Zhang Ke, Zhang Ting, Guo Mengmeng, Cuoji Awang, Xu Yangbin, Zhao Yitong, Yang Yuxin, Brugger Daniel, Wang Xiaolong, Suo Langda, Wu Yujiang, Chen Yulin
Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China.
College of Animal Engineering, Yangling Vocational and Technical College, Yangling , Shaanxi, 712100, China.
J Anim Sci Biotechnol. 2024 Sep 4;15(1):118. doi: 10.1186/s40104-024-01072-x.
Dysregulation of lipid metabolism and its consequences on growth performance in young ruminants have attracted attention, especially in the context of alternative feeding strategies. This study aims to elucidate the effects of milk replacer (MR) feeding on growth, lipid metabolism, colonic epithelial gene expression, colonic microbiota composition and systemic metabolism in goat kids compared to breast milk (BM) feeding, addressing a critical knowledge gap in early life nutrition.
Ten female goat kids were divided into 2 groups: those fed breast milk (BM group) and those fed a milk replacer (MR group). Over a period of 28 d, body weight was monitored and blood and tissue samples were collected for biochemical, transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses. Profiling of the colonial microbiota was performed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Intestinal microbiota transplantation (IMT) experiments in gnotobiotic mice were performed to validate causality.
MR-fed pups exhibited reduced daily body-weight gain due to impaired lipid metabolism as evidenced by lower serum and liver total cholesterol (TC) and non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentrations. Transcriptomic analysis of the colonic epithelium revealed upregulated genes involved in negative regulation of lipid metabolism, concomitant with microbiota shifts characterized by a decrease in Firmicutes and an increase in Actinobacteria. Specifically, genera such as Bifidobacterium and Prevotella were enriched in the MR group, while Clostridium and Faecalibacterium were depleted. Metabolomics analyses confirmed alterations in bile acid and fatty acid metabolic pathways. IMT experiments in mice recapitulated the metabolic phenotype observed in MR-fed goats, confirming the role of the microbiota in modulating host lipid metabolism.
Milk replacer feeding in goat kids disrupts lipid metabolism and gut microbiota dynamics, resulting in reduced growth rates and metabolic alterations. These findings highlight the importance of early nutritional intervention on metabolic programming and suggest that modulation of the gut microbiota may be a target for improving growth and metabolic health in ruminants. This study contributes to the understanding of nutritional management strategies in livestock and their impact on animal health and productivity.
脂质代谢失调及其对幼龄反刍动物生长性能的影响已引起关注，尤其是在替代饲养策略的背景下。本研究旨在阐明与母乳喂养（BM）相比，代乳品（MR）喂养对山羊幼崽生长、脂质代谢、结肠上皮基因表达、结肠微生物群组成和全身代谢的影响，填补早期生命营养方面的关键知识空白。
将十只雌性山羊幼崽分为两组：母乳喂养组（BM组）和代乳品喂养组（MR组）。在28天的时间里，监测体重，并采集血液和组织样本进行生化、转录组学和代谢组学分析。使用16S rRNA基因测序对结肠微生物群进行分析。在无菌小鼠中进行肠道微生物群移植（IMT）实验以验证因果关系。
代乳品喂养的幼崽由于脂质代谢受损，每日体重增加减少，血清和肝脏总胆固醇（TC）及非酯化脂肪酸（NEFA）浓度降低证明了这一点。结肠上皮的转录组分析显示，参与脂质代谢负调控的基因上调，同时微生物群发生变化，其特征为厚壁菌门减少，放线菌门增加。具体而言，双歧杆菌属和普雷沃菌属等菌属在MR组中富集，而梭菌属和粪杆菌属减少。代谢组学分析证实了胆汁酸和脂肪酸代谢途径的改变。小鼠的IMT实验重现了代乳品喂养山羊中观察到的代谢表型，证实了微生物群在调节宿主脂质代谢中的作用。
山羊幼崽代乳品喂养会破坏脂质代谢和肠道微生物群动态，导致生长速率降低和代谢改变。这些发现凸显了早期营养干预对代谢编程的重要性，并表明调节肠道微生物群可能是改善反刍动物生长和代谢健康的一个靶点。本研究有助于理解家畜营养管理策略及其对动物健康和生产力的影响。
