Regulatory Effects of the Probiotic <i>Clostridium butyricum</i> on Gut Microbes, Intestinal Health, and Growth Performance of Chickens

Abstract

Clostridium butyricum is an important probiotic for chickens and exerts various biological activities, including altering the composition of the intestinal microbiota, competing with other microorganisms for nutrients, improving the integrity of the intestinal mucosal system, changing the intestinal barrier, and improving overall host health. Intestinal microbes also play vital roles in maintaining the intestinal barrier, regulating intestinal health, and promoting chicken growth. During chicken production, chickens are vulnerable to various stressors that have detrimental effects on the intestinal barrier with significant economic consequences. C. butyricum is a known probiotic that promotes intestinal health and produces the short-chain fatty acid butyric acid, which is beneficial for the growth performance of chickens. This review elucidates the development and utilization of C. butyricum to improve intestinal barrier function and growth performance in chickens through its probiotic properties and interactions with intestinal microbes.

Probiotic Roles of Clostridium butyricum in Piglets: Considering Aspects of Intestinal Barrier Function

“…Numerous in vivo and in vitro studies have confirmed that probiotics can improve the balance of microbes in the intestinal environment, enhance immune function, and benefit intestinal morphology [16][17][18][19][20][21][22]. In all of these studies, Clostridium butyricum (C. butyricum) has been identified as an effective probiotic that promotes animal growth and maintains intestinal barrier function [20,[23][24][25][26][27][28][29]. C. butyricum, also known as Clostridium tyrosine, is a Gram-positive obligate anaerobic bacillus first isolated from pig intestines in 1880 by Prazmowski.…”