Probiotics alleviated heat stress-induced spermatogenesis dysfunction by remodeling gut microbiota and producing arginine and pantothenic acid

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND: Large-scale farms struggle to effectively address summer heat stress (HS) in dairy goats, which impairs spermatogenesis and reduces reproductive performance by compromising gut and reproductive organ health in male animals. Although Clostridium butyricum (CB) and Enterococcus faecium (EF) have been used to alleviate gut dysbiosis, their protective effects and mechanisms against HS-induced spermatogenic dysfunction in dairy goats remain unclear. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of CB and EF in mitigating HS-induced spermatogenic disorders in male dairy goats and elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

RESULTS: HS leads to a significant decline in sperm quality. CB and EF ameliorate HS-induced sperm quality deterioration by reducing pro-inflammatory factors and oxidative stress levels in blood, while modulating the disrupted reproductive hormone levels caused by heat stress. 16S rRNA-based microbiota analysis revealed that CB and EF treatment shifted the gut microbiota of HS-treated male dairy goats toward a composition resembling that of the NC. To investigate whether the protective effects of these probiotics on sperm quality are mediated through gut microbiota modulation, we transplanted fecal microbiota from HS-treated dairy goats (with or without probiotic intervention) into antibiotic-induced microbiome-depleted (AIMD) mice, followed by heat stress exposure. We observed severe testicular damage and spermatogenic impairment in mice receiving HS group microbiota, whereas these pathological manifestations were significantly alleviated in mice receiving microbiota from probiotic-treated HS goats, indicating that CB and EF mitigate HS-induced spermatogenic damage in a microbiota-dependent manner. Furthermore, non-targeted metabolomics sequencing identified significant reductions in arginine (Arg) and pantothenic acid (PaA) levels in both HS-treated goats and HS microbiota-transplanted mice, metabolites that showed correlation with sperm quality parameters. Subsequent studies demonstrated that supplementation with Arg and PaA effectively attenuated the elevation of pro-inflammatory factors and oxidative stress in mouse blood, restored intercellular junctions, and ultimately ameliorated spermatogenic disorders.

CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that CB and EF alleviate HS-induced sperm quality decline in dairy goats by modulating the gut microbiota to increase blood levels of Arg and PaA. These findings highlight novel therapeutic avenues for preventing HS-induced spermatogenic disorders in dairy goats and provide fresh insights into the application of probiotics to mitigate heat stress-associated impairments in sperm production.

INSTRUMENT(S): Liquid Chromatography MS - positive, Liquid Chromatography MS - negative

PROVIDER: MTBLS12573 | MetaboLights | 2025-07-31

REPOSITORIES: MetaboLights