Functional Comparison of and Sodium Butyrate Supplementation on Growth, Intestinal Health, and the Anti-inflammatory Response of Broilers.

Butyrate has been reported to promote proliferation of colonic epithelial cells and maintain intestinal barrier integrity in broilers. Although supplementation of and sodium butyrate have been shown to confer benefits on broilers, their effects and mechanisms have not been compared. In this study, and sodium butyrate were added into the basal diet of broilers and their effects on growth performance, intestinal health, and anti-inflammatory response were analyzed. It was found that both and sodium butyrate showed good probiotic effects on broilers. Their effects on growth rate and expression of inflammation related genes were superior to that of the antibiotic oxytetracycline. Besides, the two dietary supplements improved intestinal structure integrity and secretion of inflammatory cytokines, whereas the antibiotic had negative effects. Comparison of the two supplements revealed that sodium butyrate more effectively improved the growth and intestinal structure of broilers than . On the contrary, was superior to sodium butyrate in promoting tight junction protein expression and anti-inflammatory response. In summary, this study demonstrates the positive effects of and sodium butyrate on broilers, and will serve as a reference for selection of appropriate butyrate supplementation for broilers in the breeding industry.