Journal of animal science最新文献

{"title":"Digestive parameters and gut microbiota load and composition along the in vivo piglet gastrointestinal tract","authors":"Chloë Rotsaert, Yorick Minnebo, Cindy Duysburgh, Lin Shu Liu, Karley K Mahalak, Jenni Firman, Lisa M Mattei, Ahmed M Moustafa, Kyle Bittinger, Weiming Hu, Massimo Marzorati, Joris Michiels, Tom Van de Wiele","doi":"10.1093/jas/skaf107","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf107","url":null,"abstract":"The increased attention towards the role of the gut microbiome in health and disease for both animals and humans has fuelled the demand for more relevant and accurate research models. In this study, we present an overview of biochemical and microbial parameters measured throughout the digestive tract of ten TopigsNorsvin x German Piétrain piglets to better understand the in vivo dynamics of digestive and fermentative processes in different gastrointestinal segments, as pigs are suggested to be a representative animal model for the human gastrointestinal tract. Our key findings include region-specific and significantly differing (P < 0.001) pH profiles, with the stomach having the lowest pH (3.36 ± 0.72) and the ileum the highest (7.24 ± 0.18). Dry matter content also varied significantly (P < 0.001), with the stomach having the highest (27.8 ± 2.4%) and the duodenum the lowest (10.6 ± 0.7%). The average total transit time was 12 hours and 45 minutes ± 1 hour and 42 minutes. Enzyme activities (pepsin, trypsin, amylase) showed interindividual differences. Amino acid levels varied among piglets, with total concentrations averaging 7.04 x 102 ± 2.29 x 102 µg mL-1 in the duodenum, 1.19 x 103 ± 2.69 x 102 µg mL-1 in the jejunum and 9.39 x 102 ± 2.54 x 102 µg mL-1 in the ileum. Bile acid concentrations varied strongly between piglets, with high levels in the gall bladder and varying levels throughout the digestive tract. Short-chain fatty acid concentrations increased significantly (P < 0.001) along the digestive tract, with the highest levels in the large intestine. The microbial load increased consistently (P < 0.001) along the digestive tract, with the highest loads in the rectum (6.82 x 1010 ± 2.88 x 1010 cells mL-1). The highest microbial diversity was observed in the lower intestine (i.e. caecum, colon and rectum), with significant shifts in microbial community composition, especially from the ileum to the caecum. This study provides valuable insights into the digestive and microbiological parameters of the porcine gut, confirming the pig's relevance as a model for gastrointestinal research. The findings can inform the development of in vitro or ex vivo models, reducing ethical constraints of animal studies and aiding in the assessment of dietary interventions on gut health.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"57 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144145499","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Novel models for estimating metabolizable energy intake of pigs based on body weight and ambient temperature","authors":"Noa Park, Jeonghyeon Son, Beob Gyun Kim","doi":"10.1093/jas/skaf183","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf183","url":null,"abstract":"Prediction models for estimating voluntary feed intake (VFI) or metabolizable energy intake (MEI) of pigs are available in the literature. During the recent two decades, quite a few data have been reported to address the influence of heat stress on feed intake of pigs. The present study aimed to validate the accuracy of previous prediction equations for estimating VFI and MEI of pigs using data from heat stress experiments in the literature. Additionally, novel equations for estimating MEI of pigs under neutral or high ambient temperature (T) were developed based on body weight (BW) and ambient T. A total of 146 mean values from 30 research papers measuring the effects of heat stress on VFI of pigs published between 2001 and 2024 were used for the validation of the previous equations and development of novel equations. In the 30 papers, the thermoneutral T ranged from 17 to 25 ℃, the heat stress T ranged from 21 to 35 ℃, and the BW of pigs ranged from 19 to 119 kg. Based on the validation of the previous equation for VFI, the intercept representing a mean bias was 118 g/d (standard error = 31; P < 0.001). The validation of the previous equation for estimating the fraction of MEI using lower critical T and ambient T indicated that the intercept representing a mean bias was 834 kcal/d (standard error = 72; P < 0.001). The validation of equation for the fraction of MEI under high T showed a linear bias (slope = 0.196; standard error = 0.072; P = 0.008). Novel equations for estimating MEI and fraction of MEI under neutral or high ambient T were developed. Taken together, previously published equations underestimate feed intake and metabolizable energy intake of pigs based on the present validation study. Additionally, novel equations for estimating metabolizable energy intake under neutral or high ambient temperature have been developed.