Changes in Blood Metabolic Profiles Reveal the Dietary Deficiencies of Specific Nutrients and Physiological Status of Grazing Yaks during the Cold Season in Qinghai Province of China
Jian Gao,
Deyu Yang,
Zhanying Sun,
Jianzhang Niu,
Yuhong Bao,
Suozhu Liu,
Zhankun Tan,
Lizhuang Hao,
Yanfen Cheng,
Shujie Liu
Affiliations
Jian Gao
Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Microbiology, National Center for International Research on Animal Gut Nutrition, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Deyu Yang
Key Laboratory of Plateau Grazing Animal Nutrition and Feed Science of Qinghai Province, Qinghai Plateau Yak Research Center, Qinghai Academy of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine of Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
Zhanying Sun
Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Microbiology, National Center for International Research on Animal Gut Nutrition, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Jianzhang Niu
Key Laboratory of Plateau Grazing Animal Nutrition and Feed Science of Qinghai Province, Qinghai Plateau Yak Research Center, Qinghai Academy of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine of Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
Yuhong Bao
Institute of Grassland Science, Tibet Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Lhasa 850000, China
Suozhu Liu
College of Animal Science, Tibet Agricultural and Animal Husbandry University, Nyingchi 860000, China
Zhankun Tan
College of Animal Science, Tibet Agricultural and Animal Husbandry University, Nyingchi 860000, China
Lizhuang Hao
Key Laboratory of Plateau Grazing Animal Nutrition and Feed Science of Qinghai Province, Qinghai Plateau Yak Research Center, Qinghai Academy of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine of Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
Yanfen Cheng
Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Microbiology, National Center for International Research on Animal Gut Nutrition, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Shujie Liu
Key Laboratory of Plateau Grazing Animal Nutrition and Feed Science of Qinghai Province, Qinghai Plateau Yak Research Center, Qinghai Academy of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine of Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
This study aimed to investigate the changes in the blood metabolic profiles of grazing yaks during the cold season to reveal their physiological status and seek the nutrients needed to be supplemented. Six castrated yaks (3 years old) with 166.8 kg (standard deviation = 5.3) of liveweight grazed in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau were used as experimental animals without supplementary feeding. Blood samples of each animal were collected in October and December 2015, and March 2016 for the analysis of serum biochemicals and metabolome. Results showed serum indices involved in protein metabolism in grazing yaks showed greater differences during the cold season than the metabolisms of energy or minerals. Cold stress in December had minor effects on the serum metabolic profiles of yaks compared with those in October. Yaks in October and December shared seven differential serum metabolites and enrichments of the “arachidonic acid metabolism” and “glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism” pathways compared with those in March caused by the shortage of feeds. Summarily, the nutrient deficiency would be influential on the physiological status of grazing yaks during the cold season, especially on the protein metabolism, which could be improved by supplementary feeds.
