Animal Nutrition最新文献

{"title":"Impacts of dietary arginine supplementation on performance, nutrient digestion and expression of proteins related to milk fatty acid and casein synthesis in early lactating dairy cows.","authors":"Jing Zhang, Jiaojiao Lang, Lijun Bu, Yapeng Liu, Wenjie Huo, Caixia Pei, Qiang Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.aninu.2024.10.010","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aninu.2024.10.010","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Arginine (Arg) can potentially increase milk yields in early lactating dairy cows by stimulating the development of mammary gland and the biosynthesis of milk proteins and fatty acids (FA); however, the underlying mechanism is still unclear. The hypothesis that rumen-protected Arg addition would increase milk, milk fat, and milk protein yields was tested, aiming to dlucidate the possible mechanism. Forty-eight multiparous Chinese Holstein dairy cows (milk yield 34.9 ± 1.27 kg/d, body weight 658 ± 12.7 kg, and days in lactation [DIL] 16.4 ± 2.56) were selected on the principle of proximity and blocked by DIL and milk yield, and divided into one of four groups in a randomized block design: control (without RPArg), low RPArg (LRPArg; 20 g/d Arg), medium RPArg (MRPArg; 40 g/d Arg), and high RPArg (HRPArg; 60 g/d Arg), 4 replicates per group and 3 cows per replicate and the experiment duration was 95 days, including a 10-d covariate period, a 15-d adaptation period, and a 70-d sampling period. The production of actual milk, energy-corrected milk, fat-corrected milk, milk fat, and milk protein linearly increased (<i>P</i> < 0.05) with RPArg provision. The yields of de novo FA and mixed FA in the milk linearly increased (<i>P</i> < 0.01), but that of preformed FA linearly decreased (<i>P</i> = 0.007). Supplementation with RPArg linearly increased the daily production of Arg, Asp, Cys, Glu, His, Met, Phe, Ser, Thr, and Trp (<i>P</i> < 0.05). With RPArg provision, serum contents of glucose, albumin, total protein, and nitric oxide linearly increased (<i>P</i> < 0.05); the levels of estradiol, prolactin, and insulin-like growth factor 1 quadratically increased (<i>P</i> < 0.01); and that of blood urea nitrogen quadratically decreased (<i>P</i> = 0.023). Furthermore, supplementation with 40 g/d Arg from RPArg promoted the expression of proteins implicated in mammary gland proliferation, FA synthesis, and milk protein synthesis. Thus, RPArg addition enhanced milk production, FA synthesis, and milk protein synthesis by promoting the expression of proteins involved in mammary gland development, FA synthesis, and milk protein synthesis.</p>","PeriodicalId":8184,"journal":{"name":"Animal Nutrition","volume":"21 ","pages":"267-278"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12145670/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144246148","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Arecoline regulates glycolipid and endoplasmic reticulum metabolisms in adult grass carp (<i>Ctenopharyngodon idella</i>).","authors":"Liangqin Wu, Na Yao, Weidan Jiang, Pei Wu, Yang Liu, Yaobin Ma, Hongmei Ren, Xiaowan Jin, Hequn Shi, Xiaoqiu Zhou, Lin Feng","doi":"10.1016/j.aninu.2024.12.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aninu.2024.12.007","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Arecoline is an alkaloid extracted from the plant betel nut with important pharmacological effects and is an agonist at muscarinic receptors (M receptors). In this study, we investigated the effects of dietary arecoline supplementation on hepatopancreatic and muscle glycolipid metabolism in adult grass carp (<i>Ctenopharyngodon idellus</i>). A total of 450 healthy adult grass carp with an initial body weight of 607.87 ± 1.82 g were randomly divided into six experimental groups and fed six levels (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 mg/kg diet) of arecoline for 60 days. The results showed that feed supplemented with 1.0 mg/kg arecoline up-regulated mRNA levels of <i>M3</i>, and promoted glucose (GLU) and fatty acid metabolism (<i>P</i> < 0.05) both in hepatopancreas and muscle. The promotion of glycolipid metabolism by arecoline can be achieved through three pathways. Firstly, arecoline alleviated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in grass carp muscle by suppressing the mRNA levels of ER stress-related genes <i>atf4</i>, <i>chop</i>, <i>ire1</i>, and <i>xbp1</i> as well as the protein expression of p-PERK and p-IRE1 (<i>P</i> < 0.05). Secondly, arecoline protected mitochondrial