutrition Institute, Key Laboratory for Animal Disease-Resistance Nutrition of China Ministry of Education, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, ChinaAnimal Nutrition Institute, Key Laboratory for Animal Disease-Resistance Nutrition of China Ministry of Education, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, ChinaAnimal Nutrition Institute, Key Laboratory for Animal Disease-Resistance Nutrition of China Ministry of Education, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, ChinaAnimal Nutrition Institute, Key Laboratory for Animal Disease-Resistance Nutrition of China Ministry of Education, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, ChinaThe objective of this study was to investigate alterations in nutrient utilization, standardized ileal digestibility of amino acids (SIDAA), and intestinal health in response to heat stress (HS) in Pekin ducks. A total of 240 healthy 28-day-old male Pekin ducks were randomly allocated to three groups: a normal control (NC) group, an HS group, and a pair-fed (PF; provided an amount of feed equal to that consumed by the HS group to eliminate the effects of feed intake) group, each with eight replicate cages of ten birds. The results showed that HS significantly reduced the apparent utilization of dietary energy, ether extract, and crude protein compared to both the NC and PF groups (<i>p</i> < 0.05), but yielded comparable SIDAA to the PF group. The HS group exhibited reduced mRNA levels of <i>EAAT3</i> and <i>PepT1</i>, along with elevated mRNA levels of <i>CAT1</i>, <i>GLUT5</i>, and <i>FATP6</i> in the jejunum compared to the NC or PF groups, respectively (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Furthermore, HS resulted in a significant deterioration of jejunal morphology and goblet cell count compared to the NC and PF groups (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Serum fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran levels were significantly higher in HS ducks than in NC ducks (<i>p</i> < 0.05), but did not differ from PF ducks. At order-level classification of ileal mucosal microbiota, HS markedly increased the relative abundance of <i>Bacillales</i>, <i>Deferribacterales</i>, and <i>Actinomycetales</i> versus NC (<i>p</i> < 0.05), while significantly decreasing <i>Bifidobacteriales</i> abundance relative to PF (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Collectively, HS induces a leaky gut and microbiota dysbiosis that compromises gut health, thereby reducing dietary nutrient utilization in Pekin ducks. The observed reduction in feed intake constitutes a primary driver of intestinal health deterioration in heat-stressed Pekin ducks.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/15/2213duckgut microbiotaheat stressintestinal healthnutrient utilizationgene expression
spellingShingle Xiangyi Zeng
Arshad Javid
Gregory S. Fraley
Gang Tian
Keying Zhang
Shiping Bai
Xuemei Ding
Jianping Wang
Yan Liu
Yue Xuan
Shanshan Li
Qiufeng Zeng
Evaluation of Alterations in Nutrient Utilization and Intestinal Health in Response to Heat Stress in Pekin Ducks Based on a Pair-Feeding Experimental Design
Animals
duck
gut microbiota
heat stress
intestinal health
nutrient utilization
gene expression
title Evaluation of Alterations in Nutrient Utilization and Intestinal Health in Response to Heat Stress in Pekin Ducks Based on a Pair-Feeding Experimental Design
title_full Evaluation of Alterations in Nutrient Utilization and Intestinal Health in Response to Heat Stress in Pekin Ducks Based on a Pair-Feeding Experimental Design
title_fullStr Evaluation of Alterations in Nutrient Utilization and Intestinal Health in Response to Heat Stress in Pekin Ducks Based on a Pair-Feeding Experimental Design
title_full_unstemmed Evaluation of Alterations in Nutrient Utilization and Intestinal Health in Response to Heat Stress in Pekin Ducks Based on a Pair-Feeding Experimental Design
title_short Evaluation of Alterations in Nutrient Utilization and Intestinal Health in Response to Heat Stress in Pekin Ducks Based on a Pair-Feeding Experimental Design
title_sort evaluation of alterations in nutrient utilization and intestinal health in response to heat stress in pekin ducks based on a pair feeding experimental design
topic duck
gut microbiota
heat stress
intestinal health
nutrient utilization
gene expression
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/15/2213
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