Dietary Supplementation with Compound Probiotics and Berberine Alters Piglet Production Performance and Fecal Microbiota

Multispecies probiotic supplementation in diet with reduced crude protein levels altered the composition and function of gut microbiome and restored microbiome-derived metabolites in growing pigs

Both crude protein (CP) and probiotics can modulate the gut microbiome of the host, thus conferring beneficial effects. However, the benefits of low CP diet supplemented with multispecies probiotics on gut microbiome and its metabolites have not been investigated in pigs. Thus, we investigated the combinatory effects of low CP diet supplemented with multispecies probiotics on gut microbiome composition, function, and microbial metabolites in growing pigs. In total, 140 6 week-old piglets (Landrace × Yorkshire × Duroc) were used in this study. The pigs were divided into four groups with a 2 × 2 factorial design based on their diets: normal-level protein diet (16% CP; NP), low-level protein diet (14% CP; LP), NP with multispecies probiotics (NP-P), and LP with multispecies probiotics (LP-P). After the feeding trial, the fecal samples of the pigs were analyzed. The fecal scores were improved by the probiotic supplementation, especially in LP-P group. We also observed a probiotic-mediated alteration in the gut microbiome of pigs. In addition, LP-P group showed higher species richness and diversity compared with other groups. The addition of multispecies probiotics in low CP diet also enhanced gut microbiota metabolites production, such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and polyamines. Correlation analysis revealed that Oscillospiraceae UCG-002, Eubacterium coprostanoligenes, Lachnospiraceae NK4A136 group, and Muribaculaceae were positively associated with SCFAs; and Prevotella, Eubacterium ruminantium, Catenibacterium, Alloprevotella, Prevotellaceae NK3B31 group, Roseburia, Butyrivibrio, and Dialister were positively correlated with polyamines. Supplementation with multispecies probiotics modulated the function of the gut microbiome by upregulating the pathways for protein digestion and utilization, potentially contributing to enriched metabolite production in the gut. The results of this study demonstrate that supplementation with multispecies probiotics may complement the beneficial effects of low CP levels in pig feed. These findings may help formulate sustainable feeding strategies for swine production.

Glycyrrhinic acid and probiotics alleviate deoxynivalenol-induced cytotoxicity in intestinal epithelial cells

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is one of the most prevalent mycotoxin contaminants, which posing a serious health threat to animals and humans. Previous studies have found that individually supplemented probiotic or glycyrrhinic acid (GA) could degrade DON and alleviate DON-induced cytotoxicity. The present study investigated the effect of combining GA with Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae) and Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) using orthogonal design on alleviating IPEC-J2 cell damage induced by DON. The results showed that the optimal counts of S. cerevisiae and E. faecalis significantly promoted cell viability. The optimal combination for increasing cell viability was 400 µg/mL GA, 1 × 10⁶ CFU/mL S. cerevisiae and 1 × 10⁶ CFU/mL E. faecalis to make GAP, which not only significantly alleviated the DON toxicity but also achieved the highest degradation rate of DON (34.7%). Moreover, DON exposure significantly increased IL-8, Caspase3 and NF-κB contents, and upregulated the mRNA expressions of Bax, Caspase 3, NF-κB and the protein expressions of Bax, TNF-α and COX-2. However, GAP addition significantly reduced aforementioned genes and proteins. Furthermore, GAP addition significantly increased the mRNA expressions of Claudin-1, Occludin, GLUT2 and ASCT2, and the protein expressions of ZO-1, Claudin-1 and PePT1. It was inferred that the combination of GA, S. cerevisiae, and E. faecalis had the synergistic effect on enhancing cell viability and DON degradation, which could protect cells from DON-induced damage by reducing DON cytotoxicity, alleviating cell apoptosis and inflammation via inhibiting NF-κB signaling pathway, improving intestinal barrier function, and regulating nutrient absorption and transport. These findings suggest that GAP may have potential as a dietary supplement for livestock or humans exposed to DON-contaminated food or feed.

