Cooling redistributed endotoxin across different biofluids via modulating the ruminal microbiota and metabolome without altering quorum sensing signal levels in heat-stressed beef bulls

Abstract Background Cooling is one of the most common and economical methods to ameliorate heat stress (HS), and it has been discovered to alter the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) endotoxin level in ruminants. However, whether the endotoxin variation induced by cooling relates to the quorum sensing (QS) within the ruminal microflora remains unknown. The current study was consequently performed to examine whether cooling could influence the endotoxin distribution across different biofluids, ruminal microbiota, and ruminal metabolisms through affecting the QS of rumen microorganisms in beef cattle exposed to HS. Thirty-two Simmental bulls were used as experimental animals and randomly assigned to either the control (CON) group, or the mechanical ventilation and water spray (MVWS) treatment. The temperature-humidity index (THI) was recorded throughout this trial, and samples of the rumen liquid, blood, and urine were collected. Results Cooling significantly lowered (P < 0.05) the temperature-humidity index (THI), ruminal endotoxin, and endotoxin concentration and excretion in urine, and significantly raised endotoxin level in blood (P < 0.05), but did not change the ruminal concentrations of QS signals including 3-OXO-C6-HSL and the AI-2 (P > 0.05). The linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) analysis revealed that Prevotellaceae, Rikenellaceae, Monoglobales and their affiliated members, as well as other bacterial taxa were significantly differently (P < 0.05) enriched between the two treatments. The Tax4Fun2 prediction suggested that QS function was upregulated in MVWS compared to CON. The metabolomic analysis indicated that cooling altered the ruminal metabolism profile and downregulated the pathways of lysine degradation, phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis, and ubiquinone and other terpenoid-quinone biosynthesis. The significant (P < 0.05) correlations of the differential bacteria and metabolites with endotoxin and QS molecules were also demonstrated through Spearman analysis. Conclusions Based on the results of this trial, it could be speculated that the cooling reshaped the endotoxin distribution across different biofluids through manipulating ruminal microbiota and metabolome, which might involve the participation of QS. Further investigations are warranted to disclose and verify the mechanisms for those correlations found in this study.