Influences of melatonin and endotoxin lipopolysaccharide on goose productive performance and gut microbiota

1. This study investigated the impact of melatonin and LPS on goose growth and the intestinal microbiome. 2. Geese were injected with a control solution (C), LPS solution (L), melatonin solution (M), and both LPS and melatonin solution (LM), respectively. Faecal samples from each group were used to analyse microbial diversity and function for geese with different treatments. 3. The results showed that the M group had a little improvement in growth compared with the C group, but were much higher than the L and LM groups. A clear distinction between M and other groups was seen with regard to alpha and beta diversity in the biome. The dominant bacteria phyla were Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria spp. in all groups. Unclassified bacteria were dominant in all groups at the genus level. Significant KEGG enrichment pathways in the M group were involved in processing metabolism and genetic information, while the L group was related to processing metabolism and environmental information. 4. This study provided a foundation for future studies targeting the specific effect of important bacterial populations on goose growth performance.