Effects of Chinese herbal additives on serum immunity, cytokines, antioxidant indices, and rectal microbiota in Simmental beef cattle.

The study aimed to investigate the impact of dietary supplementation with Chinese herbal additives on the serum immunity, cytokines, antioxidant indices, and rectal microbiota in Simmental beef cattle. Using a single-factor randomized block design, 20 healthy Simmental beef cattle with an average age of 12 months and a mean weight of (268.80 ± 4.95) kg were randomly assigned to a control group (CG group) and an experimental group (AG group), with 10 replicates per group and one beef cattle per replicate. The CG group was fed a basal diet, while the AG group received an additional 100 g/(head-day) of Chinese herbal additives on the basis of basal diet. The pre-feeding period lasted for five days, followed by a formal experimental period of 60 days. The results showed that compared to the CG group, the AG group showed an increase of 12.70% and 7.58% in the serum IgA and IL-6 concentrations (P<0.05), the serum T-SOD activity increased by 3.13% (P<0.05), the MDA content decreased by 28.87% (P<0.05), and the T-AOC increased by 1.39% (P>0.05). The Shannon, Chao1, and Ace indices of the intestinal flora of Simmental beef cattle in the AG group increased by 0.17%, 1.51%, and 0.96% compared with the CG group, respectively (P>0.05). In the AG group, the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes and Verrucomicrobia increased by 6.50% and 2.94% (P>0.05), respectively. Compared to the CG group, Firmicutes decreased by 5.94% (P>0.05). The relative abundance of unclassified Bacteroidetes was higher in the AG group (P<0.05), and the relative abundance of Phocaeicola and Alistipes increased by 8.33% and 16.45% (P>0.05), respectively. The study indicates that the addition of Chinese herbal additives can enhance the immune level and antioxidant capacity of Simmental beef cattle, increase the relative abundance of intestinal microbiota, promote the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, and improve the cattle's ability to digest fiber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]