function by promoting the mitochondrial respiratory chain complex I-V-related protein expression and triggering the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt) (<i>P</i> < 0.05). Finally, arecoline promoted close communication between the ER and mitochondria by increasing the expression of the mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum membrane (MAM) tight junction proteins GRP75 and PACS2 as well as the calcium transporter proteins SERCA1 and IP3R, which in turn promoted lipid metabolism by increasing the protein expression of DGAT2 (<i>P</i> < 0.05). In conclusion, we found for the first time that dietary arecoline promoted GLU and fatty acid metabolism in hepatopancreas and muscle, which may be related to the regulatory effects of MAM on ER and mitochondria.</p>","PeriodicalId":8184,"journal":{"name":"Animal Nutrition","volume":"21 ","pages":"447-461"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12159938/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144282262","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dietary energy and protein gradients drive metabolic adaptation in growing-finishing yaks on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau.","authors":"Shoupei Zhao, Jia Zhou, Shengtao Guan, Xiaolin Wang, Xiao Wen, Kaiqiang Zhao, Huaming Yang, Lianghao Lu, Bao Zhang, Yuanyuan Chen, Quanhui Peng, Lizhi Wang, Zhisheng Wang, Bai Xue","doi":"10.1016/j.aninu.2025.01.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aninu.2025.01.009","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The study investigated the metabolic responses of yaks to dietary net energy for gain (NEg) and metabolizable protein (MP), and explored potential biomarkers for average daily gain (ADG) in serum metabolites. A total of 40 three-year-old yaks (initial body weight = 255 ± 8.04 kg) were assigned to a 2 × 2 factorial treatment arrangement based on dietary NEg (4.18 vs 4.81 MJ/kg DM; low NEg [LE] vs high NEg [HE]) and MP (72.0 vs 82.8 g/kg DM; low MP [LP] vs high MP [HP]), comprising 4 treatments with 10 replicates each (1 yak per replicate). The yaks were fed these diets for 55 days including a 15-day adaptation period. Yaks on HP diets had greater ADG (<i>P</i> = 0.013) and a reduced feed-to-gain ratio (<i>P</i> = 0.019) compared to those on the LP diet, and those on the LE diet had greater dry matter intake (<i>P</i> < 0.001) but unaffected ADG compared to those on the HE diet (<i>P</i> > 0.05). Dietary NEg interacted with MP in relation to the apparent digestibility of dry matter (<i>P</i> = 0.028) and crude protein (<i>P</i> < 0.001). The apparent digestibility of gross energy (GE), organic matter, and neutral detergent fiber in yaks on the HE diet was greater than those in yaks on the LE diet (<i>P</i> < 0.05). The digestibility of GE in yaks on the HP diet was lower than those on the LP diet (<i>P</i> = 0.011). An significant interaction between dietary NEg level and MP level was observed on serum total bilirubin concentration, catalase concentration, and superoxide dismutase concentration (<i>P</i> < 0.05). Yaks fed HE diets exhibited higher serum glutathione peroxidase protein concentration (<i>P</i> < 0.001), but lower serum triglyceride concentration (<i>P</i> = 0.012) compared to those fed LE diets. Serum level of alanine transaminase was higher in yaks on the HP diet compared to those on the LP diet (<i>P</i> = 0.038). Untargeted metabolomics identified novel biomarkers linked to dietary NEg and MP levels, revealing that the HE diet enhanced adenosine triphosphate production through acetyl-CoA synthesis and affected amino acid, fat, and carbohydrate pathways (<i>P</i> < 0.05). The HP diet altered the synthesis of aromatic amino acids and vitamins (<i>P</i> < 0.05). Additionally, random forest analysis identified N-(9-oxodecyl) acetamide and biliverdin, as biomarkers for predicting ADG. These findings provide a theoretical foundation for the effective feeding and nutritional management of yaks.</p>","PeriodicalId":8184,"journal":{"name":"Animal Nutrition","volume":"21 ","pages":"351-364"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12143763/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144246143","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Increasing concentrate feeding level in early lactation dairy cows fed cut herbage linearly decreased methane yield and intensity.","authors":"Maria M Della Rosa, Troy J Bosher, M Ajmal Khan, Edgar Sandoval, German Molano, Brenna Dobson-Hill, Federico N Duranovich, Arjan Jonker","doi":"10.1016/j.aninu.2025.01.