With the improvement in sow prolificacy,
formula feeding
has been
increasingly used in the pig industry. Diarrhea remains a serious
health concern in formula-fed (FF) piglets. Fecal microbiota transplantation
(FMT) is an efficacious strategy to reshape gut microbiota and the
metabolic profile for treating diarrhea. This study aims to investigate
whether FMT from breast-fed piglets could alleviate diarrhea in FF
piglets. The piglets were randomly assigned to the control (CON) group,
FF group, and FMT group. Our results showed that FF piglets exhibited
a higher diarrhea incidence, damaged colonic morphology, and disrupted
barrier function. In contrast, FMT treatment normalized the morphology
and barrier function. FMT suppressed the JNK/MAPK pathway and production of proinflammatory cytokines.
Additionally, FF piglets had a lower abundance of the beneficial bacterial
genus Bifidobacterium compared to CON piglets. Following
FMT administration, Bifidobacterium was restored.
Meanwhile, 5-HIAA, a metabolite of tryptophan, and AHR-responsive CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 were
upregulated. Importantly, integrated multiomics analysis revealed
a strong positive correlation between Bifidobacterium and 5-HIAA. In vitro, 5-HIAA supplementation reversed the LPS-induced
disruption of tight junctions and production of proinflammatory cytokines
in IPEC-J2 cells. In conclusion, FMT reduced diarrhea incidence and
improved growth performance. The alleviative effect of FMT on diarrhea
was associated with Bifidobacterium and 5-HIAA.