Dietary Berberine and Ellagic Acid Supplementation Improve Growth Performance and Intestinal Damage by Regulating the Structural Function of Gut Microbiota and SCFAs in Weaned Piglets

Early weaning is an effective method for improving the utilization rate of sows in intensive pig farms. However, weaning stress induces diarrhea and intestinal damage in piglets. Berberine (BBR) is known for its anti-diarrhea properties and ellagic acid (EA) is known for its antioxidant properties, however, whether their combination improves diarrhea and intestinal damage in piglets has not been studied, and the mechanism remains unclear. To explore the combined effects in this experiment, a total of 63 weaned piglets (Landrace × Yorkshire) were divided into three groups at 21 days. Piglets in the Ctrl group were treated with a basal diet and 2 mL saline orally, while those in the BE group were treated with a basal diet supplemented with 10 mg/kg (BW) BBR, 10 mg/kg (BW) EA, and 2 mL saline orally. Piglets in the FBE group were treated with a basal diet and 2 mL fecal microbiota suspension from the BE group orally, respectively, for 14 days. Compared with the Ctrl group, dietary supplementation with BE improved growth performance by increasing the average daily gain and average daily food intake and reducing the fecal score in weaned piglets. Dietary supplementation with BE also improved intestinal morphology and cell apoptosis by increasing the ratio of villus height to crypt depth and decreasing the average optical density of apoptotic cells; meanwhile, improvements also involved attenuating oxidative stress and intestinal barrier dysfunction by increasing the total antioxidant capacity, glutathione, and catalase, and upregulating the mRNA expressions of Occludin, Claudin-1, and ZO-1. Interestingly, the oral administration of a fecal microbiota suspension to piglets fed BE had similar effects to those of the BE group. According to 16S rDNA sequencing analysis, dietary supplementation with BE altered the composition of the microbiota, including firmicutes, bacteroidetes, lactobacillus, phascolarctobacterium, and parabacteroides, and increased the metabolites of propionate and butyrate. In addition, Spearman analysis revealed that improvements in growth performance and intestinal damage were significantly correlated with differential bacteria and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). In brief, dietary supplementation with BE improved the growth performance and intestinal damage by altering the gut microbiota composition and SCFAs in weaned piglets.

Understanding the Effect of Compound Probiotics on the Health of Rabbits and Its Mechanisms Through Metagenomics

In this study, we investigated the effects of probiotics on growth performance, immunity, intestinal flora, and antioxidant capacity of rabbits. Three hundred New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into four groups. Groups A, B, C, and D were the lactobacillus group, compound probiotic group, control group, and antibiotic group, respectively. The results showed compared with the control group, the average weight of groups A, B, and D increased by 14.88%, 12.33%, and 11.97%, respectively. Moreover, the index of immune organs and the IgG and IgM in serum of group B were significantly increased (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in group B and catalase (CAT) in group A were significantly increased (P < 0.05). At week 5, the contents of rabbit cecum were taken for metagenome sequencing, and the results showed probiotics increased the relative abundance of Akkermansia, and decreased the relative abundance of Bacteroides. According to the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database, we found probiotics could enrich metabolic pathways such as carbohydrates, amino acids, and lipids. According to the Comprehensive Antibiotic Resistance Database (CARD), we found antibiotic resistance ontology (ARO) in cecum mainly included β-lactamases, macrolide 2'-phosphotransferase II, and plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance protein. Among them, there were 1964, 2105, and 1982 types of ARO in group B, group D, and groups A and C, respectively. These results showed probiotics played a beneficial role in maintaining or enhancing the health and growth of rabbits and could replace antibiotics under certain feeding conditions.

Glycyrrhizic Acid and Compound Probiotics Supplementation Alters the Intestinal Transcriptome and Microbiome of Weaned Piglets Exposed to Deoxynivalenol

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a widespread mycotoxin that affects the intestinal health of animals and humans. In the present study, we performed RNA-sequencing and 16S rRNA sequencing in piglets after DON and glycyrrhizic acid and compound probiotics (GAP) supplementation to determine the changes in intestinal transcriptome and microbiota. Transcriptome results indicated that DON exposure altered intestinal gene expression involved in nutrient transport and metabolism. Genes related to lipid metabolism, such as PLIN1, PLIN4, ADIPOQ, and FABP4 in the intestine, were significantly decreased by DON exposure, while their expressions were significantly increased after GAP supplementation. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that GAP supplementation promoted intestinal digestion and absorption of proteins, fats, vitamins, and other nutrients. Results of gut microbiota composition showed that GAP supplementation significantly improved the diversity of gut microbiota. DON exposure significantly increased Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacillus abundances and decreased Firmicutes, Lactobacillus, and Streptococcus abundances; however, dietary supplementation with GAP observably recovered their abundances to normal. In addition, predictive functions by PICRUSt analysis showed that DON exposure decreased lipid metabolism, whereas GAP supplementation increased immune system. This result demonstrated that dietary exposure to DON altered the intestinal gene expressions related to nutrient metabolism and induced disturbances of intestinal microbiota, while supplementing GAP to DON-contaminated diets could improve intestinal health for piglets.