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"24 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144145498","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Short Communication: The imprinted and paternally expressed MIMT1 lncRNA ortholog in pigs","authors":"Jinsoo Ahn, In-Sul Hwang, Mi-Ryung Park, Seongsoo Hwang, In-Cheol Cho, Kichoon Lee","doi":"10.1093/jas/skaf182","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf182","url":null,"abstract":"A subset of mammalian genes undergoes genomic imprinting, and parent-of-origin-dependent expression of imprinted genes is required for normal development. Although around 40 imprinted genes have been documented in pigs, more detailed investigations into imprinted domains are needed to uncover the imprinting of uncharacterized porcine long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). Our study objectives were to investigate the imprinting status of orthologous MIMT1 lncRNA transcripts in pigs, which remains unidentified, and to explore their allelic expression in multiple tissues and conditions within the PEG3 imprinted domain. To this end, we compared the single-base resolution DNA methylome between parthenogenetic and control porcine embryos and identified a differentially methylated region (DMR) that is maternally methylated in the promoter region shared by PEG3 and MIMT1 genes. This was followed by a significantly higher expression of the MIMT1 lncRNA transcript in control embryos (p < 0.05), suggesting its imprinted paternal expression. Based on single nucleotide variants, further analyses revealed that, in addition to confirming the paternal monoallelic expression of PEG3, MIMT1 lncRNA transcripts were enriched in the porcine brain and monoallelically expressed in the brain and its subregions, with the expressed alleles being paternally derived. Our results provide a foundation for investigating the role of the imprinted MIMT1 lncRNA in the growth and development of pigs.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"51 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144145501","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The inclusion of a companion legume or herb, in combination with perennial ryegrass increased growth performance and reduced enteric methane emissions in lambs post-weaning.","authors":"Sarah Woodmartin,Fiona McGovern,Paul E Smith,Tommy M Boland,Lisa McGrane,Anthony Monaghan,Eoin Dunne,Philip Creighton","doi":"10.1093/jas/skaf139","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf139","url":null,"abstract":"Increasing lamb growth rates directly from pasture and reducing enteric methane (CH4) emissions are key drivers to enhancing production efficiency and achieving more sustainable lamb finishing systems. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of binary sward mixtures of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) plus a companion forage on growth performance, enteric CH4 output, reticulo-rumen content weight (RRcw), rumen fermentation parameters and the composition of the rumen microbiome in growing lambs. A randomized block design was employed to investigate five treatments, namely, perennial ryegrass (PRG), PRG plus white clover (Trifolium repens L.; PRG+WC), PRG plus red clover (Trifolium pratense L.; PRG+RC), PRG plus chicory (Chicorium intybus L.; PRG+Chic) and PRG plus plantain (Plantago lanceolate L.; PRG+Plan). At weaning, 120 lambs (n = 24 per treatment) were selected in both 2021 and 2022 for CH4 measurement using portable accumulation chambers. A further subset of 60 lambs (n = 12 per treatment) were selected from the initial 120 lambs in each year for rumen measurements and sampling. Lambs were weighed fortnightly and drafted for slaughter upon reaching their target live weight (LW). Rumen fluid was harvested using a transoesophageal sampling device post-weaning and manually immediately post-mortem. Average sward companion forage content was 28% on a dry matter basis. Lambs grazing PRG+WC, PRG+RC or PRG+Chic had