Chicory Fibre Improves Reproductive Performance Of Pregnant Rats Involving In Altering Intestinal Microbiota Composition

Aim Chicory fibre (CF) is rich in fructan, which always functions as a quality dietary fibre source during mammalian pregnancy; however, its effect on reproductive performance remains unclear. Methods and Results 40 pregnant SD rats were randomly allotted to receive one of four diets: basal diet (control group), basal diet + 5% CF, basal diet + 10% CF, and basal diet + 15% CF, respectively. We found that CF significantly increased the number born alive and total litter birth weight (P < 0 center dot 05), increased the expression of intestinal tight junction proteins, mucins and antimicrobial peptides, accompanied by the increase of villi height and the decrease of crypts depth of pregnant SD rats (P < 0 center dot 05). We also observed that CF markedly increased the acetic acid, propanoic acid, butyric acid and total SCFAs concentrations in caecum contents and promoted the expression of SCFAs-related receptors (P < 0 center dot 05). Notably, rats fed CF increased the relative abundance ofBacteroidetes(P < 0 center dot 001), decreased the relative abundance ofFirmicutesandProteobacteria, while markedly lowered theFirmicutes/Bacteroidetesratio (F/B ratio) (P < 0 center dot 05). Intriguingly, the number born alive and total litter birth weight were positively correlated with some probiotics and negatively correlated with other harmful bacteria by Pearson correlation analysis. Conclusion Collectively, CF can enhance intestinal barrier function and maintain intestinal health, and may improve reproductive performance by altering intestinal microbiota composition. Significance and Impact of the Study Adding suitable dietary fibre to the diet can improve the reproductive performance of sows. Indeed, there exist various problems in the application of traditional dietary fibres, including high insoluble fibre content and anti-nutritional factor level, and mycotoxin contamination. This study demonstrates that dietary CF supplementation improves reproductive performance and intestinal health. Thus, CF can be applied in pregnancy animals as a new dietary fibre additive in animal husbandry.