bulgaricus, as a Substitute for Antibiotics on the Gastrointestinal Tract Microbiota and Metabolomics Profile of Female Growing-Finishing Pigs

Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus (LDB) is an approved feed additive on the Chinese ‘Approved Feed Additives’ list. However, the possibility of LDB as an antibiotic replacement remains unclear. Particularly, the effect of LDB on microbiota and metabolites in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) requires further explanation. This study aimed to identify the microbiota and metabolites present in fecal samples and investigate the relationship between the microbiota and metabolites to evaluate the potential of LDB as an antibiotic replacement in pig production. A total of 42 female growing-finishing pigs were randomly allocated into the antibiotic group (basal diet + 75 mg/kg aureomycin) and LDB (basal diet + 3.0 × 109 cfu/kg LDB) groups. Fecal samples were collected on days 0 and 30. Growth performance was recorded and assessed. 16S rRNA sequencing and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-based non-targeted metabolomics approaches were used to analyze the differences in microbiota and metabolites. Associations between the differences were calculated using Spearman correlations with the Benjamini−Hochberg adjustment. The LDB diet had no adverse effect on feed efficiency but slightly enhanced the average daily weight gain and average daily feed intake (p > 0.05). The diet supplemented with LDB increased Lactobacillus abundance and decreased that of Prevotellaceae_NK3B31_group spp. Dietary-supplemented LDB enhanced the concentrations of pyridoxine, tyramine, D-(+)-pyroglutamic acid, hypoxanthine, putrescine and 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid and decreased the lithocholic acid concentration. The Lactobacillus networks (Lactobacillus, Peptococcus, Ruminococcaceae_UCG-004, Escherichia-Shigella, acetophenone, tyramine, putrescine, N-methylisopelletierine, N1-acetylspermine) and Prevotellaceae_NK3B31_group networks (Prevotellaceae_NK3B31_group, Treponema_2, monolaurin, penciclovir, N-(5-acetamidopentyl)acetamide, glycerol 3-phosphate) were the most important in the LDB effect on pig GIT health in our study. These findings indicate that LDB may regulate GIT function through the Lactobacillus and Prevotellaceae_NK3B31_group networks. However, our results were restrained to fecal samples of female growing-finishing pigs; gender, growth stages, breeds and other factors should be considered to comprehensively assess LDB as an antibiotic replacement in pig production.

Protective effects of E Se tea extracts against alcoholic fatty liver disease induced by high fat/alcohol diet: In vivo biological evaluation and molecular docking study

BACKGROUND

With the development of economy and increased workload, chronic a high-fat/alcohol diet intake may lead to alcoholic fatty liver disease (AFLD), which is considered as a crucial health problem worldwide. E Se tea is produced of the leaves and leaf buds of Malus toringoides (Rehd.) Hughes in Tibet and has human health benefits with anti-hyperglycemia, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia effects.

PURPOSE

The objective of this work was to investigate the protective effect of aqueous-ethanol and hot-water extracts of E Se tea against chronic high-fat/alcohol diet induced AFLD rats.

METHODS

Firstly, to determine the chemical profiling of E Se tea extracts, UHPLC-ESI-HRMS analysis was conducted. Secondly, Sprague-Dawley male rats were used to establish the AFLD animal model by feeding with high-fat/alcohol diet. The animals were treated with E Se tea extracts for 12 weeks. Serum parameters were determined, histologic sections were prepared, and activities of enzymes related to inflammatory response and lipid metabolism imbalance were analyzed. The underlying mechanisms of E Se tea extracts alleviating AFLD were analyzed by immunofluorescence staining and Western blotting analysis. Lastly, key targets of 11-MT against AFLD were verified through molecular docking.

