Beneficial Impact and Molecular Mechanism of Bacillus coagulans on Piglets’ Intestine

Abstract

The aim of this research was to investigate the beneficial impact and molecular mechanism of <i>B. coagulans</i> on piglets' intestine. Twenty-four 21 days old weaned piglets were allotted to three treatments: Control group (basal diet), B6 group (basal diet + 2 × 10⁶ CFU/g <i>B. coagulans</i>), and the B7 group (basal diet + 2 × 10⁷ CFU/g <i>B. coagulans</i>). The results showed that, compared with the control group, the B7 group had a reduced cholesterol content and gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) in plasma (<i>p</i> < 0.05); the B6 and B7 groups had a significantly decreased diarrhea rate and diamine oxidase (DAO) activity in plasma (<i>p</i> < 0.05), increased villus height in ileum and decreased crypt depth in the jejunum (<i>p</i> < 0.05); increased activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), and decreased the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and H₂O₂ in the intestine (<i>p</i> < 0.05). These data suggested that supplementing <i>B. coagulans</i> had beneficial impacts on promoting nutrients' metabolism, maintaining intestinal integrity, and alleviating oxidative stress and diarrhea. Further research of molecular mechanisms showed changing expression levels of related proteins and genes, suggesting that these could be involved in the regulation of the impact. The community composition of the gut microbiota was also found to be altered in several operational taxonomic units within the genus, <i>Prevotella</i> (order <i>Bacteroidales</i>), and the order, <i>Clostridiales.</i>