Allium mongolicum Regel Ethanol Extract Remodels Plasma Metabolome and Lipid Metabolism While Modulating Milk Metabolite Profiles in Dairy Cows
by
,
Chen Bai
†
,
Xiaoyuan Wang
†,
Guoli Han
,
Qina Cao
,
Yankai Zheng
,
Jiayu Duan
,
Huabei Li
,
Changjin Ao
and
Khas Erdene
* Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science at Universities of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, College of Animal Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Zhaowuda Road 306, Saihan District, Hohhot 010008, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Animals 2026, 16(8), 1191; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16081191
Submission received: 25 March 2026
/
Revised: 7 April 2026
/
Accepted: 11 April 2026
/
Published: 14 April 2026
(This article belongs to the Section Animal Nutrition)
Simple Summary
What a dairy cow consumes and how its body processes nutrients directly affect the nutritional quality of its milk. Allium mongolicum Regel, a type of functional wild onion, is known to positively influence animals’ fat metabolism. In this study, we investigated whether feeding an extract from this plant to lactating dairy cows could improve both their metabolic status and the composition of their milk. We fed one group of dairy cows exclusively a basal ration, and a second set was given the same feed supplemented with Allium mongolicum Regel extract. We then conducted a detailed analysis of their blood and milk components. We found that the extract did not negatively affect the cows’ milk yield. Instead, it successfully lowered certain undesirable fats in their bloodstream while showing the potential to increase beneficial fats. Furthermore, by analyzing both blood and milk, we discovered that Allium mongolicum Regel extract helps the liver process fats more efficiently and encourages the udder to utilize those circulating fats for energy. Blood lipids, specifically triglycerides and LDL cholesterol, may act a physical bridge connecting these two processes. Ultimately, Allium mongolicum Regel extract creates an optimized “blood-to-milk” fat flow. This prevents fat buildup in the liver and partitions more energy toward milk synthesis, offering a promising nutritional strategy to support the metabolic health of lactating dairy cows.
Abstract
Blood metabolism in dairy cows is crucial for milk quality, functioning primarily through the “blood–milk” metabolic axis. Allium mongolicum Regel (AMR), a functional Allium herb, has been shown to regulate on ruminant lipid metabolism. This study investigated the impact of AMR ethanol extract (AME) on lactation performance, blood lipid parameters, and blood–milk metabolomes. Twelve mid-lactation Holsteins (606 ± 11 kg; milk yield 33.14 ± 2.08 kg/d) of parity 2–3 were assigned to either a basal diet (CON) or a diet supplemented with 54 g/d of AME (AEE). Results indicated that AME significantly decreased plasma triglycerides (TG), C15:0, C16:1, C18:1 n-9 c, C18:3 n-6, monounsaturated fatty acids (p < 0.05) and significantly increased C18:2 n-6 c, polyunsaturated fatty acids (p < 0.05). Lactation performance, including the average daily dry matter intake, daily yields of milk fat, protein and lactose, remained unaffected by the AME addition (p > 0.05). Metabolomic profiling revealed that AME significantly enriched the glycerophospholipid metabolism pathway in plasma, upregulating key phospholipid precursors such as L-serine and Sphinganine. Concurrently, milk metabolomics showed an upregulation of short-chain Acylcarnitines. Plasma TG correlated negatively with both plasma L-serine and milk Acylcarnitines, whereas low-density lipoprotein correlated positively with these energy-driven milk metabolites. These findings suggest that AME may contribute to remodeling the plasma lipid metabolic profile in a manner that could facilitate plasma-to-milk lipid flux. This appears to occur through enhanced hepatic lipid processing and increased mammary lipid utilization, offering preliminary insights into potential nutritional strategies for supporting lipid metabolism in dairy cows.
Keywords:
Allium mongolicum Regel; blood; milk; fatty acids; metabolomics; cow