RESULTS

In this study, seven main compounds were confirmed or tentatively identified in E Se tea extracts by UHPLC-ESI-HRMS. The results revealed that both the extracts could reverse histopathological steatotic alternation of the liver and reduced the activity of liver damage markers (ALT, AST). E Se tea extracts mitigated oxidative stress by inhibiting CYP2E1 protein and lipid peroxidation parameters (MDA), but enhancing the endogenous antioxidants (CAT, GSH, SOD). Moreover, E Se tea extracts ameliorated inflammation by restraining the activation of NF-κB, consequently releasing the expression of proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, COX-2 and iNOS). Subsequently, E Se tea extracts reduced hepatocyte apoptosis by increasing capase-9, caspase-3 and Bax protein expression but decreasing Bcl-2 protein expression. Furthermore, E Se tea extracts improved metabolism imbalance by stimulating AMPK/SREBP1/FAS and PPAR-α/CPT1 signaling pathway by regulating lipid metabolism parameters (TC, TG, HDL-C, LHD-C). Furthermore, molecular docking results indicated that 7 chemical constituents of E Se tea extracts had strong docking affinity with 4 key target proteins (AMPK, PPAR-α, NF-кB and Caspase-9).

CONCLUSION

E Se tea ameliorated AFLD through ameliorating inflammatory response, apoptosis, and lipid metabolism imbalance.

Dissecting the Effect of Berberine on the Intestinal Microbiome in the Weaned Piglets by Metagenomic Sequencing

This study aimed to investigate the microbial structure and function in the rectum of weaned piglets with berberine supplementation. Twelve healthy 21-day-old Duorc × (Landrace × Large White) weaned piglets (similar body weight) were evenly divided into control and berberine groups and were fed a basal diet supplemented with 0 and 0.1% berberine, respectively. After 21 days, metagenomic sequencing analysis was performed to detect microbial composition and function in the rectum of weaned piglets. Results showed that there were 10,597,721,931–14,059,392,900 base pairs (bp) and 10,186,558,171–15,859,563,342 bp of clean data in the control and berberine groups, respectively. The Q20s of the control and berberine groups were 97.15 to 97.7% and 96.26 to 97.68%, respectively. The microorganisms in the berberine group had lower (p < 0.05) Chao1, alternating conditional expectation, Shannon, and Simpson indices at the species levels than those in the control group. Analysis of similarity showed that there were significant differences (p < 0.01) between the control and berberine groups at the genus and species levels of the gut microorganisms. Dietary berberine significantly increased (p < 0.05) the abundance of Subdoligranulum variabile, but decreased (p < 0.05) the abundance of Prevotella copri compared with the control group. Carbohydrate-active enzymes analysis revealed that the levels of polysaccharide lyases and carbohydrate esterases were lower (p < 0.05) in the berberine group than that in the control group. Linear discriminant analysis effect size analysis showed that berberine supplementation could induce various significant Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways, including carbohydrate metabolism, environmental information processing, and microbial metabolism in diverse environments. In conclusion, our findings suggest that berberine could improve the composition, abundance, structure, and function of gut microbiome in the weaned piglets, potentially providing a suitable approach for the application of berberine in human and animal health.

Prenatal Isoflurane Exposure Induces Developmental Neurotoxicity in Rats: the Role of Gut Microbiota

Fetal exposure to inhaled anesthetics, such as isoflurane, may lead to neurodevelopmental impairment in offspring. Yet, the mechanisms of prenatal isoflurane-induced developmental neurotoxicity have not been fully elucidated. Gut microbiota is a pivotal modulator of brain development and functions. While the antibiotic effect of isoflurane has been previously investigated, the relationship between prenatal isoflurane exposure and postnatal gut microbiota, brain biology, and behavior remains unknown. In the present study, we treated pregnant rats with 2% isoflurane for 4 h on gestational day 14. Their offspring were tested with novel object recognition task on postnatal day 28 (P28) to assess cognition. Fecal microbiome was assessed using 16S RNA sequencing. We also analyzed hippocampal expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in P28 rat brains. To further explore the role of gut microbiota on prenatal isoflurane-induced developmental neurotoxicity, we treated rats with mixed probiotics on P14 for 14 days and evaluated novel object recognition and hippocampal expression of BDNF on P28. Results indicate that prenatal exposure to isoflurane significantly decreased novel object recognition (novel object preference ratio: mean difference (MD) - 0.157; 95% confidence interval (CI) - 0.234 to - 0.080, P < 0.001) paralleled by diminished expression of hippocampal BDNF in juvenile rats. Prenatal exposure to isoflurane also significantly altered the diversity and composition of gut microbiota. Treatment with probiotics mitigated these changes in cognition (novel object preference ratio: isoflurane group vs. control group: MD - 0.177; 95% CI - 0.307 to - 0.047, P = 0.006; probiotic group vs. isoflurane group: MD 0.140; 95% CI 0.004 to 0.275, P = 0.042) and BDNF expression. Taken together, our findings suggest that gut dysbiosis may be involved in the pathogenesis of maternal isoflurane exposure-induced postnatal cognitive impairment. To determine the causal relationship between gut microbiota and cognition in prenatal anesthetic-induced developmental neurotoxicity, further studies are needed.

