Dietary Proline Supplementation Promotes Growth and Development in Weaned Foals by Modulating Gut Microbial Amino Acid Metabolism.

ABSTRACT: This study investigated the effects of varying proline supplementation doses in weaned foals. Twenty-eight weaned foals (approximately 5 months of age; body weight: 54.45 ± 11.33 kg; with an equal number of males and females) were randomly assigned to one of four groups-a control group, a low-dose group (20 mg/kg·d), a medium-dose group (40 mg/kg·d), and a high-dose group (60 mg/kg·d)- receiving continuous supplementation for 60 days. Blood samples were collected periodically for the analysis of hormones, antioxidants, immune parameters, and plasma amino acids. Concurrently, fecal 16S rRNA sequencing was performed to assess the microbial community composition. We observed a significant time-dependent interaction between medium-to-high proline supplementation and time. Proline supplementati

SUBMITTER: Meng C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12654596 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature