Effect of dietary gluten content on small intestinal inflammatory response of broilers

The objective of this study was to investigate effects of dietary gluten content on small intestinal inflammatory response of broilers. The experiment was conducted using three gluten concentrations (0%, 25%, and 50%) and two age groups of chickens (1–7 and 21–28 days). At 7 days old, crypt depth and villus length of chickens were not affected by gluten content (p > 0.05). However, the villus length at 28 days old was significantly decreased (p < 0.05) in gluten fed groups compared to that in the control group. Moreover, IL-12 and IL-8 levels were significantly upregulated (p < 0.05) by gluten on d 7 in a concentration-dependent manner. Further, mRNA expression levels of TNF-α, IL-12, IL-8 and IL-6 in the duodenum were significantly (p < 0.05) upregulated by gluten in a concentration-dependent manner at d 28. IL-2 was not significantly different among groups at any age. These findings imply that gluten can promote inflammation in the liver by activating inflammatory cytokine-related genes.