ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microorganisms in Vertebrate Digestive Systems
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1612102
This article is part of the Research TopicNew Horizons in Gut Microbiome Research for Enhancing Livestock ProductivityView all 4 articles
The influence of Resveratrol and β-Hydroxy-β-methyl butyric acid supplementation alone or in combination on the development and health of the duodenum in Tibetan sheep
Provisionally accepted
Yu Zhang1,2,3
Qiurong Ji2,3
Linsheng Gui2,3,4
Kefyalew Gebeyew5Shengzhen Hou4Zhiyou Wang2
Lijuan Han2
Chao Yang3,4*- 1Qinghai University, Xining, China
- 2College of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Qinghai University, Xining, Qinghai Province, China
- 3Key Laboratory of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Grazing Yak and Tibetan Sheep Animal Nutrition and Feed-Forage, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Xining 810016, China, Xining, China
- 4State Key Laboratory of Sanjiangyuan Ecology and Plateau Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Qinghai University, Xining, Qinghai Province, China
- 5Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Changsha, Hunan Province, China
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Resveratrol (RES) and β-Hydroxy-β-methyl butyric acid (HMB) have been shown to exert antioxidant, anti-inflammatory effect as well as influence intestinal microbiota composition in monogastric animal. However, the mechanism by which RES and HMB regulate duodenal function in ruminants remains unclear. In this study, the effects of RES and HMB on the development and health of the duodenum in Tibetan sheep were investigated. A total of 120 early weaned Tibetan rams with similar initial body weight (15.5 ± 0.14 kg) were selected and randomly allocated into 4 groups. Each group received a basal diet supplemented with 1.5 g RES/d (RES group), 1.25 g HMB/d (HMB group), 1.5 g RES/d plus 1.25 g HMB/d (RES_HMB group), and without any additives (CON group). The results showed that RES and HMB supplementation significantly increased (P < 0.05) the villus height and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth in the duodenum.Meanwhile, the concentrations of cellulase and trypsin were increased (P < 0.05) when RES and HMB were supplemented in the basal diet. The RES group exhibited higher (P < 0.05) levels of anti-inflammatory markers (IgG, IL-6, and IL-1β), while combined supplementation of RES and HMB promoted (P < 0.05) the duodenal antioxidant capacity, as indicated by increased levels of GSH-Px and T-AOC. Furthermore, the RES group was characterized by a higher relative abundance of Butyrivibrio, while the HMB group was characterized by a higher relative abundance of Aeromonas, Rummeliibacillus, UCG-002, Ralstonia and Stenotrophomonas (P < 0.05 and LDA > 3.5). Metabolomics analysis showed that differential metabolites were significantly enriched (P < 0.05) in the cyanoamino acid metabolism, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, protein digestion and absorption and ABC transporters. These results indicated that RES and HMB can be used as safe additives to maintain intestinal health by enhancing duodenal development, promoting digestive enzyme secretion, and improving antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacity in Tibetan sheep.
Keywords: antioxidant capacity, β-hydroxy-β-methyl butyric acid, Immunity, resveratrol, Tibetan sheep
Received: 15 Apr 2025; Accepted: 12 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Ji, Gui, Gebeyew, Hou, Wang, Han and Yang. 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: Chao Yang, State Key Laboratory of Sanjiangyuan Ecology and Plateau Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Qinghai University, Xining, 810016, Qinghai Province, China
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