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aninu.2025.01.008","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The use of supplementary feeds, including concentrates, on New Zealand dairy farms has increased in recent decades and this could have mitigated methane (CH₄) emissions by decreasing the forage-to-concentrate ratio. The forage-to-concentrate ratio in the diet can be easily managed in cows that receive a total mixed ration, but under grazing conditions, the cows select their own diets by increasing or decreasing the herbage intake, likely depending on the amount of concentrates eaten. The feed selection will have a direct effect on the forage-to-concentrate ratio and the potential mitigation of CH₄ emissions. The objective of the current study was to determine the effect of feeding increasing levels of concentrates in pasutre fed early lactation dairy cows on CH₄ emissions. Thirty-two early lactation dairy cows fed fresh cut ryegrass-based herbage ad libitum were allocated to receive 0, 2, 4 and 6 kg dry matter of concentrates (<i>n</i> = 8 per treatment) per day in two equal meals during milking. The cows were on their respective full treatment diets for at least 14 days before CH₄ measurements started. The CH₄ emissions were measured in respiration chambers for 48 h. The CH₄ yield (g/kg dry matter intake) and intensity (g/kg milk solids) decreased linearly by 0.76 and 5.3 units per kg of concentrate in the diet (<i>P</i> = 0.001 and <i>P</i> = 0.009), respectively, with increasing the concentrate level. The variations in CH₄ emissions after each feeding increased quadratically and linearly (<i>P</i> = 0.023 and <i>P</i> = 0.038) after morning and afternoon feeding, respectively and the CH₄ emissions reached the peak more rapidly after morning feeding (linear effect; <i>P</i> = 0.029) when the concentrate level increased. For short-chain fatty acids, the proportion of acetate decreased by 0.72 units (<i>P</i> = 0.003) while the proportion of propionate increased by 0.16 units (<i>P</i> = 0.006) per kg of concentrate in the diet. Feeding concentrates is a simple feeding strategy to mitigate CH₄ emissions from dairy cows. CH₄ yield decreased linearly by increasing the concentrate inclusion level of the diet.</p>","PeriodicalId":8184,"journal":{"name":"Animal Nutrition","volume":"21 ","pages":"315-325"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12145676/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144246149","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Transcriptomic analysis of muscle and adipose tissues identifies myokines and adipokines contributing to lipid deposition in Taoyuan Black pigs.","authors":"Liu Guo, Junfei Xu, Wenyue Zhou, Sisi Chen, Hanjing Shi, Mengmeng Han, Weijun Pang, Yulong Yin, Fengna Li","doi":"10.1016/j.aninu.2025.03.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aninu.2025.03.002","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Meat quality and lean meat percentage are important to pig industry. Muscle and adipose tissues are regarded as secretory organs that release myokines and adipokines to mediate muscle-adipose tissue crosstalk, which regulates lipid deposition and skeletal muscle development. The Taoyuan Black (TB) pig, a Chinese indigenous breed, exhibits abundant lipid deposition and is known for excellent meat quality. The aim of this study was to explore the dynamics of muscle development and lipid deposition in TB pigs at different ages and to identify myokines and adipokines that contribute to lipid accumulation. Forty TB and 40 Duroc pigs were fed the same diet and slaughtered for analysis at age of 60, 120, 180, and 210 d. The \"window phase\" of lipid deposition in TB pigs was defined from 120 to 180 d of age according to carcass traits, intramuscular fat (IMF), and adipocyte area. Comparative transcriptome of the longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle and subcutaneous adipose revealed upregulated energy and lipid metabolism pathways in TB pigs at 180 d compared to 120 d (<i>P</i> < 0.05). Many myokines and adipokines associated with IMF and peripheral fat deposition have been identified via database comparison. Myokine <i>IGF2</i> in TB pigs was downregulated at 180 d compared to 120 d (<i>P</i> < 0.05) and had negative correlation with backfat thickness, perirenal fat percentage, and fat percentage (<i>P</i> < 0.05), adipokines <i>SFRP5</i> and <i>AGT</i> were upregulated in TB pigs at 180 d compared to 120 d and different between TB and Duroc pigs (<i>P</i> < 0.05). This study provides new insights into the interaction between muscle and adipose tissues, as well as potential targets for nutritional regulation of IMF, lean meat percentage, and meat quality.