Changes in the expression of antimicrobial peptide genes in poultry under the influence of glyphosate and probiotic

Relevance. There is increasing information that glyphosates can have a range of adverse effects on animal, bird and human health, raising serious concerns about global feed and animal and poultry product safety. Methods. The experiments were carried out in the vivarium of OOO “BIOTROF+” on broilers of the Ross 308 cross. The birds were divided into 3 groups: 1st (control), which received a diet without additives, 2nd (experimental), which received a diet with the addition of glyphosate, 3rd (experimental), which received a diet with the addition of glyphosate and a strain of the microorganism Bacillus sp. GL-8. Analysis of the gene expression of the caecum of the intestines of broilers was carried out using quantitative PCR with reverse transcription. To analyze mRNA expression, specific primers for antimicrobial peptide genes were selected. Amplification reactions were performed using “SsoAdvanced™ Universal SYBR® Green Supermix” (“Bio-Rad”). Results showed that the residual amounts of glyphosates which are present at sterns of broilers influence an expression of genes of antimicrobic peptides AvBD1, AvBD2, AvBD4, AvBD6, CATH-2, NK-lysin, strengthening it. For example, in experimental group 2, there was an increase in gene expression of defensins AvBD1, AvBD2, AvBD4, AvBD6 by 21.9, 29.9, 35.1 and 33.5 times, respectively, compared to control group 1 (Р ≤ 0,001). A decrease (31 to 41%) in LEAP-2 gene expression when feed is contaminated with glyphosates may likely lead to a decrease in resistance to bacterial pathogens such as Salmonella enterica typhimurium, Streptococcus spp. and increased severity by the symptom of coccidiosis in poulty. The probiotic had a «leveling» effect on the expression of AvBD1, AvBD2, AvBD4 and AvBD6 defensin genes. This is likely due to the enhancement in the probiotic-modified gut microbiota of glyphosate metabolic opportunities, which may have acted as a physical barrier.