Dietary Artemisia ordosica Krasch Supplementation Alters n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Deposition and Lipid Metabolism in Cashmere Goat Meat

Enriching meat with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) is of considerable nutritional interest because of the well-documented cardioprotective and anti-inflammatory properties of these fatty acids in the human diet. This study investigated the potential effects of dietary Artemisia ordosica Krasch (ARI) supplementation on muscle n-3 PUFA deposition in Albas White Cashmere goats, possibly mediated through the regulation of antioxidant capacity, lipid oxidation, and metabolism. Under the present experimental conditions, ARI supplementation did not significantly affect growth performance, but significantly reduced ruminal C18:0 content (p < 0.05) and increased n-3 PUFA levels (C18:3n3, C22:6n3) in rumen fluid, plasma, liver, and Longissimus dorsi, and the consequent elevation of the muscle PUFA-to-saturated fatty acid ratio (P/S; p < 0.05). Concurrently, ARI supplementation enhanced ruminal and systemic antioxidant capacity, as evidenced by increased glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities, elevated total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), and upregulated expression of antioxidant-related genes (GSR, GOR, SOD2). Integrated multi-omics analyses revealed that these improvements may be associated with the reduced relative abundance of the core biohydrogenating bacterium s_Butyrivibrio_fibrisolvens and de novo saturated fatty acid synthesis, and potential involvement of the AMPK signaling pathway, with downregulation of FASN; coordinated upregulation of CD36, ACSL3/4, and ELOVL6/7; and upregulation of PPARGC1A, collectively suggesting a promotion of FA oxidation and n-3 PUFA deposition. Collectively, these findings suggest that ARI-promoted n-3 PUFA enrichment in goat meat may be associated with the coordinated modulation of ruminal biohydrogenation, systemic antioxidant capacity, and intermediary lipid metabolism, providing a potential nutritional strategy for developing functional cashmere goat meat.