Dietary carbohydrate influences the colocalization pattern of Glucagon-like Peptide-1 with neurotensin in the chicken ileum

Glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 colocalizes with neurotensin (NT) in the same enteroendocrine cells (EECs) of the chicken ileum. The present study was designed to clarify the influence of dietary carbohydrate (CHO) on the colocalization pattern of GLP-1 with NT in the chicken distal ileum. Male White Leghorn chickens at 6 weeks of age (n = 15) were divided into three groups, a control and two experimental (low-CHO and CHO-free), with five chickens in each, and fed control or experimental diets for 7 d. Distal ileum was collected from each bird as a tissue sample and subjected to double immunofluorescence staining to detect GLP-1 and NT. Three types of EEC, GLP-1+/NT+, GLP-1+/NT− and GLP-1−/NT+, were demonstrated in the chicken ileum. GLP-1+/NT+ cells in the control group had a spindle-like shape with a long cytoplasmic process, but those in the experimental groups were round and lacked a cytoplasmic process. The ratio of GLP-1+/NT+ cells was significantly decreased in the two experimental groups compared with that in the control group. The ratio of GLP-1+/NT+ cells was significantly lower than those of GLP-1+/NT− and GLP-1−/NT+ cells in the two experimental groups. Most cells that were immunoreactive for GLP-1 and NT antisera lacked signals of proglucagon (PG) and NT precursor (NTP) mRNA in the experimental groups. The number of EECs expressing PG and NTP mRNA signals showed tendencies for decreases with a reduction of dietary CHO level. These findings suggest that dietary CHO could be a significant regulator of the pattern of colocalization pattern of GLP-1 with NT in the chicken ileum.