Inulin supplementation increases the differential metabolites and metabolic pathway in Baird's tapirs (Tapirus bairdii)

OBJECTIVE: The prevalence of prebiotic has increased substantially over the past decades. Little is known on its metabolic effects in zoo herbivores. We investigated the difference in faecal metabolites to characterize the composition and pathways involved after feeding inulin in zoo Baird's tapirs (Tapirus bairdii). METHODS: Faecal samples were collected from before inulin treatment group and after treatment groups in six adult tapirs and analysed using untargeted liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry methods. The differential metabolites identified and metabolic pathways involved were analysed using KEGG annotation. RESULTS: The results demonstrated significant alterations in faecal metabolites and metabolic pathways in comparison to the control group. The amounts of differential metabolites and metabolic pathways tended to enrich with time after the treatment. We found that tryptophan and purine metabolism were relevant to the important metabolic pathways of the metabolite differences. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that inulin may have potential applications in captive wildlife, which may provide insights into the effects of prebiotic supplementation on gut metabolites and highlights further research in this field.