Potential use of ground brown rice for weanling pigs

The purpose of the current study was to assess the effects of substituting corn with ground brown rice on growth performance, immune status, and gut microbiota in weanling pigs. Seventy-two weanling pigs (28 d old with 6.78 ± 0.94 kg body weight [BW]) were randomly allotted to two dietary treatments with six pens and six pigs (three barrows and gilts) per pen within a randomized complete block design. The control pigs were fed a typical diet for weanling pigs based on corn and soybean meal diet (control diet: CON), and the other pigs were fed a formulated diet with 100% replacement of corn with ground brown rice for 35d (treatment diet: GBR). Growth performance, immune status, and gut microbiota of weanling pigs were measured. The substitution of corn with GBR did not affect growth performance or diarrhea frequency. Additionally, there were no differences in white blood cell number, hematocrit, cortisol, C-reactive protein, and serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels between pigs fed CON or GBR for the first 2 wk after weaning. However, weanling pigs fed GBR had lower (P < 0.05) serum transforming growth factor-beta 1 level than those fed CON. Furthermore, weanling pigs fed GBR had increased (P < 0.05) relative abundance of phylum Firmicutes and genus Lactobacillus and Streptococcus and decreased (P < 0.05) relative abundance of phylum Bacteroidetes and genus Clostridium and Prevotella in the gut microbiota compared with those fed CON. In conclusion, there was no significant difference in growth performance when corn was replaced with ground brown rice in diets for weanling pigs. Furthermore, the substitution of corn with ground brown rice in weaning diet modulated immune status and gut microbiota of pigs by increasing beneficial microbial communities and reducing harmful microbial communities. Overall, ground brown rice-based diet is a potential alternative to corn-based diet without negative effects on growth performance, immune status, and gut microbiota changes of weanling pigs.

Effects of dietary Forsythia suspensa extract supplementation to lactating sows and nursery pigs on post-weaning performance, antioxidant capacity, nutrient digestibility, immunoglobulins, and intestinal health

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of dietary Forsythia suspensa extract (FSE) supplementation to lactating sows and nursery pigs on post-weaning performance, antioxidant capacity, immunoglobulins, and intestinal health. Based on backfat, body weight (BW), and parity, 24 gestating sows (Landrace × Yorkshire) with average parity of 3.38 ± 0.61 and BW of 234 ± 6.81 kg were allotted into two dietary treatments (control vs. 100 mg/kg FSE) with 12 sows per treatment from day 107 of gestation to day 21 of lactation. After weaning, based on the initial BW and source litter, 192 nursery pigs (Duroc × [Landrace × Yorkshire], average BW of 6.98 ± 0.32 kg, weaned at day 21) were allotted into four dietary treatments with eight replicate pens per treatment, six pigs per pen for a 4-wk study. The treatments included the following: 1) CC (sows and their piglets both fed control diet); 2) CF (sows fed control diet and their piglets fed FSE diet [containing 100 mg/kg FSE]); 3) FC (sows fed FSE diet and their piglets fed control diet); and 4) FF (sows and their piglets both fed FSE diet). The MIXED procedures of SAS for a split-plot arrangement with sow diet as the whole plot and nursery diet as split plot were used to analyze the data. After weaning, piglets from FSE-fed sows had improved (P < 0.05) average daily gain and feed efficiency, and lower (P < 0.05) diarrhea rate in overall (day 1 to 28) compared with those from sows fed control diet. Piglets from FSE-fed sows also had higher (P < 0.05) contents of immunoglobulin G (IgG), growth hormone, superoxide dismutase (SOD), total antioxidant capacity in serum, villus height in ileum, and villus height to crypt depth ratio in jejunum, as well as lower (P < 0.05) content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in serum and crypt depth in ileum compared with those from sows fed control diet. Piglets fed FSE during nursery had increased (P < 0.05) concentrations of IgG, SOD, and catalase, and decreased (P < 0.05) MDA and tumor nuclear factor-α levels in serum compared with those fed control diet during nursery. Piglets from FC group had increased (P < 0.05) protein expression of occludin in jejunal mucosa and relative abundance of Lactobacillus on genus level in colon compared with those from CC group. In conclusion, for the performance and intestinal health, diets supplemented with FSE during lactation phase seemed more efficient to alleviate weaning stress than the nursery phase. In terms of the antioxidant status and immunoglobulins, FSE supplemented in both phases were efficient for nursery pigs.

