Effect of Bacillus coagulans on maintaining the integrity intestinal mucosal barrier in broilers

Bacillus coagulans (B. coagulans), a spore-forming bacteria, has been further studied for its high tolerance to extreme environmental stressors and probiotic characteristics. But the modulatory effect of B. coagulans on the intestinal mucosal barrier remains unclear. To investigate the effects of B. coagulans on intestinal mucosal barrier, 1-day-old broiler chickens were orally administrated with 108 CFU/mL B. coagulans for consecutive 42 days. In this study, the body weight, jejunum villus height and crypt depth of broiler chickens were significantly increased after B. coagulans treatment. B. coagulans also increased the contents of total protein (TP) and albumin (ALB) in serum, and reduced the contents of low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and triglyceride (TG). In addition, B. coagulans improved the intestinal flora, significantly increasing the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria in the intestine. The ability of B. coagulans to enhance innate immunity is observed by the increased number of goblet cells and the decreased mRNA expression of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and sIgA content. Moreover, B. coagulans promoted intestinal epithelial proliferation through the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. This study demonstrated that B. coagulans could maintain the intestinal mucosal barrier by improving the intestinal flora, enhancing innate immunity and promoting intestinal epithelial proliferation.