Supplemental Clostridium butyricum modulates skeletal muscle development and meat quality by shaping the gut microbiota of lambs

This study evaluated the contributions of Clostridium butyricum on skeletal muscle development, gastrointestinal flora and meat quality of lambs. Eighteen Dorper (♂) × Small Tailed Han sheep (♀) crossed ewe lambs of similar weight (27.43 ± 1.94 kg; age, 88 ± 5 days) were divided into two dietary treatments. The control group was fed the basal diet (C group), and the probiotic group was supplemented with C. butyricum on the basis of the C group (2.5 × 108 cfu/g, 5 g/day/lamb; P group) for 90 d. The results showed that dietary C. butyricum elevated growth performance, muscle mass, muscle fiber diameter and cross-sectional area, and decreased the shear force value of meat (P < 0.05). Moreover, C. butyricum supplementation accelerated protein synthesis by regulating the gene expression of IGF-1/Akt/mTOR pathway. We identified 54 differentially expressed proteins that regulated skeletal muscle development through different mechanisms by quantitative proteomics. These proteins were associated with ubiquitin-protease, apoptosis, muscle structure, energy metabolism, heat shock, and oxidative stress. The metagenomics sequencing results showed that Petrimonas at the genus level and Prevotella brevis at the species level in the rumen, while Lachnoclostridium, Alloprevotella and Prevotella at the genus level in the feces, were significantly enriched in the P group. Also, butyric acid and valeric acid levels were elevated in both rumen and feces of the P group. Overall, our results support the idea that C. butyricum could change gastrointestinal flora, and affect skeletal muscle development and meat quality of lambs by modulating gut-muscle axis.