Effects of overfeeding on liver lipid metabolism in mule ducks based on transcriptomics and metabolomics

ABSTRACT

1. In this study, transcriptomics and metabolomics were used to analyse changes in gene expression and metabolites in the liver of 70-d-old mule ducks after 10 and 20 d of continuous overfeeding.

2. In the free-feeding group, 995 differentially expressed genes and 51 metabolites (VIP >1, P < 0.05) were detected in the early stage, and 3,448 differentially expressed genes and 55 metabolites (VIP >1, P < 0.05) were detected in the later stage. There were 775 differentially expressed genes and 47 metabolites (VIP >1, P < 0.05) detected in the early stage of the overfeeding group, and 6,719 differentially expressed genes and 57 metabolites (VIP >1, P < 0.05) detected in the later stage.

3. There were no significant differences between the early stage in the overfeeding and free-feeding groups at the transcriptional and metabolic levels. Oleic acid and palmitic acid synthesis increased in the early stage of the overfeeding and free-feeding groups, however, these were inhibited in the late stage. Fatty acid oxidation and β-oxidation pathways were inhibited and insulin resistance was enhanced significantly in the late overfeeding stage.

4. In the early stage, the digestion and absorption of fat in the overfeeding and free-feeding groups were enhanced. In the later stage, the ability to store triglyceride in the overfeeding group was greater than in the free-feeding group.

5. The expression of nuclear factor κB (NFκB), a key inflammatory factor, was inhibited in the late stage of overfeeding, while arachidonic acid (AA), a metabolite with anti-inflammatory properties, increased in the late stage of overfeeding to inhibit the inflammatory effects caused by excessive lipid accumulation. These results add to the understanding of the mechanism of production of fatty liver in mule ducks and facilitate the development of treatments for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

KEYWORDS:

• Fat liver
• mule duck
• transcriptomics
• metabolomics
• overfeeding

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Professor Li Ang and Professor Bai Dingping for their guidance on this experiment. This research was funded by the Modern Agricultural Technology System Construction Project (CARS-43-5).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author contributions

Bai Dingping and Li Ang conceived the project. Luo Rutang, Lan Liming, He Wenfeng, and Chen Chao conducted experiments. Luo Rutang, Shi Yuzhu, Tao Qinghua, Chen Chao, and Bai Dingping analysed the data. Luo Rutang wrote the manuscript. All authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/00071668.2022.2154638.

Additional information

Funding

This research received no external funding.