Dietary Bacillus coagulans supplementation improves liver health and modulates hepatic metabolic profiles in juvenile fourfinger threadfin (Eleutheronema tetradactylum)

ABSTRACT:

Dietary supplementation with probiotics has emerged as a promising strategy to enhance the health and productivity of farmed fish. This study investigated the effects of dietary Bacillus coagulans on the hepatic morphology, oxidative status, and metabolic profiles of juvenile fourfinger threadfin (Eleutheronema tetradactylum), a commercially valuable marine aquaculture species. Fish were fed either a control diet or a diet supplemented with 1 x 10^8 CFU/g B. coagulans. At the end of the eight-week feeding trial, histological examination revealed that B. coagulans supplementation significantly improved hepatic tissue morphology, promoting a more orderly cellular arrangement and reducing pathological changes such as fibrosis. Regarding hepatic enzyme activities, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was significantly increased in the B. coagulans group, reflecting enhanced amino acid metabolism rather than hepatocellular injury. The activities of other immune and antioxidant enzymes (AKP, LZM, CAT, SOD) were maintained at healthy baseline levels without statistical differences between groups, and the lipid peroxidation marker malondialdehyde MDA exhibited a non-significant downward trend. Furthermore, non-targeted LC-MS/MS metabolomics demonstrated that B. coagulans significantly altered 43 hepatic metabolites. Pathway enrichment analysis revealed that the probiotic optimized fundamental metabolic networks, particularly upregulating amino acid turnover, enhancing lipid metabolism (including cholesterol clearance), accelerating the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle (evidenced by elevated isocitric acid), and increasing the purine metabolite xanthine, a potent endogenous antioxidant. The synergistic upregulation of these metabolites effectively buffered the internal environment and improved free-radical scavenging capacity. Collectively, these findings demonstrated that B. coagulans supplementation safely optimizes hepatic metabolic flux and structural integrity, highlighting its potential as a highly effective functional additive to promote metabolic homeostasis in the aquaculture of E. tetradactylum.

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

PROVIDER: MTBLS15102 | MetaboLights | 2026-07-23

REPOSITORIES: MetaboLights