Dietary β-hydroxybutyric acid improves the growth performance of young ruminants based on rumen microbiota and volatile fatty acid biosynthesis

Jianmin Chai; Zeyue Liu; Jun Wu; Yuan Kang; Mahmoud M Abdelsattar; Wei Zhao; Shiqin Wang; Shuli Yang; Feilong Deng; Ying Li; Yimin Zhuang; Naifeng Zhang

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2023.1296116

Dietary β-hydroxybutyric acid improves the growth performance of young ruminants based on rumen microbiota and volatile fatty acid biosynthesis

Front Microbiol. 2024 Jan 8:14:1296116. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1296116. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Jianmin Chai^{1

2

3}, Zeyue Liu¹, Jun Wu⁴, Yuan Kang¹, Mahmoud M Abdelsattar⁵, Wei Zhao², Shiqin Wang⁶, Shuli Yang¹, Feilong Deng¹, Ying Li¹, Yimin Zhuang^{2

7}, Naifeng Zhang²

Affiliations

¹ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Molecular Design and Precise Breeding, College of Life Science and Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan, China.
² Key Laboratory of Feed Biotechnology of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Feed Research of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China.
³ Division of Agriculture, Department of Animal Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, NC, United States.
⁴ Foshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Foshan, China.
⁵ Department of Animal and Poultry Production, Faculty of Agriculture, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt.
⁶ Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Animal Nutritional Regulation and Health, College of Animal Science, Anhui Science and Technology University, Chuzhou, China.
⁷ State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.

Abstract

Introduction: The ketone body β-hydroxybutyric acid (BHB) plays critical roles in cellular proliferation and metabolic fuel utilization; however, its effects on the rumen microbiota remain unknown.

Methods: Here, three doses of BHB (low, medium, and high) were supplemented to early-weaned goat kids.

Results: Compared with controls, the beneficial effects of BHB on growth and rumen development were observed in goats at 90 days of age (d). The low dose of dietary BHB increased the concentration of rumen acetate, propionate, and butyrate on d90. The sequencing results of the rumen microbiota revealed marked shifts in rumen microbial community structure after early-weaned goat kids consumed BHB for 2 months. The signature bacterial ASVs for each treatment were identified and were the main drivers contributing to microbial interactions in the rumen. The bacteria associated with rumen weight were also correlated with body weight. Some classified bacterial signatures, including Prevotella, Olsenella umbonate, and Roseburia faecis, were related to rumen volatile fatty acids and host development.

Conclusion: Overall, dietary BHB altered rumen microbiota and environments in young goats, which contributed to rumen development and growth.

Keywords: goats; growth; rumen microbiota; volatile fatty acids; β-hydroxybutyric acid.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31872385), the Inner Mongolia Science and Technology Key Project (2021SZD0014), Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Molecular Design and Precise Breeding (2019B030301010), and Key Laboratory of Animal Molecular Design and Precise Breeding of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes (2019KSYS011).