Study on Intestinal Adaptation Mechanism of Sika Deer to High-Tannin Diet and the Mediating Role of Gut Microbiota.
- 1Jiangxi Academy of Forestry, Nanchang 330032, China.
- 2Key Laboratory of Wildlife Conservation, National Forestry and Grassland Administration (Jiangxi Academy of Forestry), Nanchang 330032, China.
- 3Xiajiang Lishan Sika Deer Breeding Base, Ji'an 331401, China.
Abstract
Tannins are plant-derived polyphenolic anti-nutritional factors that impair nutrient absorption, damage the intestinal barrier, and disrupt metabolic homeostasis. Some animals, however, have an innate resistance to the effects of tannins. Sika deer (Cervus nippon) exhibit strong tolerance to long-term consumption of tannin-rich oak plants, and Akkermansia muciniphila is considered a key functional bacterium, yet the underlying mechanism of this remains unclear. In this study, we transplanted fecal microbiota from tannin-acclimated sika deer into antibiotic-pretreated C57BL/6J mice, followed by tannin gavage to establish a stress model. Growth performance, serum glycolipid indices, and hepatic metabolic gene and protein expression were detected. Results showed no significant differences in body weight, fat deposition, or serum biochemical parameters between groups. In the transplantation group, key genes involved in glycolysis, detoxification, and lipid metabolism were significantly upregulated, while CYP7A1, a bile acid synthesis rate-limiting gene, was significantly downregulated at both transcriptional and protein levels. Akkermansia was specifically enriched in the gut of transplanted mice. In conclusion, the microbiota of the sika deer gut alleviates tannin toxicity and enhances host tolerance by regulating hepatic glycolipid and bile acid metabolism pathways. The results of our study provide new insights into the adaptation mechanisms of herbivores to high-tannin diets.
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BibTeX
@article{zhang2026study,
title = {{Study on Intestinal Adaptation Mechanism of Sika Deer to High-Tannin Diet and the Mediating Role of Gut Microbiota.}},
author = {Tianxiang Zhang and Yang Zhang and Manyu Zhang and Jun Liu and Yixuan Zhang and Yingying Feng and Weijie Han and Ziwei Zhu and Haijun Chen and Xiaofeng Huang},
journal = {Veterinary sciences},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/vetsci13101076},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42944171},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Study on Intestinal Adaptation Mechanism of Sika Deer to High-Tannin Diet and the Mediating Role of Gut Microbiota.
AU - Tianxiang Zhang
AU - Yang Zhang
AU - Manyu Zhang
AU - Jun Liu
AU - Yixuan Zhang
AU - Yingying Feng
AU - Weijie Han
AU - Ziwei Zhu
AU - Haijun Chen
AU - Xiaofeng Huang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/12
JO - Veterinary sciences
DO - 10.3390/vetsci13101076
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42944171
AB - Tannins are plant-derived polyphenolic anti-nutritional factors that impair nutrient absorption, damage the intestinal barrier, and disrupt metabolic homeostasis. Some animals, however, have an innate resistance to the effects of tannins. Sika deer (Cervus nippon) exhibit strong tolerance to long-term consumption of tannin-rich oak plants, and Akkermansia muciniphila is considered a key functional bacterium, yet the underlying mechanism of this remains unclear. In this study, we transplanted fecal microbiota from tannin-acclimated sika deer into antibiotic-pretreated C57BL/6J mice, followed by tannin gavage to establish a stress model. Growth performance, serum glycolipid indices, and hepatic metabolic gene and protein expression were detected. Results showed no significant differences in body weight, fat deposition, or serum biochemical parameters between groups. In the transplantation group, key genes involved in glycolysis, detoxification, and lipid metabolism were significantly upregulated, while CYP7A1, a bile acid synthesis rate-limiting gene, was significantly downregulated at both transcriptional and protein levels. Akkermansia was specifically enriched in the gut of transplanted mice. In conclusion, the microbiota of the sika deer gut alleviates tannin toxicity and enhances host tolerance by regulating hepatic glycolipid and bile acid metabolism pathways. The results of our study provide new insights into the adaptation mechanisms of herbivores to high-tannin diets.
SN - 2306-7381
ER -