Effects of compound probiotics on growth performance, immunity, antioxidant capacity and gut microbiota in weaned rabbits

Our results showed that dietary supplementation with probiotic significantly promoted growth performance (e.g., increased average daily gain and decreased feed-to-gain ratio), enhanced immune function (reflected by elevated plasmic immunoglobulin levels and reduced pro-inflammatory cytokine concentrations) and improved antioxidant capacity (manifested by higher activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase and lower malondialdehyde content) in weaned rabbits. Furthermore, compound probiotic supplementation influenced the composition of intestinal microflora by decreasing the abundance of <i>Fusobacteriota</i> (disease-related) and increasing the abundance of <i>Christensenellaceae</i>_R-7_group. Supplementation with compound probiotic can alter the abundance of specific gut microbiota to maintain a healthy microbial community. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that probiotics (especially compound probiotics) serve as a valuable nutritional strategy for alleviating weaning stress, optimizing growth performance and maintaining intestinal microbiota homeostasis in weaned rabbits, providing theoretical support for the application of compound probiotics in rabbit production.