ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Anim. Sci.
Sec. Animal Nutrition
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fanim.2025.1614869
Multi omics revealed the promoting effect of dietary inulin supplementation on hepatic gluconeogenesis in goats
Provisionally accepted
- 1Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China
- 2Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Changsha, Hunan Province, China
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Introduction: Gluconeogenesis is the primary pathway for ruminants to obtain energy. Enhancement of gluconeogenesis can significantly improve the growth performance of ruminants. Inulin, a prebiotic, has capabilities such as fostering a healthier gut microbiota and modulating metabolism. However, the application of inulin in ruminant feed is still very limited.Methods: Eighteen healthy Xiangdong black goats (body weight 9.0 ± 0.19 kg) were randomly divided into two groups: the control group and the inulin group, with 9 goats in each group. The inulin group used 18.9% inulin instead of normal corn.The total experimental period was 28 days, with 7 days for adaptation before the formal experiment.Results: Inulin supplementation significantly increased (P < 0.05) the and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase), as well as the expression of forkhead box protein O1 (FoxO1) in goat livers. At the same time, the serum insulin levels were significantly reduced (P < 0.05).Analysis of rumen microbes and rumen VFAs levels revealed that the abundances of short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria (Lachnospiracea, Blautia, Prevotella-1, Pseudobutyrivibrio) and propionic acid concentration were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the inulin group. Liver metabolites were analyzed via LC-MS, and increased levels of metabolites associated with the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and amino acid metabolism were observed following inulin administration. Discussion: Inulin promotes the process of gluconeogenesis in goat liver by regulating the two key pathways of rumen microorganisms and liver metabolites to increase gluconeogenesis substrates.
Keywords: Inulin, Gluconeogenesis, Ruminal microorganism, Volatile fatty acid, metabolite
Received: 20 Apr 2025; Accepted: 10 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhu, Hu, Liu, Zhou, Tan, Kang and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Jinhe Kang, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Changsha, 410125, Hunan Province, China
Zheng Wang, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China
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