This study evaluated the effect of a plateau environment on the heart and liver oxidation state of Tibetan pigs (TPs) and DLY pigs through analyzing AMPK, p38 MAPK, and Nrf2 signaling pathways. Twelve 120-day-old TPs and twelve 120-day-old DLY pigs were randomly divided into two groups in a plateau environment for three weeks. Exposed to a plateau environment, TPs exhibited a lower (p < 0.05) malondialdehyde level but higher (p < 0.05) glutathione, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) activities in the liver and heart than those observed in DLY pigs. TPs also showed higher (p < 0.05) mRNA levels of SOD and GSH-Px in the liver and heart compared with those of DLY pigs. The TPs showed higher (p < 0.05) mRNA and protein levels of AMPK and Nrf2 in the liver and heart compared with those of DLY pigs. Furthermore, TPs showed higher (p < 0.05) mRNA and protein levels of p38 MAPK in the heart and higher mRNA levels of p38 MAPK in the liver compared with those of DLY pigs under a plateau environment. In summary, TPs possess a stronger antioxidant capacity in the heart and liver than that of DLY pigs in a plateau environment through AMPK/p38 MAPK/Nrf2-ARE signaling pathways.

The skin surface has a complex and dynamic ecosystem inhabited by a diverse microbiota. The wound formed by antler velvet shedding can naturally achieve regenerative restoration, but the changes in microbial composition that occur during antler velvet regeneration are largely unknown. In this study, we analyzed the antler velvet microbiota of sika deer at 15 days (Half) and 30 days (Full) post-pedicle casting using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. A total of 2659 OTUs were identified, which were assigned to 26 phyla, 304 families, and 684 genera. The core microbiota of the two groups were mainly composed of Atopostipes spp., Corynebacterium spp., Burkholderia spp., Staphylococcus spp., and Paracoccus spp. In comparison with the Full group, the Shannon, Simpson, Ace, and Chao 1 indices were significantly decreased in the Half group (p < 0.05). Principal coordinate analysis showed that there were significant differences in the microbial community between the Half and Full groups based on Bray–Curtis dissimilarity, weighted Unifrac distance, and unweighted Unifrac distance (p < 0.05). The relative abundances of bacteria belonging to the genera Staphylococcus, Romboutsia_B, and Dietzia increased significantly in the Half group, while the abundances of bacteria belonging to the genera Atopostipes, Psychrobacter, and Faecousia increased significantly in the Full group (p < 0.05). Correlation analysis showed that the relative abundances of bacteria belonging to the genera Staphylococcus, Romboutsia_B, and Dietzia positively correlated with arginine and proline metabolism (p < 0.05). These findings demonstrate that antler velvet regeneration is accompanied by distinct changes in microbial composition and highlight the potential roles of key taxonomy in wound healing and tissue regeneration.

Antlers are unique mammalian organs that grow rapidly through extensive cartilage proliferation. Vitamin A (VA), via retinoic acid, is known to influence skeletal development, yet its contribution to antler growth remains unclear. We investigated whether rumen-protected VA supplementation modulates antler biology in sika deer by integrating gut microbiota profiling, fecal and serum metabolomics, antler cartilage transcriptomics, and in vitro chondrocyte assays. VA was associated with compositional shifts in the gut microbiota and altered metabolic profiles in feces and serum. Notably, the melatonin-derived metabolite AMFK increased in both matrices and showed strong associations with antler weight and cartilage-related gene expression. VA-supplemented deer exhibited higher antler weight, and antler transcriptomes indicated changes in pathways consistent with cartilage extracellular matrix and growth signaling. In chondrocytes, AMFK promoted proliferation and upregulated chondrogenic markers. Together, these findings suggest that VA may promote antler growth through a microbiota–metabolite–gene axis rather than by altering systemic retinol alone.

The gut microbiome plays critical roles in nutrient metabolism and host adaptation in ruminants, yet genome-level functional differences in the fecal microbiomes across geographic populations of wild red deer remain underexplored. Here, we integrated 16S rRNA gene sequencing and shotgun metagenomics to characterize the fecal microbiome of wild red deer populations in Inner Mongolia (NMG, n = 16) and Gansu Province (GS, n = 16), China. The NMG population exhibited significantly higher α-diversity and a distinct microbial community compared to GS (adjusted p < 0.05). NMG was enriched in Clostridium, Eubacterium, and Bacillus, while GS harbored higher abundances of Ruminococcus, Oscillospira, and Faecalibacterium (adjusted p < 0.05). Functional profiling revealed that the fecal microbiome in NMG showed greater functional potential associated with amino acid, pyruvate, and butanoate metabolism pathways, whereas the fecal microbiome in GS was enriched in the genetic potential of starch/sucrose metabolism, glycan degradation, and bile acid biotransformation (adjusted p < 0.05). CAZyme analysis demonstrated that GS was enriched in glycoside hydrolases, polysaccharide lyases, and carbohydrate esterases, while NMG showed higher auxiliary activity family abundance (adjusted p < 0.05). Genome-resolved metagenomics recovered 456 species-level genome bins (SGBs), revealing that GS-enriched SGBs (Rikenellaceae, Oscillospirales CAG-272) contained CAZyme genes associated with pectin degradation, whereas NMG-enriched SGBs contained genes associated with lignin modification and chitin degradation. These findings demonstrate the significant differences in the fecal microbiomes between the two geographically distinct wild red deer populations.