Dietary Concentrate Supplementation Alters Serum Metabolic Profiles Related to Energy and Amino Acid Metabolism in Grazing Simmental Heifers

Abstract

Supplementation plays a vital role in the growth performance of grazing heifers. We investigated the effects of maize-based concentrate supplementation on the serum metabolome in grazing heifers. Twenty-four 7-month-old heifers (211.65 ± 4.25 kg BW) were randomly divided into a supplement (SUP) group and a control (CON) group. The results indicated that concentrate supplementation increased the final body weight (BW) of grazing heifers, and the average daily gain (ADG) was 61.5% (P = 0.011) higher in the SUP group than in the CON group. Serum concentrations of total protein (TP), triglyceride (TG), and leptin were higher in the SUP group than in the CON group (p < 0.05). Supplementation increased serum metabolites and amino acids and markedly altered glucose, lipid, and protein metabolism, which contributed to the heifer growth. Furthermore, by multivariate analysis, 45 serum metabolites were identified as significantly different between the two groups. Enrichment analysis revealed that arginine biosynthesis and tryptophan metabolism as well as glycerophospholipid metabolism were significantly enriched between the two groups. We concluded that the growth potential of heifers could be improved by maize-based concentrate supplementation, and the main biological pathways affected were those related to energy and amino acid metabolism.

Effects of Concentrate Supplementation on Growth Performance, Rumen Fermentation, and Bacterial Community Composition in Grazing Yaks during the Warm Season

“…In this study, PICRUSt2 analysis was used to predict the function of the yak rumen microbial community in the different treatment groups. Notably, in KEGG pathway level 2, the relative abundances of amino acid, carbohydrate, and lipid metabolism pathways were significantly increased in the GYS group, consistent with a previous study on the effects of supplemental concentrates on metabolism in grazing Simmental Heifers [ 27 ]. Nevertheless, our study investigated the effects of concentrate supplementation on growth performance, serum biochemical parameters, rumen fermentation, and microbial structure of grazing yaks during the warm season.…”

“…There has been much research on the effect of concentrate supplementation on ruminants [ 27 , 28 ]; however, the results have also been different owing to seasonal differences [ 6 , 29 ]. As we expected, the ADG and BW were higher in the GYS group than in the GY group, consistent with other studies on yaks fed with concentrated supplements in summer [ 29 , 30 ].…”

Differences in the intestinal microbiota and association of host metabolism with hair coat status in cattle

“…A non-targeted metabolomics analysis was performed on the plasma samples utilizing LC-MS/MS. Free metabolites were isolated conforming to the extraction techniques highlighted in previous research ( Chen H. et al, 2021 ). To ensure consistent quality and performance of the analysis, equal volumes of plasma samples were combined to create a pooled quality control (QC) sample.…”

“…This QC sample was intermittently injected into the system to monitor the stability of the analysis. Chromatographic separation of the metabolites was carried out on a Thermo UHPLC system, with the detailed procedure described in earlier studies ( Chen H. et al, 2021 ). Following UPLC-TOF/MS analyses, the initial data were imported into Progenesis QI 2.3 (Non-linear Dynamics, Waters) for preprocessing tasks including baseline filtering, peak detection, and alignment.…”