ArticleJournal of animal science2022
Castration alters the cecal microbiota and inhibits growth in Holstein cattle.
Article in Journal of animal science, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- Transcriptomics and Metabolomics Signatures of Fat Deposition Following Orchiectomy in Yak.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
- Effects of castration on growth performance and cecal microbiota in growing raccoon dogs: an exploratory study.BMC veterinary research · 2026Article
- Protective effects of chlorogenic acid on hepatic injury in piglets challenged with lipopolysaccharide: a preliminary study.Veterinary research communications · 2025Article
- Oregano essential oil enhanced body weight and well-being by modulating the HPA axis and 23-nordeoxycholic acid of cecal microbiota in Holstein steers under cold stress.Animal microbiome · 2025Article
- General commentary: sexual dimorphism for juvenile body weight in lines of chickens selected for 8-week body weight.Frontiers in physiology · 2025Article
- GnRH Immunocastration in Male Xizang Sheep: Impacts on Rumen Microbiome and Metabolite Profiles for Enhanced Health and Productivity.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2024Article
- Castration alters the ileum microbiota of Holstein bulls and promotes beef flavor compounds.BMC genomics · 2024Article
- Understanding the Diversity and Roles of the Ruminal Microbiome.Journal of microbiology (Seoul, Korea) · 2024Review
- Hybridization promotes growth performance by altering rumen microbiota and metabolites in sheep.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2024Article
- Effect of castration timing and weaning strategy on the taxonomic and functional profile of ruminal bacteria and archaea of beef calves.Animal microbiome · 2023Article
- The effects of differential feeding on ileum development, digestive ability and health status of newborn calves.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
15 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
To determine the effects of castration on growth performance, serum hormone levels, cecal microbiota composition, and metabolites in cattle. A total of 18 Holstein bulls and steers were divided into bull and steer groups and randomly assigned to 3 pens (3 cattle per pen, and each cattle were separated by a fence) to determine the average daily gain (ADG), daily dry matter intake (DMI), and feed efficiency (G/F). After the finishing trial, six cattle per group were randomly slaughtered. Serum was collected to measure the hormone concentration, and the cecal content was collected to measure the pH, short-chain fatty acids, and digestive enzyme activities. Metagenome sequencing and untargeted metabolomics were used to investigate the microbiota composition, functional profiles, and differential metabolites of the cecal contents. We found that castration significantly decreased ADG, DMI, and G/F in cattle (P < 0.05). The serum testosterone, thyroxine, growth hormone (P < 0.05), and triiodothyronine (P < 0.01) concentrations significantly decreased in the steer group when compared to those of the bull group. The activities of cellulase, xylanase, pectinase, and β-glucosidase (P < 0.05) significantly decreased in the steer group, whereas the activities of lipase and α-amylase significantly increased. Moreover, castration significantly decreased the relative abundance of Ruminococcaceae_bacterium, Treponema_porcinum, Oscillibacter_sp. (P < 0.05), and Alistipes_senegalensis (P < 0.01), whereas the relative abundance of Phocaeicola_plebeius (P < 0.05) was significantly increased. Also, the relative abundance of Phocaeicola_plebeius was negatively correlated with testosterone levels, and the function of the cecal microbiota was enriched in the GH29 and GH97 families in the steer group. Metabolomic analysis indicated that castration increased the levels of L-valine, L-phenylalanine, L-aspartic acid, L-isoleucine, L-lysine, methionine, L-glutamic acid, and L-leucine, while decreasing the levels of α-ketoglutaric acid through the 2-oxocarboxylic acid metabolism pathway. In addition, α-ketoglutaric acid was negatively correlated with Oscillibacter_sp. (P < 0.01). Overall, castration can inhibit cattle growth by altering the composition of the cecal microbiota. Therefore, this study provides a theoretical and practical basis for improving the growth performance of steers.
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