ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1631756
Modified Huangqi Shengmai Yin Enhances Ruminal Microbiome and Metabolites Activity in Dairy Cows with Subclinical Mastitis
Provisionally accepted
Chenyibo Zhang1
Baoling Zhang1Yuqiong Li2
John P Kastelic3
Xiaoping Li1
Tong Xiaofang1Yao A4Chuang Xu1
Bo Han1
Jian Gao1*- 1China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
- 2Ningxia Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Region, China
- 3University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- 4Animal Health Supervision Institute of Lincang, Lincang, China
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Introduction: Bovine mastitis, especially subclinical mastitis (SCM), with minimal clinical signs, is detrimental due to its resistance to treatment, recurrence, and substantial economic impact on global dairy industry. The modified form of Huangqi Shengmai Yin (HSY), classical traditional herbal medicine renowned for its effects in antimicrobial and circulatoryenhancing and thus beneficial for subclinical mastitis, has been developed for treatment attempt of SCM, yet its therapeutic effect and mechanism remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the therapeutic effects of mHSY on SCM in cows, and elucidate its potential therapeutic mechanism.Methods: In this study, mHSY was given orally to cows with SCM. After a 3-day treatment regimen, the therapeutic effects were evaluated. 16S diversity sequencing and metabolomics were used to elucidate the therapeutic mechanism of HSY.The SCM was significantly alleviated after the 3-day treatment with HSY. In cows infected with SCM, there were significant alterations in rumen fluid microbiota, particularly proportions of Enterobacter, Desulfovibrio, and Flavonifractor, implying a pivotal role for these bacteria in SCM. Furthermore, the therapeutic potential of HSY is linked to improving the proportion of beneficial bacteria (e.g., Succinivibrionaceae_UCG-001) and reestablishing a balanced ruminal bacterial profile. Modulation of fatty acid and amino acid metabolism, as evidenced by changes in metabolite profiles, is a critical aspect of SCM and can be markedly ameliorated with mHSY administration.mHSY shows significant inhibitory effects on SCM, which may be attributed to regulating ruminal microbiota and metabolic pathways in vivo.
Keywords: Subclinical bovine mastitis, Huangqi Shengmai Yin, Microbiome structure, metabolites activity, dairy cows
Received: 20 May 2025; Accepted: 28 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Zhang, Li, Kastelic, Li, Xiaofang, A, Xu, Han and Gao. 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: Jian Gao, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.