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Volume 27
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Dietary Supplementation of a Multi-Strain Probiotic Increases Muscle Mass in Pigs

by
Shu-Hua Hsu
1,†,
Ting-Yu Lee
2,†,
Chao-Wei Huang
1,
Bishnu Prasad Bhattarai
1,3,
Yu-I Pan
4,
Yi-Chu Liao
2,
Hsiao-Tung Chang
2,
Hsin-Hsuan Huang
2,
Jin-Seng Lin
2,
Xin Zhao
5 and
Jai-Wei Lee
1,*
1
Department of Tropical Agriculture and International Cooperation, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung 912301, Taiwan
2
SYNBIO TECH Inc., Kaohsiung 821011, Taiwan
3
Department of Poultry Science, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
4
Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung 912301, Taiwan
5
Department of Animal Science, McGill University, Québec, QC H9X 3V9, Canada
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(10), 4381; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27104381
Submission received: 20 April 2026 / Revised: 10 May 2026 / Accepted: 12 May 2026 / Published: 14 May 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Research in Animal Nutrition)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Pork production is closely linked to skeletal muscle growth and anabolic processes. This study investigated the effects of dietary supplementation with a multi-strain probiotic (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, Streptococcus thermophilus, and Bacillus subtilis) on the growth performance, carcass traits, gut microbiota, and potential signaling pathways in growing pigs. A total of 144 weaning piglets (28 days old) were randomly allocated to two groups and fed diets with or without probiotics (0.1%) for 18 weeks. Pigs fed with probiotics showed significantly improved feed efficiency (p < 0.05) and greater muscle mass in the loin eye, arm shoulder, and blade shoulder regions. Microbiome analysis revealed significant enrichment of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing taxa, including Acidaminococcus, Allisonella, Dialister, and Megasphaera, alongside an increased cecal butyrate level in pigs fed probiotics. Integrated fecal microbiome and serum metabolomics analysis demonstrated that the metabolite profile was substantially altered by the supplementation of probiotics. Additionally, serum insulin levels, expression of the bile acid receptor tgr5, and upstream genes in the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway (igf1r, insr, and pi3k) were significantly upregulated (p < 0.05). Collectively, these results suggest that a multi-strain probiotic supplementation may be a promising strategy for improving muscle deposition and feed efficiency in commercial pig production.
Keywords: muti-strain probiotics; muscle mass; pig production muti-strain probiotics; muscle mass; pig production

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MDPI and ACS Style

Hsu, S.-H.; Lee, T.-Y.; Huang, C.-W.; Bhattarai, B.P.; Pan, Y.-I.; Liao, Y.-C.; Chang, H.-T.; Huang, H.-H.; Lin, J.-S.; Zhao, X.; et al. Dietary Supplementation of a Multi-Strain Probiotic Increases Muscle Mass in Pigs. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27, 4381. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27104381

AMA Style

Hsu S-H, Lee T-Y, Huang C-W, Bhattarai BP, Pan Y-I, Liao Y-C, Chang H-T, Huang H-H, Lin J-S, Zhao X, et al. Dietary Supplementation of a Multi-Strain Probiotic Increases Muscle Mass in Pigs. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2026; 27(10):4381. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27104381

Chicago/Turabian Style

Hsu, Shu-Hua, Ting-Yu Lee, Chao-Wei Huang, Bishnu Prasad Bhattarai, Yu-I Pan, Yi-Chu Liao, Hsiao-Tung Chang, Hsin-Hsuan Huang, Jin-Seng Lin, Xin Zhao, and et al. 2026. "Dietary Supplementation of a Multi-Strain Probiotic Increases Muscle Mass in Pigs" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 27, no. 10: 4381. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27104381

APA Style

Hsu, S.-H., Lee, T.-Y., Huang, C.-W., Bhattarai, B. P., Pan, Y.-I., Liao, Y.-C., Chang, H.-T., Huang, H.-H., Lin, J.-S., Zhao, X., & Lee, J.-W. (2026). Dietary Supplementation of a Multi-Strain Probiotic Increases Muscle Mass in Pigs. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 27(10), 4381. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27104381

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