Gastrointestinal health, immunity and performance by dietary intervention

Abstract

This invention relates to the improvement of gastrointestinal health, immunity and performance by direct dietary intervention with a composition comprising a glucan and/or a fucan, and relates in particular to the transfer of associated health benefits to offspring via glucan and/or a fucan supplementation of the maternal diet. Accordingly the present invention provides a composition comprising at least one glucan, at least one fucan, or at least one glucan and at least one fucan for use in improving or maintaining the gastrointestinal health or function of a progeny of a maternal animal by administration to the maternal animal; and a method for improving or maintaining the gastrointestinal health or function of a progeny of a maternal animal, the method comprising administering a composition comprising at least one glucan, at least one fucan, or at least one glucan and at least one fucan to the maternal animal.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A method for improving or maintaining the health, structure, function, immunity or performance of the progeny of a maternal animal or human; or preventing, treating or ameliorating disorders in structure or function or immunity in the progeny of a maternal animal or human, to levels equivalent to or greater than those achieved by direct administration to each individual progeny at weaning or later; the method comprising administering a composition comprising at least one glucan, at least one fucan, or at least one glucan and at least one fucan to the maternal animal or human. 
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one glucan is a beta glucan. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one glucan is beta (1→3, 1→4) glucan or beta (1→3, 1→6) glucan. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one glucan is laminarin. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one fucan is an alpha-fucan. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one glucan and/or the at least one fucan is isolated from a brown macroalga of the class Phaeophycea. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one glucan and/or the at least one fucan is isolated from a red alga selected from Florideophyceae. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the composition is administered to the maternal animal or human perinatally and/or prenatally, and/or postnatally. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the composition is administered daily to the maternal animal or human. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the composition is administered to the maternal animal or human in an amount such that about 2-40 milligrams of fucan per kilogram of body weight is administered to the maternal animal or human. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the maternal animal or human is a monogastric animal selected from the group consisting of pigs, poultry, fish, cats, dogs and humans; and/or the animal is a hind-gut fermenter selected from the group consisting of horses and rabbits; and/or the animal is a foregut fermenter selected from the group consisting of sheep. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the disorder of structure or function is prevented, treated or ameliorated by altering immunological function and/or the immunological profile; and/or altering immune gene expression and/or the expression or secretion of signalling proteins; and/or altering the expression of intra-cellular and/or extra-cellular receptors. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 12 , wherein immunological function and/or immunological profile is improved by altering leukocyte numbers and/or leukocyte function and/or leukocyte phenotype and/or leukocyte trafficking and/or leukocyte distribution and/or cytokine gene expression and/or cytokine secretion and/or cytokine receptor expression. 
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 13 , wherein leukocyte numbers are reduced and/or phagocytic activity is increased. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 13 , wherein the cytokine is selected from pro-inflammatory and/or anti-inflammatory cytokines. 
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the disorder of structure or function in the progeny is a chronic disease selected from the group consisting of Crohn's disease, Irritable Bowel syndrome, and Colitis. 
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the disorder of structure or function in the progeny is selected from the group consisting of an autoimmune, inflammatory, autoinflammatory, and atopic disease. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the disorder of structure or function in the progeny animal is prevented, treated or ameliorated by increasing the concentration of immunoglobulin in the colostrum or milk of a maternal animal or human. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the disorder of structure or function in the animal progeny animal is prevented, treated or ameliorated by decreasing bacterial infection and/or decreasing viral infection. 
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the disorder of structure or function in the progeny is prevented, treated or ameliorated by increasing the expression of mucins. 
     
     
         21 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the disorder of structure or function in the progeny is one which gives rise to wasting away of muscle and/or fat tissue. 
     
     
         22 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the disorder of structure or function in the progeny is prevented, treated or ameliorated by decreasing infection or load of viral pathogen. 
     
     
         23 . The method according to  claim 24 , wherein the viral pathogen is a non-enveloped virus. 
     
     
         24 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the disorder of structure or function in the progeny is prevented, treated or ameliorated by increasing the production of straight-chain volatile fatty acids and/or reduction of branched-chain fatty acids. 
     
     
         25 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one fucan is fucoidan. 
     
     
         26 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one glucan and/or the at least one fucan is derived from at least one family selected from the group consisting of Laminariaceae, Fucaceae and Lessoniaceae. 
     
     
         27 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one glucan and/or the at least one fucan is selected from at least one species from the group consisting of  Ascophyllum  species;  Laminaria  species and  Sargassum  species. 
     
     
         28 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one glucan is derived from a species of fungi. 
     
     
         29 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one glucan is derived from yeast. 
     
     
         30 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one glucan is derived from  Saccharomyces cerevisiae.    
     
     
         31 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the disorder of structure or function in the progeny is selected from the group consisting of psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, atopic dermatitis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. 
     
     
         32 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the disorder of structure or function in the animal progeny is prevented, treated or ameliorated by decreasing infection selected from the group consisting of  Escherichia coli  infection,  Campylobacter  infection,  Salmonella , porcine circovirus infection and PCV-2 infection. 
     
     
         33 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein glucans are derived by approaches which include synthetic chemistry and biotechnology-related approaches. 
     
     
         34 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein fucans are derived by approaches which include synthetic chemistry and biotechnology-related approaches. 
     
     
         35 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein administration of the composition to the maternal animal or human confers benefits to a single progeny from the maternal animal or human. 
     
     
         36 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein administration of the composition to the maternal animal or human confers benefits to multiple birth progeny offspring from the maternal animal or human. 
     
     
         37 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein administration of the composition to the maternal animal or human confers benefits to multiple birth progeny offspring such that 2 or more progeny offspring from the maternal animal or human are affected. 
     
     
         38 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the disorder of structure or function gives rise to early life mortality in progeny. 
     
     
         39 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein early life mortality is reduced during perinatal, prenatal and postnatal periods, during gestation, pregnancy, viparity, ovoviviparity or viviparity, surrounding the time of birth, hatching or spawning or during post birth, post hatch, neonatal or weaning periods, optionally with reductions in morbidity, mortality, numbers of stillborn, un-hatched, un-fertilized or mummified offspring or reductions in pre- or post-birth or hatch deaths. 
     
     
         40 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein parity is improved. 
     
     
         41 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein performance is increase throughout the animals lifetime, during the post birth period, weanling period, juvenile period, fattening period, finisher period, slaughter age periods, adult stage and periods during which animals grow to reach their genetic growth potential. 
     
     
         42 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein immunoglobulins are increased in blood serum of the progeny offspring of the maternal animal. 
     
     
         43 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the uniformity of progeny offspring weaning weight is significantly improved. 
     
     
         44 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the percentage of offspring weaned per maternal animal on weaning day is increased.