From the perspective of rumen microbiome and host metabolome, revealing the effects of feeding strategies on Jersey Cows on the Tibetan Plateau

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have discussed the effects of grazing and house feeding on yaks during the cold season when forage is in short supply, but there is limited information on the effects of these feeding strategies on Jersey cows introduced to the Tibetan Plateau. The objective of this study was to use genomics and metabolomics analyses to examine changes in rumen microbiology and organism metabolism of Jersey cows with different feeding strategies. METHODS: We selected 12 Jersey cows with similar body conditions and kept them for 60 days under grazing (n = 6) and house-feeding (n = 6) conditions. At the end of the experiment, samples of rumen fluid and serum were collected from Jersey cows that had been fed using different feeding strategies. The samples were analyzed for rumen fermentation parameters, rumen bacterial communities, serum antioxidant and immunological indices, and serum metabolomics. The results of the study were examined to find appropriate feeding strategies for Jersey cows during the cold season on the Tibetan plateau. RESULTS: The results of rumen fermentation parameters showed that concentrations of acetic acid, propionic acid, and ammonia nitrogen in the house-feeding group (Group B) were significantly higher than in the grazing group (Group G) (P < 0.05). In terms of the rumen bacterial community 16S rRNA gene, the Chao1 index was significantly higher in Group G than in Group B (P = 0.038), while observed species, Shannon and Simpson indices were not significantly different from the above-mentioned groups (P > 0.05). Beta diversity analysis revealed no significant differences in the composition of the rumen microbiota between the two groups. Analysis of serum antioxidant and immune indices showed no significant differences in total antioxidant capacity between Group G and Group B (P > 0.05), while IL-6, Ig-M , and TNF-α were significantly higher in Group G than in Group B (P < 0.05). LC–MS metabolomics analysis of serum showed that a total of 149 major serum differential metabolites were found in Group G and Group B. The differential metabolites were enriched in the metabolic pathways of biosynthesis of amino acids, protein digestion and absorption, ABC transporters, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, mineral absorption, and biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids. These data suggest that the house-feeding strategy is more beneficial to improve the physiological state of Jersey cows on the Tibetan Plateau during the cold season when forages are in short supply.