a higher post-weaning average daily gain (ADG) (P < 0.001) and an increased lifetime ADG (P < 0.001), compared with lambs grazing PRG. The addition of any companion forage resulted in a reduction in age at slaughter of 16-50 days (P < 0.001). Methane production (g/day) and CH4 intensity (g/kg LW and g/kg ADG) were reduced for lambs grazing PRG+WC, PRG+RC, and PRG+Plan (P < 0.001), compared with those grazing PRG. There was a lower relative abundance of Methanobrevibacter (P < 0.001) in lambs grazing PRG+RC over those grazing PRG, PRG+Chic and PRG+Plan. The presence of Prevotella was more abundant in lambs grazing the legume treatments, PRG+WC and PRG+RC, than those grazing PRG (P < 0.001). The RRcw of the PRG lambs was heavier than lambs grazing PRG+WC, PRG+RC and PRG+Plan (P < 0.001). These results suggest that the manipulation of pasture species composition is a promising, practical and feasible strategy to enhance production efficiency and mitigate CH4 from pasture-based lamb production systems.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"47 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144136788","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effects of supplemental brewers yeast on postprandial amino acid concentrations in healthy adult sled dogs","authors":"L M Rummell, J R Templeman, C L Cargo-Froom, A K Shoveller","doi":"10.1093/jas/skaf180","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf180","url":null,"abstract":"Yeast has been used in animal systems to modulate the immune response and support gut health. Certain amino acids (AA) are reported to also exert positive effects on the gut, supporting the intestinal barrier and restoring mucosal immune homeostasis. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of brewers yeast on postprandial serum AA appearance in dogs. Nineteen privately-owned domestic Siberian huskies and one Alaskan husky (9 females: 5 intact, 4 spayed; 11 males: 3 intact, 8 neutered), with an average age of 4.8 ± 2.6 years and body weight of 25.6 ± 4.1 kg, were enrolled in this study. Ten dogs received a dry extruded control diet (Ctl) and ten the Ctl diet top-dressed with yeast to receive a daily ß–glucan dose of 7 mg/kg BW (treatment, Trt) for 10 weeks. At weeks -1, 2, 4, and 8 postprandial free AA concentrations were quantified. A fasted blood sample was collected, a meal was provided, followed by further blood sampling 1, 2, and 4 h post-meal. Serum IL-10 concentrations were analyzed from the fasted sample. All data were analyzed using PROC GLIMMIX of SAS, with dog as a random effect and week, diet group, and sampling time point as fixed effects for AA, and with dog as a random effect and week as a fixed effect and repeated measure for IL-10. There was no effect of treatment on any AA, though a significant Trt*wk*timepoint interaction effect was observed for His and Trp (P ≤ 0.05). An overall increase was observed in many AAs for all dogs – serum concentrations of Lys, Met, Thr, Trp, Ala, Arg, Gln, Gly, Pro, Ser, Tau, and Tyr were greatest at week 8 in all dogs when compared to concentrations at week -1 (P ≤ 0.05). Serum IL-10 concentrations did not differ by week or between groups (P &amp;gt; 0.05). In three Trt dogs that had greater gut permeability than all other dogs at week -2, as reported in a previous publication, serum Ile, Thr, and Val concentrations were greater at week 8 compared to week -1 (P ≤ 0.05) and Leu concentrations were greater 1 and 2 h postprandial at week 8 compared to the same time points at week -1 (P ≤ 0.05). The results of this study suggest that supplemental yeast may have a beneficial effect on peripheral AA availability without impacting inflammatory status in dogs. Future studies should seek to investigate the effects of reducing or improving gut permeability with yeast on nutrient digestive and metabolic efficiencies or consider yeast in clinical nutrition to support dogs with gastrointestinal diseases.