# Lean DLY Pig-Derived Fecal Microbiota Promotes Growth Performance by Modulating Gut Microbiota: Serum Metabolic Profiles in Obese Ningxiang Pigs

## TL;DR

Transplanting gut microbes from lean pigs into obese Ningxiang pigs improves growth and metabolism by changing gut bacteria and blood chemical profiles.

## Contribution

This study shows that transferring gut microbiota from lean DLY pigs to obese Ningxiang pigs enhances growth and nutrient use through microbiota and metabolic changes.

## Key findings

- FMT from lean DLY pigs improved growth and nutrient digestibility in obese Ningxiang pigs.
- FMT altered gut microbiota composition, enriching beneficial bacteria like Blautia and Faecalibacterium.
- Serum metabolomics revealed changes in lipid and amino acid metabolism linked to microbiota shifts.

## Abstract

The obese-type Ningxiang (NX) pig is renowned for its exceptional meat quality and flavor, yet its commercial potential is limited by lower feed efficiency and slower growth rates compared to lean-type commercial breeds. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has emerged as a promising approach to modulate host phenotypes via remodeling of the gut microbiota. Although previous studies have explored FMT from maternal or indigenous breed sources to lean-type pigs, the effect of transplanting fecal microbiota from lean-type pigs into obese-type breeds, particularly on growth performance and nutrient utilization, remains unclear. To address this, we hypothesized that transplanting fecal microbiota from lean-type Duroc × (Landrace × Yorkshire) (DLY) pigs into obese NX pigs would enhance growth performance and nutrient digestibility by modulating gut microbiota and host metabolism. In this study, we demonstrated that lean-type DLY-derived FMT significantly improved growth and nutrient digestibility in NX pigs, reshaped gut microbiota composition, and regulated serum metabolic profiles. These findings establish that lean pig-derived microbiota can effectively improve phenotypic traits in obese-type local breeds, offering valuable insights for optimizing swine production.

Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has demonstrated potential in reshaping gut microbiota to improve animal phenotypes, yet its application in lean-type to obese-type pigs like Ningxiang (NX) pigs remains unclear. To address this, we investigated the effects of Lean Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire (DLY) pig-derived fecal microbiota on the growth, gut microbiota composition, and serum metabolism of obese NX pigs. Thirty-six 50-day-old castrated male NX pigs of similar initial body weight were randomly assigned to either a control group or FMT group. The trial lasted for 35 days. Results indicated that FMT significantly improved the average daily gain and increased nutrient digestibility. Serum biochemical analysis revealed elevated levels of globulin and total protein and reduced low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the FMT group. In addition, 16S rRNA sequencing demonstrated that FMT modified gut microbiota composition and diversity, enriching beneficial genera such as Blautia, Agathobacter, Faecalibacterium, and Eubacterium_coprostanoligenes_group. Untargeted serum metabolomics further revealed altered metabolite profiles linked to lipid and amino acid metabolism. Correlation analysis further revealed a link between these enriched bacteria and metabolites changes. Overall, these findings demonstrate that transplantation of the fecal microbiota from lean DLY pigs significantly improved the growth performance of obese NX pigs by improving nutrient digestibility and modulating the gut microbiota–host metabolic axis.