Schreiber Sebastian P, Villalba Juan, Meyer-Ficca Mirella L
Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA.
Department of Veterinary, Clinical and Life Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA.
Animals (Basel). 2025 Jun 17;15(12):1787. doi: 10.3390/ani15121787.
The once mysterious "dark matter of nutrition", comprising countless plant-derived secondary compounds, also known as phytochemicals, is now understood to have significant and wide-ranging effects on consumers, including myriad health benefits in humans and livestock. The selective consumption of phytochemically rich and diverse plants, in appropriate doses, by ruminants represents an adaptive means of therapeutic and prophylactic self-medication. Due to their chemical structure, phytochemicals have long been recognized as antioxidants. However, the mechanisms that underlie numerous additional phytochemical-based health benefits are generally less understood. These effects (i.e., anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and anticarcinogenic effects) are likely related to epigenetic processes. Evidence in humans and rodent models, as well as emerging ruminant data, has shown that phytochemicals can modulate gene expression by inhibiting or enhancing the activity of chromatin modifiers. The implication of adaptations with epigenetic mechanisms is significant as they are potentially heritable. We argue that heritable epigenetic changes, including "fetal programming", are commonplace in ruminants under nutritional interventions. We also argue that these phenomena are significant for an industry that relies upon the efficient breeding and growth of offspring. We highlight emerging yet limited evidence and offer direction for future research. We explore interactions between the fields of plant secondary chemistry, ruminant nutrition, and molecular (epi)genetics and aim to familiarize researchers with the scope and foundational concepts of these emerging interactions.
曾经神秘的“营养暗物质”，由无数植物衍生的次生化合物（也称为植物化学物质）组成，现在人们认识到它对消费者有重大且广泛的影响，包括对人类和牲畜的诸多健康益处。反刍动物以适当剂量选择性食用富含植物化学物质且种类多样的植物，是一种适应性的治疗和预防性自我药疗方式。由于其化学结构，植物化学物质长期以来一直被认为是抗氧化剂。然而，众多基于植物化学物质的其他健康益处背后的机制通常鲜为人知。这些作用（即抗炎、免疫调节和抗癌作用）可能与表观遗传过程有关。人类和啮齿动物模型的证据，以及反刍动物的新数据表明，植物化学物质可以通过抑制或增强染色质修饰剂的活性来调节基因表达。表观遗传机制的适应性意义重大，因为它们可能是可遗传的。我们认为，包括“胎儿编程”在内的可遗传表观遗传变化在营养干预下的反刍动物中很常见。我们还认为，这些现象对依赖后代高效繁殖和生长的行业具有重要意义。我们强调新出现但有限的证据，并为未来研究提供方向。我们探讨植物次生化学、反刍动物营养和分子（表观）遗传学领域之间的相互作用，旨在让研究人员熟悉这些新出现的相互作用的范围和基本概念。