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"56 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144130294","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A comparison of feeding acetylated high-amylose maize starch and zinc oxide in weaned pigs experimentally inoculated with an enterotoxigenic strain of Escherichia coli","authors":"Danica Evans, Bethany Bowring, Alison Collins, Julie Clarke, Jae-Cheol Kim, Josie Mansfield, John R Pluske","doi":"10.1093/jas/skaf181","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf181","url":null,"abstract":"Post-weaning diarrhea (PWD) remains a major problem for some pork producers, exacerbated by restrictions or bans on the use of antimicrobial compounds. Acetylated high amylose maize starch (HAMSA) delivers acetate to the large bowel and may reduce the severity of enteric infections, including those caused by Escherichia coli (E. coli). This study examined the effects of HAMSA and zinc oxide (ZnO) supplementation on PWD and performance in pigs experimentally inoculated with an F4 enterotoxigenic strain of E. coli (F4-ETEC). Seventy-two weaned pigs were divided into 3 dietary groups: (1) control (no antimicrobial compounds); (2) control plus 3,000 mg ZnO/kg; (3) control plus 50 g HAMSA/kg. Pigs commenced diets on the day of weaning, were inoculated with an F4-ETEC strain on days 5 and 6, and were fed diets ad libitum for 21 days. The incidence of PWD (χ2 = 0.035) and the diarrhea index (P = 0.032) were both lowest, commensurate with a lower plasma haptoglobin concentration (P = 0.010), in pigs fed ZnO than pigs fed other diets, despite there being a trend for an interaction (P = 0.088) in pigs fed HAMSA to have a lower F4 E. coli:Total E. coli ratio on d 11 after weaning. Pigs fed ZnO and HAMSA grew faster (P = 0.009) and ate more (P = 0.048) in week 3 than control pigs. Overall, there was a trend (P = 0.065) for pigs fed the ZnO diet or HAMSA diet to eat ~ 20% more than those fed the control diet that resulted in a trend (P = 0.064) for ZnO- and HAMSA-fed pigs to weigh ~ 10% more than control-fed pigs at the end of the study. The HAMSA-fed pigs had a lower (P = 0.044) FCR in week 3, and overall (P = 0.003). Pigs fed HAMSA did not show any increase (P &amp;gt; 0.05) in their fecal short-chain fatty acid or acetate concentrations. The significant effect of HAMSA on FCR justifies further investigation as this may improve production efficiency in the post-weaning period following an enteric F4-ETEC infection.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"138 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144130246","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"In Vitro Fermentation Characteristics of Acacia Fiber Using Feline Fecal Inoculum.","authors":"Vanessa M De La Guardia Hidrogo, Patricia M Oba, Olivia R Swanson, Laura L Bauer, Elena Vinay, John F Menton, Mathieu Millette, Melissa R Kelly, Ryan N Dilger, Kelly S Swanson","doi":"10.1093/jas/skaf179","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf179","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Acacia fiber is a soluble fiber often used as a processing aid in pet foods. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the fermentation characteristics of acacia fiber, inulin, pectin (positive control), and cellulose (negative control) using an in vitro fermentation system and feline fecal inoculum. Triplicate samples of each fiber were fermented for 0, 6, 12, and 18 h, with short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), pH, and microbiota measured at each time point. Blank-corrected data were analyzed using PROC GLIMMIX of SAS, with significance set at P≤0.05. Significant (P<0.01) fiber×time interactions were observed for pH change, gas and SCFA production, and microbiota populations. Pectin and inulin had greater (P<0.01) gas production than acacia fiber and cellulose. Inulin had the greatest pH reduction, followed by pectin, both of which had greater pH reductions (P<0.01) than acacia fiber and cellulose. Acacia fiber had a small reduction in pH, being lower than cellulose after 12 h. Total SCFA production, including acetate, propionate, and butyrate, was higher (P<0.01) in pectin and inulin than acacia fiber and cellulose. However, acacia fiber had greater (P<0.01) total SCFA, acetate, and propionate production than cellulose after 12 h. Bacterial alpha diversity metrics increased (P<0.01) during acacia fiber fermentation and decreased (P<0.01) during inulin and pectin fermentation. Bacterial beta diversity shifted over time and showed separate clustering of bacterial communities among the different fiber substrates evaluated. The relative abundances of predominant (% sequences > 1%) bacterial genera were affected by significant fiber×time interactions. Specifically, acacia fiber had a greater (P<0.01) increase in Bacteroides, Blautia, and Faecalibacterium than other fibers. Inulin had a greater (P<0.01) increase in Collinsella, Prevotella, Megamonas, Holdemanella, Blautia and Faecalibacterium, whereas pectin had a greater (P<0.01) increase of Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Phascolarctobacterium, and Succinivibrio. These results suggest that acacia fiber is moderately fermentable, resulting in low gas and SCFA production, greater bacterial diversity, and microbiota shifts. Although positive responses were observed in vitro, research in live animals is necessary to confirm potential benefits in felines.