Lizhen Li

Objectives: The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of Glucose oxidase (GOx) and Macleaya cordata extract (MCE) on immune response, antioxidant capacity, gut microbiota, and metabolome in cats. Methods: Twenty-four cats were randomly divided into four groups: basal diet (CON group), basal diet + 0.03% GOx (GOD group), basal diet + 0.03% MCE (MCE group), and basal diet + 0.03% GOx and 0.03% MCE (GM group). Results: Compared to the CON group, the GOD group exhibited elevated levels of total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), and decreased levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and immunoglobulin A (IgA) (p < 0.05). MCE increased concentrations of IgA, immunoglobulin G (IgG) and sIgA, alongside a reduction in interleukin-2 (IL-2). The GM group exhibited markedly elevated concentrations of IL-2 and IgG, and decreased levels of interleukin-10 (IL-10). Moreover, 16S rRNA sequencing showed differences in the fecal microbiota among the four dietary groups. Analyses of fecal and serum metabolomics demonstrated that differential metabolites were primarily associated with cat amino acid metabolism and fatty acid metabolism. Conclusions: These findings suggest that Gox and MCE may enhance immune function, mitigate oxidative stress in cats, and increase the relative abundance of beneficial gut microbiota. Moreover, our results may provide evidence for GOx and MCE as novel nutritional additives in pet food. It should be noted that this study is limited by its sample size; while the results provide promising insights, future studies with larger-scale studies are warranted to confirm these observations.

In order to optimize diets for Bengal tiger cubs and improve their health condition and survival rates, we conducted microbiota and metabolomics analyses on fecal samples from Bengal tiger cubs fed goat and dog milk replacer formulae. The results showed that there were significant differences in fecal microorganisms and metabolites between the two groups. At the phylum level, the major components of the microbial composition in the feces of cubs were Firmicutes, Actinobacteriota, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidota and Fusobacteriota. In addition, the abundance of gut microbiota varied significantly between the two groups of tiger cubs. The fecal microbiota of the tiger cubs fed dog milk replacer powder exhibited an increase in probiotic bacteria (Anaerostipes and Clostridium_scindens) (p < 0.05), and the microbial community tended to be more balanced. Metabolomics data further elucidated that feeding different milk formulae significantly affected the fecal metabolites and metabolic pathways in the Bengal tiger cubs. In the dog milk replacer powder group, 76 metabolites were up-regulated (p < 0.05), and 278 metabolites were down-regulated (p < 0.05), particularly affecting the metabolism of vitamin D3, vitamin B5, isoleucine, valine, phenylalanine and oleic acid. At the same time, 19 metabolic pathways were affected (p < 0.05), including the amino acid metabolism, lipid metabolism and nucleotide metabolism pathways. In conclusion, this study confirms that milk formula composition affects the gut microbiota and metabolism of Bengal tiger cubs. These findings may provide new insights into how different milk powder formulae and dietary strategies influence the regulation of gut microbiota and overall health in Bengal tiger cubs.