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The Influence of Cecal Microbiota Transplantation on Chicken Injurious Behavior: Perspective in Human
1Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.
Insights
Modifying gut microbiota through transplantation may reduce stress-induced injurious behaviors in chickens. This approach offers a potential biotherapeutic strategy for preventing mental health disorders by restoring gut microbiota diversity and function.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Microbiology
- Animal Behavior
Background:
- Neuropsychiatric disorders and aggression present significant public health and economic challenges.
- Childhood adversity and social inequality are linked to long-term mental health issues and increased risk of these disorders.
- The gut microbiota, acting as a 'second brain,' influences host physiology and behavior via the microbiota-gut-brain (MGB) axis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the potential of modifying gut microbiota to reduce stress-induced injurious behaviors in chickens.
- To provide a biotherapeutic rationale for preventing injurious behaviors in both chickens and humans with mental disorders.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing a non-mammal model to investigate the effects of gut microbiota on abnormal behaviors in chickens.
- Proposing cecal microbiota transplantation as a method to modify gut microbiota.
Main Results:
- Stress-induced gut dysbiosis can lead to neuroinflammation and neuropsychiatric disorders, including aggressive behaviors.
- Dysregulation of the MGB axis is implicated in social stress-induced injurious behaviors in chickens.
- Previous research established a model rationalizing gut microbiota's effect on injurious behaviors.
Conclusions:
- Modifying gut microbiota via cecal microbiota transplantation shows promise in reducing stress-induced injurious behaviors in chickens.
- Restoring gut microbiota diversity and function may offer a biotherapeutic approach for preventing injurious behaviors associated with mental disorders.
Abstract:
Numerous studies have evidenced that neuropsychiatric disorders (mental illness and emotional disturbances) with aggression (or violence) pose a significant challenge to public health and contribute to a substantial economic burden worldwide. Especially, social disorganization (or social inequality) associated with childhood adversity has long-lasting effects on mental health, increasing the risk of developing neuropsychiatric disorders. Intestinal bacteria, functionally as an endocrine organ and a second brain, release various immunomodulators and bioactive compounds directly or indirectly regulating a host's physiological and behavioral homeostasis. Under various social challenges, stress-induced dysbiosis increases gut permeability causes serial reactions: releasing neurotoxic compounds, leading to neuroinflammation and neuronal injury, and eventually neuropsychiatric disorders associated with aggressive, violent, or impulsive behavior in humans and various animals via a complex bidirectional communication of the microbiota-gut-brain (MGB) axis. The dysregulation of the MGB axis has also been recognized as one of the reasons for the prevalence of social stress-induced injurious behaviors (feather pecking, aggression, and cannibalistic pecking) in chickens. However, existing knowledge of preventing and treating these disorders in both humans and chickens is not well understood. In previous studies, we developed a non-mammal model in an abnormal behavioral investigation by rationalizing the effects of gut microbiota on injurious behaviors in chickens. Based on our earlier success, the perspective article outlines the possibility of reducing stress-induced injurious behaviors in chickens through modifying gut microbiota via cecal microbiota transplantation, with the potential for providing a biotherapeutic rationale for preventing injurious behaviors among individuals with mental disorders via restoring gut microbiota diversity and function.