</p>","PeriodicalId":8184,"journal":{"name":"Animal Nutrition","volume":"21 ","pages":"256-266"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12145695/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144246080","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impacts of feeding different lipid sources on serum biochemical indices, dietary fatty acid metabolism, raw foie gras quality characteristics and gene expression related to fat deposition in the Landes goose.","authors":"Ran An, Yaxin Wang, Qingchang Ren","doi":"10.1016/j.aninu.2025.03.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aninu.2025.03.003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study investigated the impacts of feeding different lipid sources on raw goose foie gras quality characteristics. A total of 1080 Landes geese at 60 d old with body weight 3.87 ± 0.13 kg (mean ± SEM) were randomly assigned to three treatments: a corn meal-based diet with 25 g/kg soybean oil, with 25 g/kg goose fat, or with 15 g/kg goose fat plus 10 g/kg soybean oil (MIX). Each treatment was split into 15 pens with 24 geese in each pen. The experiment lasted 30 d, and the daily consumption of the overfeeding diets was recorded. Results showed that geese from MIX had a higher feed consumption (<i>P</i> < 0.001), raw foie gras weight (<i>P</i> = 0.025) as well as serum concentration of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (<i>P</i> = 0.012) compared with other treatments. The raw foie gras produced with MIX also had higher contents of monounsaturated fatty acids (<i>P</i> = 0.039), essential amino acids (<i>P</i> < 0.001) and non-essential amino acids (<i>P</i> < 0.001) compared with those of geese fed soybean oil. In addition, MIX promoted the daily retention of dietary C14:0 (<i>P</i> = 0.018), C16:0 (<i>P</i> = 0.045), C18:0 (<i>P</i> = 0.023), C18:1n9c (<i>P</i> = 0.025), C18:2n6c (<i>P</i> = 0.029) and C18:3n6 (<i>P</i> = 0.032). Furthermore, MIX upregulated the relative gene expression of stearoyl-CoA desaturase (<i>P</i> = 0.002), fatty acid synthetase (<i>P</i> < 0.001), acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase 2 (<i>P</i> < 0.001) and elongation of very long-chain fatty acids protein 1 (<i>P</i> < 0.001) in the fattened liver. In conclusion, including 15 g/kg goose fat mixed with 10 g/kg soybean oil in diets was beneficial to improve the quality characteristics of raw Landes goose foie gras.</p>","PeriodicalId":8184,"journal":{"name":"Animal Nutrition","volume":"21 ","pages":"462-471"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12152496/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144274100","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multiple ways to promote adult grass carp (<i>Ctenopharyngodon idella</i>) muscle hypertrophy: Application of dietary myo-inositol.","authors":"Meiqi Wang, Lin Feng, Pei Wu, Yang Liu, Hongmei Ren, Xiaowan Jin, Xiaoqiu Zhou, Weidan Jiang","doi":"10.1016/j.aninu.2025.01.010","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aninu.2025.01.010","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Skeletal muscle constitutes the largest tissue in fish and represents the primary edible portion. Given the substantial differences in muscle growth dynamics between fish and mammals, fish serve as a crucial and distinctive model organism for investigating the fundamental mechanisms of growth regulation in vertebrates. Myo-inositol (MI), originally discovered in muscle, plays significant biological roles in growth regulation, membrane biogenesis, and transmembrane signal transduction. However, to date, no studies have investigated how MI affects adult fish growth and muscle development. A total of 450 adult grass carp (<i>Ctenopharyngodon idella</i>) (704.84 ± 0.91 g) were randomly divided into 6 treatments with 3 replicates of 25 fish each to receive dietary MI at 35.38 (basal diet, deficient group), 98.12, 195.21, 292.30, 389.39, and 486.48 mg/kg. The trial period lasted for 8 weeks. Results indicated that compared with the 35.38 mg/kg MI group, all groups supplemented with MI improved the specific growth rate (SGR) and percent weight gain (PWG) of adult grass carp (<i>P</i> < 0.05). Compared with the deficient group, the sodium-myo-inositol cotransporter 2 (SMIT2) and MI content in the muscle of grass carp in the 292.30 to 486 mg/kg MI group