Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39891248›Full record

ArticleJournal of animal science and biotechnology2025

β-Hydroxybutyrate-induced mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) release mediated innate inflammatory response in bovine mammary epithelial cells by inhibiting autophagy.

Yihui Huo, Taiyu Shen, Tianyin Feng, Moli Li, Wanli Zhao, Juan J Loor, Ben Aernouts, Androniki Psifidi, Chuang Xu

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of animal science and biotechnology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Mitochondrial DNA as a driver of inflammation via the cGAS-STING pathway.Inflammation research : official journal of the European Histamine Research Society ... [et al.] · 2026
    Review
  3. Review
  4. Knockout of theVeterinary sciences · 2026
    Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Yihui HuoCollege of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China.
Taiyu ShenCollege of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China.
Tianyin FengCollege of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China.
Moli LiCollege of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China.
Wanli ZhaoCollege of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China.
Juan J LoorDepartment of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
Ben AernoutsDepartment of Biosystems, Division of Animal and Human Health Engineering, KU Leuven, Campus Geel, Leuven, 2440, Belgium.
Androniki PsifidiDepartment of Clinical Science and Services, Queen Mother Hospital for Animals, The Royal Veterinary College, London, UK.
Chuang XuCollege of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China. xuchuang@cau.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1163-6616

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIn perinatal dairy cows, ketosis is a prevalent metabolic disorder that lowers milk output and performance. Mitochondrial dysfunction and chronic inflammation in mammary tissue are linked to elevated blood ketone levels, particularly β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB). Recent research has linked cytosolic mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) with chronic aseptic inflammation by activating the cGAS-STING pathway during metabolic disorders, while autophagy activation effectively reverses this process. However, whether it is involved in mammary gland damage during ketosis is poorly understood. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the underlying mechanisms of mtDNA-induced inflammation under BHB stress and evaluate the potential therapeutic strategy of autophagy activation in mitigating this damage.

resultsOur study found an increased cytoplasmic mtDNA abundance in mammary gland tissues of dairy cows with ketosis and bovine mammary epithelial cell line (MAC-T) subjected to BHB stress. Further investigations revealed the activation of the cGAS-STING pathway and inflammatory response, indicated by elevated levels of cGAS and STING, along with increased phosphorylation levels of TBK1, P65, and IκB, and higher transcript levels of pro-inflammatory factors (IL-1B, IL-6, and TNF-α) in both in vivo and in vitro experiments. Notably, STING inhibition via si-STING transfection reversed BHB-induced inflammation. Additionally, autophagy activation appeared to protect against BHB stress by facilitating the removal of cytoplasmic mtDNA and preventing cGAS-STING pathway-mediated inflammation.

conclusionsThe findings illustrate that elevated BHB levels lead to the release of cytoplasmic mtDNA, which in turn activates the cGAS-STING pathway and triggers an inflammatory response in the mammary glands during hyperketonemia. Conversely, autophagy activation has been shown to alleviate this process by promoting cytoplasmic mtDNA degradation.

Indexed as

AutophagyBovine mammary glandInflammationMitochondria DNA

Identifiers

PMID39891248
PMCPMC11786434

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.