Title:	Metabolomic Profiling of Serum Reveals Energy Metabolism Differences in Nellore Bulls with Divergent Growth Rates during Feedlot Finishing.
Authors:	MOREIRA, J. B. S. RIBEIRO, R. V. R. CÔNSOLO, N. R. B. RIBEIRO G. H. COLNAGO, L. A. TORRES, R. N. S. MACHADO NETO, O. R. CURI, R. A. CHARDULO, L. A. L. BALDASSINI, W. A.
Affiliation:	SÃO PAULO STATE UNIVERSITY (UNESP) SÃO PAULO STATE UNIVERSITY (UNESP) UNIVERSITY OF SÃO PAULO (USP) LUIZ ALBERTO COLNAGO, CNPDIA SÃO PAULO STATE UNIVERSITY (UNESP) SÃO PAULO STATE UNIVERSITY (UNESP) SÃO PAULO STATE UNIVERSITY (UNESP) SÃO PAULO STATE UNIVERSITY (UNESP) SÃO PAULO STATE UNIVERSITY (UNESP).
Date Issued:	2026
Citation:	ACS Omega, v. 10, 2025.
Pages:	48272−48281
Description:	This study aimed to identify andquantify serum metabolites inbeef cattleexhibitingdifferent growthratesduring the finishing phase. A total of 120Nellore (Bos indicus) bulls, averaging387±14kginbodyweightand24±2monthsofage, wereevaluated.Theanimalswerehousedfor115days,andonday 21(endof thefirstadaptationstep),bloodsampleswerecollected fromthecoccygealveinformetabolomicanalysis.Basedonaverage daily gain (ADG), two contrasting groups were selected: high performance (HP; n=12) and lowperformance (LP; n=12). Serumsamples collected on day 21were analyzed by proton nuclearmagnetic resonance (1HNMR) toextract andquantify metabolites. Longissimusmuscle area (LMA), backfat thickness (BFT), and hot carcass weight (HCW) were measured via ultrasound at the end of the finishing period. Animal performancewas affected by growth rate, withHP animals showing significantlygreater final bodyweight,HCW, andBFT(p<0.05). Atotal of 47 serummetaboliteswere identified, including essential andnonessential aminoacids, sugars, peptides, vitamins, aminoacidderivatives, andorganicacids.HPcattleexhibited higherconcentrationsofthreonine,glycolate,ornithine,histidine,andcreatinine(p<0.05),whileLPanimalsshowedgreaterlevels of phenylalanine, succinate, acetate, asparagine, and 2-hydroxyisobutyrate (p < 0.05). Key enriched pathways included the mitochondrialelectrontransportchain(p=0.06),ethanoldegradation(p=0.08),andthreonineand2-oxobutanoatedegradation(p =0.09).ThesefindingssuggestenhancedenergymetabolisminHPanimals,drivenbygreatersubstratediversity,whileLPanimals mayexhibit impairedmitochondrial function,negativelyimpactingperformance.
Keywords:	Metabolomic analysis Serum metabolites
DOI:	https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.5c05181
Type of Material:	Artigo de periódico
Access:	openAccess
Appears in Collections:	Artigo em periódico indexado (CNPDIA)