ArticleJournal of animal science and biotechnology2026
Age- and sex-related differences in early-life gut microbiota and intestinal physiology in broiler chickens.
Article in Journal of animal science and biotechnology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
backgroundEarly-life sex identification technologies are making sex-specific management increasingly feasible in broiler production, yet limited information exists on how males and females differ in the development of their gut ecosystem. While sex-related variation in growth rate and endocrine physiology is well established, much less is known about potential differences in gut morphology, barrier function, microbiota assembly, and intestinal gene expression during the starter period, where early performance divergence between males and females begins to emerge. A clearer understanding of these early-life processes is essential to refine sex-specific nutrition and management strategies. Therefore, this study investigated sex-related differences in gut morphology, intestinal permeability, microbiota composition and predicted functionality, as well as ileal gene expression related to nutrient transport, barrier function, immune response, and metabolic signaling in broilers at 7, 14, and 21 days of age.
resultsBody weight followed a typical early-life pattern and differed between sexes only at d 21, when males were heavier. Gut morphology matured similarly in both sexes, whereas gut permeability declined with age and was lower in males at d 20, suggesting a slightly tighter intestinal barrier. Microbiota structure was predominantly shaped by age, but sex-related divergence emerged with maturation from d 14 onward, especially in the cecum: males were enriched in strict anaerobic fermenters and carbohydrate-degradation/short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-related pathways, while females showed higher abundance of Romboutsia, Flavonifractor, and other taxa linked to proteolytic metabolism and the degradation of aromatic amino acid-derived compounds. Gene expression was mainly driven by age, yet consistent sex-specific transcriptional signatures were revealed. Males were more associated with nutrient transport (e.g., SLC15A1, SLC30A1, SLC5A1) and epithelial functional maturation profiles (e.g., CDX) over time, whereas females were more associated with tight-junction integrity (e.g., OCLN) and amino-acid sensing/transport markers (e.g., T1R1, SLC3A1). Cecal SCFA concentrations were measured at d 21, yet no differences were found.
conclusionsOverall, gut development was largely age-driven, but sex-specific differences in barrier function, microbiota composition and function, and epithelial gene expression emerged with maturation, without differences in gut morphology or luminal SCFA concentrations.
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