ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microorganisms in Vertebrate Digestive Systems
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1679856
This article is part of the Research TopicNew Horizons in Gut Microbiome Research for Enhancing Livestock ProductivityView all 21 articles
Dietary Resveratrol Modulates Rumen Microbiota and Meta-bolic Function in Tibetan Sheep: An Integrated 16S rRNA Sequencing and Metabolomics Analysis
Provisionally accepted
Wenling Xie1,2
Yu Zhang1,2
Yuan Feng1Yujie Li1,2
Linsheng Gui1Shengzhen Hou1
Lijuan Han1Zhenzhen Yuan1
Chao Yang1Shengnan Sun1*- 1Qinghai University, Xining, China
- 2College of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Qinghai University, XiNing, China
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Introduction: Resveratrol (RES) , a natural plant polyphenolic compound, can be used as a dietary supplement and has shown good application after addition to monogastric animal diets, but fewer studies have been conducted in ruminants, especially in Tibetan sheep where no deeper studies have been made. In this study, we used 16S rRNA and metabolomics systems to investigate the effects of different doses of resveratrol added to the diets of Tibetan sheep on the microbial community structure and metabolomics of their rumen. Results: The results showed a significant (P < 0.05) increase in rumen papilla length in the H-RES group, along with elevated acetate and butyrate concentrations. Microbial analysis revealed significantly higher (P < 0.05) relative abundance of Firmicutes in the H-RES group, including the genera Prevotella and Ruminococcus. Metabolic pathway enrichment analysis revealed significant (P < 0.05) enrichment of amino acid metabolism-related pathways. In addition, specific microbial genera, Lactobacillus spp. and Ruminococcus spp. showed significant correlations with metabolites such as pantothenic acid and isoleucine, indicating differential regulatory effects. Conclusion: In summary, daily supplementation with 1.5 g of resveratrol (H-RES) improved rumen morphology and fermentation processes in Tibetan sheep. These improvements were closely related to changes in microbial community structure and metabolite interactions. The study of rumen microbial community structure and metabolite changes provides new ideas for regulating the rumen environment of Tibetan sheep.
Keywords: Tibetan sheep, Rumen development, 16S rRNA, resveratrol, microbiota, Metabolites
Received: 05 Aug 2025; Accepted: 21 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Xie, Zhang, Feng, Li, Gui, Hou, Han, Yuan, Yang and Sun. 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: Shengnan Sun, sunsn@qhu.edu.cn
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