</p>","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144127450","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Developing a regression equation model to predict individual water intake in Holstein growing cattle using reticulorumen temperature.","authors":"Taizhong Liu,Jae-Sung Lee,Jong-Hwan Hyun,Xue-Cheng Jin,Hong-Gu Lee","doi":"10.1093/jas/skaf124","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf124","url":null,"abstract":"The aim of this study was to develop an equation model for predicting individual water intake (WI) in Holstein growing cattle by calculating the area under the curve (AUC) incorporating reticulorumen temperature from a wireless bolus sensor. A total of 21 female Holstein growing cattle aged 11.3 ± 2.06 months and weighing 346 ± 5.2 kg were used in this study. Bolus sensors were fitted to all animals, and water was given at 09:00 am, 01:00 pm, and 05:00 pm at a temperature of 20 ± 1.4°C for 1 hour. The actual WI was recorded by weighing the volume of residual water in the bucket each time the animals drank water. The accuracy of the regression equation model was evaluated by mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) analysis. In study 1, prior to conducting an evaluation of the correlation between AUC and the actual WI, the determination of the end-temperature point on the 30 graphs generated by the reticulorumen temperature change in response to the WI behavior of three cattle was necessary. We observed that a recovery rate of 98% compared to the start-temperature point was the optimal point with a goodness-of-fit R2 of 0.8067. In study 2, considering that the reticulorumen temperature may be influenced by factors of feeding and space conditions, the coefficient determination in the regression between AUC and actual WI was performed using twelve cattle divided into four groups according to whether they were restricted or unrestricted in feed and space. The investigation revealed no significant difference (P > 0.05) in the change of reticulorumen temperature after WI in cattle housed in either free or confined feed and space. Based on these data, we established a regression equation model to forecast WI by combining AUC and actual WI (forecasted WI = 0.0632 x AUC + 3.8936, R2 = 0.7473, MAPE = 26.01%). In order to confirm the regression equation model for forecasting WI, the MAPE was introduced to assess the accuracy of the forecasted WI compared to the actual WI, yielding a value of 75.39% (study 3). In conclusion, the bolus sensor can be used to measure reticulorumen temperature changes in response to water consumption for predicting individual WI in Holstein growing cattle and monitoring ruminant health.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"20 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144122190","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Description of metabolic differences between castrated males and intact gilts obtained from high-throughput metabolomics of porcine plasma.","authors":"Samuele Bovo,Matteo Bolner,Giuseppina Schiavo,Giuliano Galimberti,Francesca Bertolini,Stefania Dall'Olio,Anisa Ribani,Paolo Zambonelli,Maurizio Gallo,Luca Fontanesi","doi":"10.1093/jas/skaf178","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf178","url":null,"abstract":"Surgically castrated male pigs, which are commonly produced in pork production systems, have slightly lower production efficiency, compared to intact female pigs (gilts). This is mainly due to an unfavorable feed conversion rate and fatter carcasses. These differences influenced by physiological and genetic factors can be identified through metabolomics, which describes metabolic profiles. In this study, we used untargeted metabolomics to analyze the plasma of 694 Italian Large White pigs (228 castrated males and 466 intact gilts), sampled at slaughter. The metabolomic profiles included 731 metabolites covering 98 sub-pathways. The raw metabolomic data were cleaned and imputed using Multivariate Imputation by Chained Equations. The Boruta algorithm was then employed to identify metabolites that have different concentrations between castrated males and intact gilts. To address the random nature of feature selection, multiple Boruta