Effects of sodium butyrate on the morphology, antioxidant capacity, mitochondrial integrity, and the transcriptome of the jejunum in early weaned lambs.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of sodium butyrate on the morphology, antioxidant capacity, mitochondrial integrity, and transcriptome in the jejunum of early weaned lambs. Ten 21-day-old healthy weaned lambs with an average weight of (6.53 ± 0.17) kg were selected for the experiment and randomly divided into a control group (CON) and a sodium butyrate group (NaB). The experimental lambs were fed with basic diet (CON) and experimental diet (NaB, supplement with 3 g/kg of coated sodium butyrate in the basic feed) for 21 days. The results showed that the addition of sodium butyrate significantly increased villus height (p < 0.05) and total antioxidant capacity (p < 0.05) in the jejunum of lambs, significantly reduced malondialdehyde content (p < 0.05) and the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (p < 0.05) in jejunum tissue, and maintained the integrity of mitochondrial structure. The transcriptome analysis of jejunal tissue showed that the addition of sodium butyrate into weaned lambs' diets significantly altered the expression of genes and pathways related to jejunal metabolism (p < 0.05). In summary, the addition of sodium butyrate improved the intestinal health of early weaned lambs and maintained intestinal metabolic function. The research results provide a foundation for the application of sodium butyrate to improve intestinal health of lambs during early weaning phase.