Evolution of Pig Fecal Microbiota Composition and Diversity in Response to Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Infection and Colistin Treatment in Weaned Piglets

The intestinal microbiota plays several important roles in pig health and growth. The aim of the current study was to characterize the changes in the fecal microbiota diversity and composition of weaned piglets following an oral challenge with an ETEC: F4 strain and/or a treatment with colistin sulfate (CS). Twenty-eight piglets were used in this experiment and were divided into four groups: challenged untreated, challenged treated, unchallenged treated, and unchallenged untreated. Rectal swab samples were collected at five sampling times throughout the study. Total genomic DNA was used to assess the fecal microbiota diversity and composition using the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. The relative abundance, the composition, and the community structure of piglet fecal microbiota was highly affected by the ETEC: F4 challenge throughout the experiment, while the oral treatment with CS, a narrow spectrum antibiotic, resulted in a significant decrease of E. coli/Shigella populations during the treatment period only. This study was the first to identify some gut microbiota subgroups (e.g., Streptococcus, Lachnospiraceae) that are associated with healthy piglets as compared to ETEC: F4 challenged animals. These key findings might contribute to the development of alternative strategies to reduce the use of antimicrobials in the control of post-weaning diarrhea in pigs.

Dietary supplementation with berberine improves growth performance and modulates the composition and function of cecal microbiota in yellow-feathered broilers

This study investigated the effect of berberine (BBR) on growth performance and composition and function of cecal microbiota in yellow-feathered broilers. A total of 360 1-day-old female broilers were assigned to 3 dietary treatments, each with 6 replicates of 20 birds. The dietary treatments consisted of a basal diet as negative control (NC), basal plus 200 mg/kg oxytetracycline calcium and 250 mg/kg nasiheptide as an antibiotic positive control (PC), and basal plus 250 mg/kg BBR. On day 21, 42, and 63, one chicken from each replicate was randomly selected for blood collection and cecal sampling. The 16S rRNA sequencing technology was used to analyze the community composition and function of cecal microbiota. Dietary supplementation with antibiotics or BBR increased the final body weight (BW) at day 63 and the average daily gain (ADG) during 1 to 21 d compared with the NC (P < 0.05). Supplementation with BBR improved the average daily feed intake (ADFI) at 22 to 42 d, 43 to 63 d, and 1 to 63 d (P < 0.05). Feed efficiency, indicated by feed to gain ratio (F/G), increased with PC during day 1 to 21 compared with NC (P < 0.05). The plasma concentrations of total protein at 42 d and uric acid at 21 d were increased, whereas creatine concentration at 63 d was decreased by BBR treatment (P < 0.05). The Chao 1 and Shannon index representing microbial α-diversity was reduced by BBR treatment (P < 0.05). The abundances of phylum Firmicutes and genera Lachnospiraceae, Lachnoclostridium, Clostridiales, and Intestinimonas were decreased, whereas the abundances of phylum Bacteroidetes and genus Bacteroides were increased with BBR treatment. Functional prediction of microbiota revealed that BBR treatment enriched pathways related to metabolism, organismal systems, and genetic information processing, especially DNA replication. The abundance of phylum Bacteroidetes, and genera Bacteroides and Lactobacillus in cecal contents were positively correlated with broiler growth performance. These results demonstrated dietary BBR supplementation improved the growth performance of yellow-feathered broilers, and was closely related to the significant changes in cecal microbiota composition.