Health benefits of butyrate and its producing bacterium, Clostridium butyricum, on aquatic animals

Aquaculture plays an important role in contributing to global food security and nutrition; thus, the intensification and diversification of aquaculture are increasingly considered. However, paralleling the development of the industrial scale in aquaculture, the occurrence of diseases is always an important issue that causes great losses in economics. The finding of approaches that not only improve culture production but also reduce the impact of diseases in cultured animals is crucially essential. Previously, several studies have addressed the potential application of feed additives, such as prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics, and microbial-derived metabolites (including short-chain fatty acids-SCFAs), in aquaculture. In this review, we provide an update focusing on the health benefits of dietary supplementation with a type of SCFAs, butyrate, and its producer, Clostridium butyricum, including their effects on growth, feed utilization, body composition, intestinal structure and function, antioxidant activity, immune response, and tolerance against stress and infection in aquatic animals. The outcomes of this study may indicate more benefits of the use of C. butyricum than that of butyrate (and its forms). This review provides general knowledge of the efficacy of butyrate and C. butyricum in aquaculture.

Automated summary

Aquaculture plays a crucial role in global food security and nutrition, but disease outbreaks pose significant economic losses. This review explores the potential use of feed additives, such as butyrate and Clostridium butyricum, in improving aquaculture productivity and reducing disease impact in aquatic animals. The study highlights the health benefits of the dietary supplementation of butyrate and C. butyricum, including improved growth, feed utilization, intestinal health, immune response, antioxidant activity, stress tolerance, and infection resistance. The findings suggest that C. butyricum may offer greater benefits compared to butyrate alone.