Effect of xylo-oligosaccharide on the in vitro proliferation of lactic acid bacteria from rabbits

BACKGROUND Rabbits often suffer from diarrhea post-weaning, necessitating eco-friendly alternatives to banned antibiotic feed additives. This study aimed to investigate the effect of xylo-oligosaccharide (XOS) on the in vitro proliferation of 94 lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains derived from the gut of rabbits. RESULTS XOS significantly enhanced the growth of 34 LAB strains (36.2%, 34/94), with Lactobacillus sp. YT155 demonstrating robust XOS metabolism. The genome of strain YT155 harbored xylABCPRT and xylCFGHT gene clusters, encoding intracellular β -xylosidase for XOS degradation. Additionally, strain YT155 exhibited tolerance to varying conditions, including temperature (37–50 °C), pH (5.0–10.0) and salinity (2–6%), and gastric and intestinal fluids. Strain YT155 also showed strong antagonistic activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus , and high antioxidant capacity with DPPH and hydroxyl radical scavenging rates of 100.39 ± 1.82% and 34.09% ± 1.57%, respectively. Furthermore, strain YT155 was sensitive to nine commonly used antibiotics and lacked transferable resistance genes. CONCLUSION XOS is a viable prebiotic for improving rabbit gut health by promoting beneficial LAB. Lactobacillus sp. YT155's ability to metabolize XOS and its excellent probiotic characteristics suggest it could be combined with XOS as a synbiotic to modulate gut microbiota. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.