Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG ameliorates DON-induced intestinal damage depending on the enrichment of beneficial bacteria in weaned piglets

Background Deoxynivalenol (DON) is one of the most common environmental pollutants that induces intestinal inflammation and microbiota dysbiosis. Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) is a probiotic that not only has anti-inflammatory effects, but also shows protective effect on the intestinal barrier. However, it is still unknown whether LGG exerts beneficial effects against DON-induced intestinal damage in piglets. In this work, a total of 36 weaned piglets were randomized to one of four treatment groups for 21 d. The treatment groups were CON (basal diet); LGG (basal diet supplemented with 1.77 x 10.sup.11 CFU/kg LGG); DON (DON-contaminated diet) and LGG + DON (DON-contaminated diet supplemented with 1.77 x 10.sup.11 CFU/kg LGG). Result Supplementation of LGG can enhance growth performance of piglets exposed to DON by improving intestinal barrier function. LGG has a mitigating effect on intestinal inflammation induced by DON exposure, largely through repression of the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway. Furthermore, supplementation of LGG increased the relative abundances of beneficial bacteria (e.g., Collinsella, Lactobacillus, Ruminococcus_torques_group and Anaerofustis), and decreased the relative abundances of harmful bacteria (e.g., Parabacteroides and Ruminiclostridium_6), and also promoted the production of SCFAs. Conclusions LGG ameliorates DON-induced intestinal damage, which may provide theoretical support for the application of LGG to alleviate the adverse effects induced by DON exposure. Keywords: Deoxynivalenol, Gut microbiota, Intestinal inflammation, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, Piglets