Research on the Changing Characteristics of Milk Composition and Serum Metabolites Across Various Lactation Periods in Xinggao Sheep

作者：Jing Yuan, Zian Wu, Biao Wang, Shaoyin Fu, Rigele Te, Lai Da, Liwei Wang, Qing Qin, Xiaolong He · 发表于：Metabolites · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.3390/metabo15100678 · 被引用次数：2 · 研究领域：Milk Quality and Mastitis in Dairy Cows、Infant Nutrition and Health、Reproductive Physiology in Livestock

BACKGROUND: The variation in sheep milk composition is closely related to the sheep's metabolic status. This study aimed to analyze the milk composition and serum metabolic characteristics of Xinggao sheep during different lactation periods and to evaluate the association between milk quality traits and body metabolism. METHODS: Eighteen intensively reared ewes were divided into three groups: an early lactation group (MA), a mid-lactation group (MB), and a late lactation group (MC). Milk components were detected by infrared spectroscopy, and the ewes' serum metabolomic characteristics were detected by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). K-means correlation analysis revealed that the milk fat percentage was positively correlated with L-aspartic acid and negatively correlated with citrulline levels. Random forest analysis for metabolite importance ranking showed that methionine sulfoxide and methionine exhibited high mean decrease accuracy and mean decrease Gini index values. RESULTS: The milk composition results showed that, compared with MA, the milk fat content and total solids in MB and MC were significantly higher, while the freezing point in the MC was significantly lower. Metabolomic studies showed that 207, 210, and 238 differential metabolites were identified in the comparisons of MA vs. MB MA vs. MC, and MB vs. MC, respectively, and these metabolites were mainly enriched in the pyrimidine metabolism, arachidonic acid metabolism, and arginine biosynthesis ...