Project name: Dietary N-Acetylcysteine Enhances Sperm Motility by Remodeling the Rumen Microbiome and Its Metabolic Axis in Goats

Description: This project investigated the mechanism by which dietary N-acetylcysteine (NAC) enhances sperm motility in goats. We proposed that NAC acts not as a direct antioxidant, but by remodeling the rumen microbiome and its associated metabolic axis. Using an integrated multi-omics approach, we analyzed the microbial community and metabolic profiles in rumen fluid, alongside plasma metabolites and sperm quality parameters. Our findings reveal that NAC supplementation promotes beneficial microbes (e.g., Pediococcus pentosaceus, Bacteroides acidifaciens, and Akkermansia) and reprograms microbial metabolic pathways related to antioxidant capacity, energy harvesting, and lipid metabolism. These microbial changes led to metabolic alterations in both the rumen and systemic circulation, ultimately enhancing sperm motility by improving the sperm's antioxidant status, energy supply, and lipid homeostasis. This study establishes a novel "rumen-plasma-sperm" axis and highlights the potential of microbiome-targeted dietary strategies to enhance male fertility. This dataset includes: 16S rRNA gene sequencing data of the rumen microbiome. Metabolomics data of rumen fluid and plasma.

Data type: Metagenome; Metabolome

Sample scope: Environment

Relevance: Agricultural

Release date: 2025-11-01

Last updated: 2025-11-01

Data size: 135.12MB