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"Bowel on the Bench": Proof of Concept of a Three-Stage, In Vitro Fermentation Model of the Equine Large Intestine

"Bowel on the Bench": Proof of Concept of a Three-Stage, In Vitro Fermentation Model of the Equine Large Intestine
"Bowel on the Bench": Proof of Concept of a Three-Stage, In Vitro Fermentation Model of the Equine Large Intestine

The intestinal microbiota of the horse, an animal of huge economic and social importance worldwide, is essential to the health of the animal. Understanding the intestinal ecosystem and its dynamic interaction with diet and dietary supplements currently requires the use of experimental animals, with consequent welfare and financial constraints. Here, we describe the development and assessment, using multiple analytical platforms, of a three-vessel, continuous-flow, in vitro model of the equine hindgut. After inoculation of the model with fresh horse feces, the bacterial communities established in each vessel had a taxonomic distribution similar to that of the source animal. Short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) and branched-chain fatty acid (BCFA) production within the model at steady state was consistent with the expected bacterial function, although higher concentrations of some SCFA/BCFA relative to those in the ex vivo gut content were apparent. We demonstrate the intermodel repeatability and the ability of the model to capture some aspects of individual variation in bacterial community profiles. The findings of this proof-of-concept study, including recognition of the limitions of the model, support its future development as a tool for investigating the impact of disease, nutrition, dietary supplementation, and medication on the equine intestinal microbiota.IMPORTANCE The equine gut model that we have developed and describe has the potential to facilitate the exploration of how the equine gut microbiota is affected by diet, disease, and medication. It is a convenient, cost-effective, and welfare-friendly alternative to in vivo research models.

0099-2240
Leng, J.
71755042-2b5f-44a6-8420-019f13a4a946
Walton, G.
386a9527-3e1c-425a-8a17-4478f1723f9b
Swann, J.
7c11a66b-f4b8-4dbf-aa17-ad8b0561b85c
Darby, A.
40e52ac7-914f-4fbc-b5d1-29912b81573b
La Ragione, R.
7cafd339-f7a4-4728-945a-a5d4b98b0fd4
Proudman, C.
d8b66c8d-0e2d-40ae-81f7-6a960db240d4
Leng, J.
71755042-2b5f-44a6-8420-019f13a4a946
Walton, G.
386a9527-3e1c-425a-8a17-4478f1723f9b
Swann, J.
7c11a66b-f4b8-4dbf-aa17-ad8b0561b85c
Darby, A.
40e52ac7-914f-4fbc-b5d1-29912b81573b
La Ragione, R.
7cafd339-f7a4-4728-945a-a5d4b98b0fd4
Proudman, C.
d8b66c8d-0e2d-40ae-81f7-6a960db240d4

Leng, J., Walton, G., Swann, J., Darby, A., La Ragione, R. and Proudman, C. (2019) "Bowel on the Bench": Proof of Concept of a Three-Stage, In Vitro Fermentation Model of the Equine Large Intestine. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 86 (1). (doi:10.1128/AEM.02093-19).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The intestinal microbiota of the horse, an animal of huge economic and social importance worldwide, is essential to the health of the animal. Understanding the intestinal ecosystem and its dynamic interaction with diet and dietary supplements currently requires the use of experimental animals, with consequent welfare and financial constraints. Here, we describe the development and assessment, using multiple analytical platforms, of a three-vessel, continuous-flow, in vitro model of the equine hindgut. After inoculation of the model with fresh horse feces, the bacterial communities established in each vessel had a taxonomic distribution similar to that of the source animal. Short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) and branched-chain fatty acid (BCFA) production within the model at steady state was consistent with the expected bacterial function, although higher concentrations of some SCFA/BCFA relative to those in the ex vivo gut content were apparent. We demonstrate the intermodel repeatability and the ability of the model to capture some aspects of individual variation in bacterial community profiles. The findings of this proof-of-concept study, including recognition of the limitions of the model, support its future development as a tool for investigating the impact of disease, nutrition, dietary supplementation, and medication on the equine intestinal microbiota.IMPORTANCE The equine gut model that we have developed and describe has the potential to facilitate the exploration of how the equine gut microbiota is affected by diet, disease, and medication. It is a convenient, cost-effective, and welfare-friendly alternative to in vivo research models.

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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 20 October 2019
e-pub ahead of print date: 13 December 2019

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 444262
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/444262
ISSN: 0099-2240
PURE UUID: cc9bdd83-c74e-49bf-9916-6ac7f68b1bed
ORCID for J. Swann: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-6485-4529

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Date deposited: 06 Oct 2020 22:07
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 04:00

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Contributors

Author: J. Leng
Author: G. Walton
Author: J. Swann ORCID iD
Author: A. Darby
Author: R. La Ragione
Author: C. Proudman

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