were significantly elevated (<i>P</i> < 0.05). Compared with the deficient group, the dietary MI levels of 195.21 to 486.48 mg/kg lead to increased myofiber mean diameters and the frequency of myofibers with a diameter > 100 μm, while decreased myofiber diameters < 60 μm (<i>P</i> < 0.05). This implies that MI promotes muscle hypertrophy. The hypertrophic effect of MI was primarily ascribed to an increase in the number of myonuclear and enhanced protein synthesis, which is associated with the regulation of the skeletal muscle lysyl oxidase (LOX) and the protein kinase B (AKT)/target of rapamycin (TOR)/ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 (S6K1) signaling pathways. Additionally, MI inhibited the myostatin (MSTN) and the forkhead box O3 (FoxO3)/muscle RING-finger protein-1 (MuRF1)/muscle atrophy F-box (MAFbx) pathways, which are involved in muscle atrophy and protein degradation. Based on PWG, the appropriate MI requirement of adult grass carp was determined to be 301.30 mg/kg. This study offers a preliminary theoretical foundation for the potential mechanism by which MI promotes muscle hypertrophy in fish and furnishes a reference for the commercial feed formulation of adult grass carp.</p>","PeriodicalId":8184,"journal":{"name":"Animal Nutrition","volume":"21 ","pages":"326-340"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12145683/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144246154","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The role of glycosylated mucins in maintaining intestinal homeostasis and gut health.","authors":"Hao Cheng, Hao Li, Zhong Li, Yun Wang, Liangguo Liu, Jing Wang, Xiaokang Ma, Bie Tan","doi":"10.1016/j.aninu.2025.03.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aninu.2025.03.004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The intestinal mucus barrier is a crucial component of the host's innate defense system, playing a vital role in regulating intestinal microecology and maintaining intestinal homeostasis. Glycosylated mucins, the core components of this barrier, are essential for preserving its integrity by preventing bacterial degradation. Additionally, mucins significantly contribute to establishing a balanced symbiotic relationship between the host and microbes. These mucins have the potential to mitigate intestinal epithelial damage by capturing and transporting cell debris and pathogenic bacteria. Meanwhile, certain bacteria help maintain the equilibrium and stability of the gut microbiome by degrading glycosylated mucins to utilize the carbohydrate chains, thus affecting the cytokine expression to regulate the synthesis and secretion of specific glycans. Investigating the complex connections between the mucus barrier and mucin glycosylation holds great promise for advancing our understanding of gastrointestinal disease mechanisms, paving the way for innovative prevention and treatment strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":8184,"journal":{"name":"Animal Nutrition","volume":"21 ","pages":"439-446"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12148640/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144257256","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Weaning performance prediction in lactating sows using machine learning, for precision nutrition and intelligent feeding.","authors":"Jiayi Su, Xiangfeng Kong, Wenliang Wang, Qian Xie, Chengming Wang, Bie Tan, Jing Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.aninu.2025.01.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aninu.2025.01.007","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Traditional feeding strategy during lactation can result in nutrient deficiencies and negatively impact long-term productivity, compromising both the sustainability and profitability of the swine industry. Precision feeding, supported by decision-making systems built on advanced predictive models, offers a promising solution to address these challenges. This study aimed to develop prediction models for weaning performance, focusing on key indicators such as weaned litter weight (WLW), weaned litter size (WLS), dry matter in milk (DMm), and nitrogen in milk (Nm). The models integrate farm management practices and feed nutrient composition, providing a data-driven framework for optimizing performance. A total of 10,089 observations were collected from 17 trial pig farms across eight provinces in China. Eleven statistical and machine learning (ML) regression algorithms were employed, incorporating stratified sampling and the