Integrative analysis of microbiome and metabolome reveals the effect of deoxynivalenol on growth performance, liver and intestinal health of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides)

This study explored the toxic effects of deoxynivalenol (DON) intake at low (100 µg·Kg −1 , LD group) and high doses (300 µg·Kg −1 , HD group) on largemouth bass ( Micropterus salmoides ). After a 56-day feeding trial, the HD group exhibited significantly reduced growth performance and weakened antioxidant capacity, along with elevated activities of enzymes related to metabolic dysregulation. Histopathological analysis showed an increase in hepatic cell vacuoles, as well as a shortened intestinal villi in both LD and HD groups. Notably, high-dose DON intake markedly down-regulated the expression of intestinal epithelial tight junction-related genes and proteins. Microbiome analysis indicated a significant increase in the Delftia and Acinetobacteria relative abundance, accompanied by diminished in Mycoplasma abundance in the HD group. Metabolomic profiling demonstrated that the dysregulated metabolites were mainly associated with the lysine biosynthesis pathway. Integrative multi-omics analysis revealed that pyridoxamine and diferuloylputrescine served as key biomarkers associated with Acinetobacteria . Collectively, we confirmed that high-dose DON intake induces hepatointestinal damage, thereby impairing the growth performance of largemouth bass. Our findings also further highlighted the link between DON-induced gut microbiota alterations and metabolic disorders, offering new intervention targets for alleviating DON toxicity.