Multispecies probiotics alter fecal short-chain fatty acids and lactate levels in weaned pigs by modulating gut microbiota

Abstract

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are metabolic products produced during the microbial fermentation of non-digestible fibers and play an important role in metabolic homeostasis and overall gut health. In this study, we investigated the effects of supplementation with multispecies probiotics (MSPs) containing <i>Bacillus amyloliquefaciens</i>, <i>Limosilactobacillus reuteri</i>, and <i>Levilactobacillus brevis</i> on the gut microbiota, and fecal SCFAs and lactate levels of weaned pigs. A total of 38 pigs weaned at 4 weeks of age were fed either a basal diet or a diet supplemented with MSPs for 6 weeks. MSP administration significantly increased the fecal concentrations of lactate (2.3-fold; <i>p</i> < 0.01), acetate (1.8-fold; <i>p</i> < 0.05), and formate (1.4-fold; <i>p</i> < 0.05). Moreover, MSP supplementation altered the gut microbiota of the pigs by significantly increasing the population of potentially beneficial bacteria such as <i>Olsenella</i>, <i>Catonella</i>, <i>Catenibacterium</i>, <i>Acidaminococcus</i>, and <i>Ruminococcaceae</i>. MSP supplementation also decreased the abundance of pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia and <i>Chlamydia</i>. The modulation of the gut microbiota was observed to be strongly correlated with the changes in fecal SCFAs and lactate levels. Furthermore, we found changes in the functional pathways present within the gut, which supports our findings that MSP modulates the gut microbiota and SCFAs levels in pigs. The results support the potential use of MSPs to improve the gut health of animals by modulating SCFAs production.