ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Animal Nutrition and Metabolism
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1634086
Dietary Resveratrol and β-Hydroxy-β-Methyl Butyric Acid
Provisionally accepted
Xuan Chen
Qiurong JiZhenling WuFengshuo ZhangYanganmao SuTingli HeKaina ZhuShengzhen Hou*
LinSheng Gui*- Qinghai University, Xining, China
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This study investigated the effects of dietary resveratrol (RES) and β-Hydroxy β-Methylbutyrate (HMB) on immune function, oxidative status, and morphological changes in intermuscular fat of Tibetan sheep using transcriptomics and metabolomics. A total of 120 male Tibetan lambs with similar initial body weight (15.5 ± 0.14 kg) were randomly divided into four groups (n = 30 per group): 1) H group (basal diet without RES or HMB); 2) H-RES group (1.5 g/day RES); 3) H-HMB group (1.25 g/day HMB); and 4) H-RES-HMB group (1.5 g/day RES + 1.25 g/day HMB). The experiment lasted 100 days, including a 10-day pre-test period and a 90-day formal trial. The H-RES-HMB group exhibited significantly reduced intermuscular adipocyte area and diameter (P < 0.05) but increased cell density. Among medium-and long-chain fatty acids, the H-RES-HMB group showed significantly decreased SFAs (C17:0 and C18:0) (P < 0.05) and significantly increased MUFAs (C15:1N5 and C18:1N9) and PUFAs (C18:2N6, C18:3N6, C18:3N3, C20:3N6, and C20:3N3) (P < 0.05). Additionally, flavor compounds such as 2-Hexanone, 3-Hexanone, 3-Pentanone, and Methyl acetate were significantly elevated in the H-RES-HMB group (P < 0.05). Transcriptomic analysis revealed that RES and HMB synergistically regulated the Calcium (ERBB4, P2RX7, ERBB3, P2RX3, and SLC8A1), Hippo (WNT9A, WNT10B, WNT6, and WNT2B), Estrogen (HSP90AA1, TGFA, and RARA), and Arachidonic acid (PLA2G4A, ALOX12, and PTGDS) signaling pathways, collectively promoting muscle cell proliferation and differentiation, inhibiting excessive fat deposition, optimizing lipid metabolism, and alleviating inflammatory responses, thereby significantly improving meat tenderness, flavor, and yield. Metabolomic analysis of intermuscular lipids demonstrated that RES and HMB synergistically modulated key lipid molecules such as LPC(20:0/20:1) and PC(21:2/37:0/38:5), optimizing Glycerophospholipid, Arachidonic acid, and alpha-Linolenic acid metabolic pathways, reducing aldehyde-derived rancidity substances while increasing ester/ketone flavor precursors, thereby achieving a "reduced off-flavor and enhanced aroma" effect. Integrated transcriptomic and lipidomic analyses revealed that PLA2G4A hydrolyzes PC(38:5) to release arachidonic acid (AA) (20:4), which is metabolized via the ALOX12/PTGDS-mediated pathway (generating 12-HPETE and PGD2) to regulate meat flavor formation, while phospholipids such as LPC(20:0/20:1) and PC(21:2/37:0) primarily participate in membrane remodeling. These findings indicate that PLA2G4A-AA-ALOX12/PTGDS axis serves as a key metabolic hub for flavor regulation.
Keywords: β-hydroxy-β-methyl butyric acid, Transcriptomics, Lipid metabolites, resveratrol, Tibetan sheep
Received: 23 May 2025; Accepted: 06 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Chen, Ji, Wu, Zhang, Su, He, Zhu, Hou and Gui. 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:
Shengzhen Hou, Qinghai University, Xining, China
LinSheng Gui, Qinghai University, Xining, China
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