runs were generated, nested within a 10-fold cross validation, resulting in 1,250 Boruta datasets. These datasets helped identify 40 informative metabolites, with a reduced core of 15 metabolites consistently confirmed across all runs. Their calculated random forest Out-Of-Bag (OOB) error was 0.25 and 0.27, respectively. The relevance, ranking and predictive ability of each selected metabolite were determined based on the Mean Decrease Gini (MDG) and the area under the curve (AUC) of the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, with MDG values of 0.024±0.007 and 0.030±0.009 and AUC values of 0.62±0.04 and 0.65±0.03 for the two metabolite sets, respectively. Of the 40 selected metabolites, 60% had higher concentrations in castrated males than in intact gilts, while in the 15 metabolites set, this percentage was 80%. Network and biological pathways analyses indicated that the selected metabolites were primarily amino acids and lipids, many of which belonged to their respective sub-pathways, suggesting minimal biological differences between castrated males and intact gilts. These findings support previous results obtained using a targeted metabolomic platform. This study represents the largest investigation to date on the pig sex metabolome, providing essential biological insights that could inform precise husbandry and feeding strategies in pigs, taking into consideration the castration status of the males.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"33 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144122191","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of an abrupt change from dry to canned diet on digestive function and gut microbiota in dogs.","authors":"Marta Maturana,Lorena Castillejos,Achraf Adib Lesaux,Susana M Martin-Orue","doi":"10.1093/jas/skaf143","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf143","url":null,"abstract":"Abrupt changes of diet can result in gastrointestinal upset in dogs but, although undesirable in households, they might represent a research tool to induce a mild state of transitory dysbiosis. Therefore, this type of dietary intervention could serve as a model for assessing the effect of feed additives aimed at promoting a more resilient gut ecosystem. In the current study, we examined the effects of an abrupt dietary change by assessing its impact on coefficients of apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of macronutrients, fecal characteristics, and fecal microbiota composition and metabolites of healthy dogs. A total of 24 adult Beagles were initially fed an extruded dry kibble (DRY) for 29 days, with proportions (%) of protein, fat, and carbohydrates, on a dry matter basis, of 26/12/52, respectively. Subsequently, they were abruptly switched to a canned diet (WET), with the corresponding proportions of 43/29/16, and stayed with that diet for 29 days more. This dietary intervention induced increases in the ATTD of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, and gross energy, while the nitrogen-free extract ATTD and the metabolizable energy of the diet decreased significantly (P < 0.05). Regarding fecal quality, diet change resulted in wetter and less formed feces. The switch led to a marked decrease in Turicibacter and Lactobacillus abundance, and increases in Fusobacterium, Peptacetobacter hiranonis, Escherichia coli, and Clostridium perfringens (P < 0.001), accompanied by transient increases of the dysbiosis index, and plasma immunoglobulin A and C-reactive protein concentrations (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the challenge modified the concentration and profile of fecal short-chain fatty acids (P < 0.01) and increased the concentration of fecal ammonia (P < 0.05). It also had a relevant impact on fecal polyamines, with lower concentrations observed in dogs fed the WET diet (P < 0.001), while monoamines such as indole and indole-3-acetic acid increased (P < 0.05). Some of the parameters studied continued to evolve towards the end of the trial, suggesting an adaptative process within the microbiota, after the dietary shift. These findings underscore the validity of our dietary model for inducing changes in the intestinal ecosystem and suggest ongoing adaptive processes. In conclusion, this model offers potential for evaluating the efficacy of additives in fostering a resilient microbiota, thereby promoting strategies to enhance canine digestive health.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144122094","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}