Effects of Maternal Supplementary Feeding During Late Gestation and Lactation on the Colostrum Metabolome and Rumen Microbiota of Youzhou Black Goat Offspring

Background: This study investigated associations of maternal supplementary feeding during late gestation and lactation with the colostrum metabolome, growth performance, antioxidant status, and rumen microbiota of offspring. Methods: Colostrum collected at 2 h postpartum was subjected to untargeted LC–MS/MS metabolomic profiling. Serum and rumen fluid were collected from offspring at 60 days of age for antioxidant measurements and 16S rRNA gene sequencing, respectively. Associations between colostrum metabolites and rumen bacterial taxa were also explored. Results: Using the predefined criteria of p < 0.05 and FC ≥ 1.2 or FC ≤ 1/1.2, 747 differential colostrum metabolites were identified between the supplemented (NR) and control (FR) groups, including 376 with higher and 371 with lower abundance in NR. Among the prominent differential metabolite annotations, Neodiospyrin (Level 4), Quinaldine (Level 2), and Hecogenin (Level 1) were identified. KEGG enrichment identified significant enrichment of pathways related to vitamin digestion and absorption, riboflavin metabolism, pyrimidine metabolism, pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis, and sulfur metabolism. At 60 days, serum MDA was lower, whereas GSH-Px and CAT activities were higher in EXP than CON offspring (p < 0.05). Alpha diversity did not differ between groups, whereas overall rumen microbial community composition differed significantly by PERMANOVA (p = 0.005). LEfSe identified Proteobacteria and Butyrivibrio as EXP-associated taxa, whereas Chishuiella was associated with CON (|LDA| > 3). Conclusions: Maternal supplementation was associated with alterations in colostrum metabolites, selected antioxidant-related indicators, and rumen microbial community composition.