Research Note: Modified serum fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran (FITC-d) assay procedure to determine intestinal permeability in poultry fed diets high in natural or synthetic pigments.
Oral administration of fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran (FITC-d) has been used as an indicator for intestinal permeability in poultry research for several years. Under healthy conditions, tight junctions in the intestinal wall will not allow the 4-6kDa FITC-d to enter the bloodstream. Detection of FITC-d in serum (1-hour post-oral administration of FITC-d) has proven to be a reliable indicator of leaky gut syndrome (increased intestinal inflammation and disruption of tight junctions). Administration of supplementary phytobiotics in feed, particularly products with high beta-carotene levels or other pigments, has resulted in strong serum background fluorescence, which can render this assay unreliable. To account for this increase in background autofluorescence, the FITC-d assay procedure has been modified to accommodate these particular serum samples by including pre-administration serum collection from each treatment group to remove background fluorescence. The modified FITC-d procedure detailed will allow for analysis of intestinal permeability in pigmented serum.
['Vuong|Christine N|CN|', 'Mullenix|Garrett J|GJ|', 'Kidd|Michael T|MT|', 'Bottje|Walter G|WG|', 'Hargis|Billy M|BM|', 'Tellez-Isaias|Guillermo|G|']
D000818:Animals D002645:Chickens D003911:Dextrans D004032:Diet D016650:Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate D007413:Intestinal Mucosa D010539:Permeability D011200:Poultry
serum FITC-d poultry pigment leaky gut