Fuente: PubMed "microbial biotechnology" Anim Nutr. 2026 Mar 6;25:360-374. doi: 10.1016/j.aninu.2025.11.007. eCollection 2026 Jun.ABSTRACTThe effects of berberine (BBR) on intestinal health suffering from soybean meal (SBM)-induced enteritis (SBMIE) in hybrid yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco ♀ × Pelteobagrus vachelli ♂) were investigated in this study, focusing specifically on oxidant-antioxidant capacity, intestinal morphology, microbiota homeostasis and tryptophan catabolites. A total of 270 individuals with the initial body weight (IBW) of 23.27 ± 0.60 g were randomly divided into 9 tanks at the density of 30 fish per tank. Three diets, the SBM diet (75% of fish meal substituted by SBM, SBM), BBR1 (75 mg/kg BBR was added to the SBM diet, BBR1) and BBR2 diet (150 mg/kg BBR was added to the SBM diet, BBR2), were used to feed fish for 42 d. The results indicated that the final body weight (FBW), weight gain rate (WGR) and specific growth rate (SGR) were all significantly increased in BBR2 group compared with SBM group (P < 0.05). Intestinal barrier proteins and genes (ZO-1 and occludin) expression (P < 0.05) and intestinal interleukin-10 (IL-10) content (P = 0.001) were all greatly improved with BBR administration, especially in the BBR2 group. The apoptosis related genes (caspase 3 and caspase 9) (P < 0.05) of intestinal epithelium cells were also significantly reduced by dietary BBR compared with SBM group. Comparative analysis of intestinal microbial composition and tryptophan catabolites between the SBM group and BBR2 group revealed that BBR significantly ameliorated the imbalance of intestinal microbiota and improved the intestinal tryptophan catabolites, especially reflected in the relative abundance of Romboutsia and the levels of L-5-hydroxytryptophan (L-5-HTP), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and kynurenine (KYN) in intestinal contents (P < 0.05). As a result, the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) signaling was then activated. Correlation analyses showed that the relative abundance of Romboutsia was positively correlated with IAA and KYN levels in the intestinal contents (P < 0.05), and negatively correlated with interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in hindgut (P < 0.01). The levels of L-5-HTP, IAA, and KYN in intestinal contents were positively correlated with key factors of hindgut AhR signaling pathway, tight junctions (TJs) and anti-inflammatory cytokines (P < 0.05). Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) functional prediction results showed that the intestinal microbial functions were mainly enriched in metabolic pathways, including amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, and metabolism of cofactors and vitamins. In conclusion, BBR ameliorated SBMIE in hybrid yellow catfish by reducing oxidative stress, enhancing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacity, alleviating intestinal pathological damage and microbial dysbiosis. The microbiota-tryptophan catabolite-AhR axis may play an essential role in this protective process.PMID:42004256 | PMC:PMC13085086 | DOI:10.1016/j.aninu.2025.11.007