Influence of creatine pyruvate on newly received cattle: insights from metagenomics and metabolomics

Transport stress is a critical factor affecting the health and growth performance of beef cattle, potentially leading to oxidative stress, inflammation, and metabolic disorders. Creatine pyruvate (CrPyr), as a potential stress alleviator, has unclear mechanisms of action. We monitored the growth of 17 Simmental calves (control, n = 8; CrPyr, n = 9) over 30 days post-transportation, collecting rumen and blood samples on days 1/4, and 30. This study aims to investigate the effects of CrPyr on the growth performance, rumen microbiome, and metabolome of calves subjected to transport stress. Results showed that CrPyr increased average daily gain and antioxidant capacity, while reducing the level of stress hormones and inflammation. In the 4 days post-transport, CrPyr mainly increases Ruminococcus abundance to boost ruminal nitrogen metabolism, providing substrates for microbial protein synthesis. CrPyr also provides energy for the proliferation of Ruminococcus by regulating ATP synthesis genes (ATPVC) and enriching purine metabolism products. Meanwhile, it strengthens the host's amino acid metabolism, especially aspartate, to enhance antioxidative capacity. By day 30, CrPyr primarily boosts Prevotella abundance to regulate VFA synthesis, supplying host energy. It regulates the ATP synthesis gene ATPF0A and enriches purine metabolism products, supporting Prevotella growth. Increased citric acid and ATP levels further aid host growth. The findings distinctly demonstrate that the mechanisms by which CrPyr alleviates transport stress through the regulation of the rumen microbiome and metabolome, and confirms that its effects are time-dependent. These findings provide a theoretical basis for the development of stress-alleviation strategies based on CrPyr and hold significant implications for enhancing the health and production performance of beef cattle.