Antibiotic-induced gut dysbiosis triggers systemic metabolic reprogramming via depletion of microbiota-derived tryptophan metabolites in broilers

Abstract

Background The poultry industry has widely used antibiotics at growth-promoting doses, a practice that has accelerated antimicrobial resistance. However, the effects of prolonged low-dose antibiotic exposure on chicken gut microbiota and systemic metabolism remain inadequately understood. Results Broilers received a broad-spectrum antibiotic cocktail in drinking water, and 16S rRNA sequencing, serum metabolomics, and phenotypic measurements were integrated to investigate antibiotic impacts on the gut microbiota and mechanisms of metabolic regulation. Antibiotic treatment significantly altered the cecal microbial community, marked by reductions in Lactobacillus and butyrate-producing genera and increases in Escherichia-Shigella and Enterococcus ( P Conclusions Long-term exposure to a broad-spectrum antibiotic cocktail induces gut dysbiosis and depletes microbiota-derived tryptophan–indole metabolites, which is accompanied by systemic metabolic remodeling and impaired intestinal and organ development in broilers. These findings identify microbial tryptophan metabolism as a candidate target for mitigating antibiotic-induced metabolic impairment.

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