Clostridium butyricum has been widely considered an antibiotic substitute in recent years. It can promote growth performance, improve the immune response and enhance the intestinal barrier function of the host. In the present study, 1-d-old Arbor Acres (AA) broilers were fed C. butyricum (1 × 10⁹ cfu/kg) for 28 d. The transcriptomic characteristics of epithelial cells of the cecal mucosa were determined by RNA-sequence, and the cecal microbiota composition was explored by 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing. The changes in the intestinal mucosa of broilers were then analyzed by tissue staining. Gene Ontology (GO) annotations identified substance transport and processes and pathways that might participate in intestinal development and cell viability. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis revealed that the differentially expressed genes are involved in numerous pathways related to amino acid and vitamin metabolism and antioxidant and defensive functions, among others. The relative expression of some genes associated with intestinal barrier function (claudins 2, 15, 19, and 23, tight junction proteins 1, 2, and 3 and mucin 1) was significantly increased in the treatment group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). Moreover, the proportion of Firmicutes was higher in the C. butyricum-treated group, whereas the proportion of Proteobacteria was higher in the control group. At the genus level, the relative abundances of Butyricicoccus and Lactobacillus, among other bacteria, were increased after C. butyricum supplementation. The tissue staining analysis showed that the cecal mucosa of broilers was significantly ameliorated after the addition of C. butyricum (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). These results showed that dietary supplementation with C. butyricum can enhance the antioxidant capacity, mucosal barrier function, and stabilize the cecal microbiota, resulting in improving the growth performance.

近年来，酪酸梭菌被广泛认为是一种抗生素替代品。它能促进生长性能，提高免疫反应，增强宿主的肠道屏障功能。在本研究中，1 日龄 Arbor Acres (AA) 肉鸡饲喂C. butyricum (1 × 10 ⁹ cfu/kg) 28 天。盲肠黏膜上皮细胞的转录组学特征通过 RNA 序列确定，盲肠微生物群组成通过 16S 核糖体 RNA 基因测序进行探索。然后通过组织染色分析肉鸡肠粘膜的变化。基因本体论 (GO) 注释确定了可能参与肠道发育和细胞活力的物质运输和过程和途径。京都基因和基因组百科全书 (KEGG) 通路分析显示，差异表达的基因参与与氨基酸和维生素代谢以及抗氧化和防御功能等相关的众多通路。一些与肠道屏障功能相关的基因（密蛋白 2、15、19 和 23，紧密连接蛋白 1、2、P <  0.05 或P <  0.01)。此外，C. butyricum治疗组中厚壁菌门的比例较高，而对照组中变形菌门的比例较高。在属水平上，在补充丁酸梭菌后，Butyricicoccus和Lactobacillus等细菌的相对丰度有所增加。组织染色分析表明，加入丁酸梭菌后肉鸡盲肠黏膜明显改善（P <  0.05或P <  0.01）。这些结果表明，膳食补充剂C. butyricum 可增强抗氧化能力、黏膜屏障功能，稳定盲肠菌群，提高生长性能。