recursive feature elimination method for feature selection. The findings demonstrated that the ensemble learning models, specifically random forest and gradient boosting decision tree regression, delivered the best overall performance, with a coefficient of determination (<i>R</i> ²) ranging from 0.40 to 0.80 and a mean absolute error (MAE) between 0.11 and 4.36. The shapley additive explanations (SHAP) heatmap used for feature importance analysis revealed that, although the key predictors of weaning performance varied across models, this study newly identified lactation duration, birth litter weight, parity, and backfat thickness on the 7th day of lactation (L.d7BF) as consistently important features across different models. The discrepancies between correlation analysis and feature importance suggest the presence of non-linear relationships, feature interactions, and multicollinearity within the dataset. This study presents a novel framework that provides valuable insights into the factors influencing weaning performance under diverse management practices and feed nutrient conditions. The optimized prediction model can be employed to guide real-time sensor-based precision feeding systems, thereby enhancing efficiency and sustainability in swine production.</p>","PeriodicalId":8184,"journal":{"name":"Animal Nutrition","volume":"21 ","pages":"222-233"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12145688/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144246081","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrative analysis of metabolomics and transcriptomics reveals alterations in egg quality and hepatic lipid metabolism in hens supplemented with curcumin.","authors":"Cunzhi Zou, Haiyu Jiang, Xuanfu Wu, Jiang Gao, Wenqiang Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.aninu.2024.11.028","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aninu.2024.11.028","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Curcumin has been shown to affect lipid metabolism in various ways, but its molecular mechanisms in hens remain poorly understood. In this study, 378 Hy-Line Brown hens, aged 58 weeks, were randomly assigned into three groups, each consisting of 6 replicates with 21 hens per replicate. The control group was fed a basal diet, while the experimental groups received diets supplemented with either 50 or 100 mg/kg of curcumin for 42 days. The results indicated that 50 mg/kg curcumin supplementation significantly increased average egg weight (quadratically, <i>P</i> = 0.001) and decreased the feed conversion ratio (FCR) (quadratically, <i>P</i> = 0.018). Both 50 and 100 mg/kg curcumin supplementation increased the yolk weight (linearly, <i>P</i> = 0.010), yolk color score (linearly, <i>P</i> = 0.001), and thick albumin weight (quadratically, <i>P</i> = 0.003), thereby improving egg quality. Additionally, curcumin supplementation at both doses reduced hepatic triglyceride (TG) content (linearly, <i>P</i> = 0.007) and hepatic free cholesterol (FC) content (linearly, <i>P</i> = 0.003), while increasing serum catalase (CAT) activity (linearly, <i>P</i> = 0.008) and hepatic superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity (linearly, <i>P</i> = 0.013), alleviating hepatic steatosis and oxidative stress in laying hens. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that curcumin primarily upregulated key genes involved in hepatic cholesterol synthesis (<i>Fdft1</i>, <i>Sqle</i>, <i>Cyp51A1</i>, <i>Msmo1</i>, and <i>Dhcr24</i>) and downregulated key genes involved in hepatic TG synthesis (<i>Acaca</i>, <i>Acacb</i>, and <i>Fasn</i>). Metabolomic analysis identified upregulated serum lysoPS 18:1 as the most significant explanatory variable in curcumin-fed hens. Integrated metabolomics and transcriptomics further revealed that lysoPS 18:1 positively correlated with hepatic cholesterol synthesis genes (<i>Fdft1</i>, <i>Sqle</i>, <i>Cyp51A1</i>, and <i>Msmo1</i>) and negatively correlated with hepatic TG synthesis gene (<i>Fasn</i>), suggesting its role in reducing hepatic TG and FC metabolism. In conclusion, these findings indicate that curcumin enhances production performance and egg quality of laying hens, improves hepatic lipid metabolism, and that 50 mg/kg is the optimal supplementation dose.</p>","PeriodicalId":8184,"journal":{"name":"Animal Nutrition","volume":"21 ","pages":"302-314"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12145694/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144246150","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}