To better understand micro algae’s mode of action when applied as an additive in diets, porcine intestinal epithelial cells (IPEC-J2), stressed by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) or under non-stressed conditions, were exposed to microalgae extracts and changes in gene expression were recorded. The study showed that ETEC stressed intestinal epithelium cells exposure to microalgae extracts affected “fatty acid β-oxidation”, ATP and reactive oxygen species production and (de) hydroxylation of lysine residues in procollagen chains in these cells. Elevated gene expression of specific EPs and immunostimulatory proteins indicated that microalgae extracts, when used as feed/food additive, can steer an array of metabolic and immunological processes in the intestines of humans and monogastric animals stressed by an enteric bacterial pathogen.
The study was published by 2019_Hulst_et_al Genes and Nutrition
