Project description:<p>Background: With the pursuit of rapid intramuscular fat deposition in beef cattle, basal diets have increasingly shifted toward grain-based, energy-dense formulations. However, high-starch dietary regimens may induce host metabolic dysregulation, which is closely linked to both ruminal microbial dysbiosis and systemic inflammatory responses. Guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) and taurine (TAU), two endogenous bioactive compounds, have garnered significant interest for their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. This study applied a multi-omics approach to analyze the effects of GAA and TAU supplementation on ruminal microorganisms, ruminal metabolites, blood metabolites, and antioxidant and inflammatory indicators in both rumen and blood. It also aimed to explore the underlying biological functions and mechanisms for GAA and TAU in fattening cattle fed a high-starch diet.</p><p>Results TAU supplementation significantly decreased the concentrations of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), intestinal permeability markers, proinflammatory cytokines, and oxidative stress markers in the plasma of fattening cattle fed high-starch diets. Moreover, TAU supplementation modified the rumen microbiota and enhanced the levels of ruminal propionate and butyrate. Notably, the potentially beneficial bacteria taxa Lachnospiraceae_UCG_008, Roseburia, Anaerovorax, and Christensenellaceae_R_7_group were found to be upregulated following TAU supplementation and showed positive correlations with rumen metabolites and host metabolites. Untargeted metabolomics of rumen and plasma demonstrated that TAU supplementation upregulated the abundance of metabolites related to intestinal mucosal repair and anti-inflammatory effects, including phosphocholine, proline, rumenic acid, L-pyrrolidone, L-pipecolate, and myristoleic acid. Differential metabolites (including butyrate) showed significant correlations with plasma diamine oxidase (DAO), D-lactic acid (D-LA), TNF-α, IL-6, malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and rumen probiotics. Moreover, TAU participated in the regulation of amino acid, carbohydrate, lipid, and bile acid-related metabolic pathways in both rumen and plasma, showing potential benefits for improving nitrogen and energy utilization efficiency. Another noteworthy finding is that the Christensenellaceae_R_7 group and the associated plasma biosynthesis pathways of unsaturated fatty acids suggest a potential enhancement in the unsaturated fatty acid content of meat. GAA supplementation decreased the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) while increasing the activity levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) in plasma, thereby effectively mitigating oxidative stress in the host. However, it exerted minimal influence on the composition of ruminal microorganisms and the profiles of plasma metabolites, and no significant correlation was observed between differential microorganisms or metabolites and the improvement of oxidative stress markers.</p><p>Conclusion: Our study indicates that TAU supplementation effectively mitigates systemic inflammation and oxidative stress in fattening cattle fed high-starch diets, primarily through the modulation of rumen microbial communities and their associated metabolites. In contrast, while GAA also shows a beneficial effect on alleviating host oxidative stress, this effect appears to be independent of alterations in microbial metabolic pathways.</p>
2025-09-25 | MTBLS13041 | MetaboLights