Fecha de publicación: -- Fuente: PubMed "essential oil" Front Vet Sci. 2026 Sep 9;13:1941177. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2026.1941177. eCollection 2026.ABSTRACTThis study investigated plasma metabolic responses to microfused essential oil blend (MEO) supplementation and identified candidate biomarkers associated with growth performance in Katahdin ewes. Eighteen Katahdin ewes (26.34 kg) were randomly assigned to a basal diet (CON; n = 9) or the basal diet supplemented with 4 g/head/day of a microfused essential oil blend containing oregano (Origanum vulgare), cinnamon (Cinnamomum spp.), and white thyme (Thymus vulgaris) (MEO; n = 9) for 35 days. Growth performance was evaluated, and plasma metabolomic profiling was performed using chemical isotope labeling liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. MEO supplementation increased final body weight, total weight gain, and average daily gain (ADG) while reducing feed:gain (p < 0.05). Untargeted metabolomics identified 12 differentially abundant metabolites (FDR < 0.05), predominantly showing lower circulating concentrations in MEO-supplemented ewes. Pathway analysis revealed significant enrichment of linoleic acid metabolism, α-linolenic acid metabolism, and biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids (p ≤ 0.05). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis identified four candidate plasma biomarkers: γ-amino-γ-cyanobutanoic acid, Nocardicin A/Isonocardicin A, 2-propylmalic acid, and isoleucine that discriminated MEO from CON ewes (AUC > 0.85), while a combined four-metabolite panel achieved an AUC of 0.943 (95% CI: 0.778 to 1.000). Correlation and regression analyses further identified γ-amino-γ-cyanobutanoic acid and isoleucine as independent predictors of ADG and feed efficiency. Microfused essential oil supplementation improved growth performance and induced coordinated remodeling of the plasma metabolome in Katahdin ewes. The identified metabolic pathways and candidate biomarkers provide mechanistic insight into the physiological responses to phytogenic supplementation and represent promising targets for monitoring nutritional interventions in sheep.PMID:42781454 | PMC:PMC13599121 | DOI:10.3389/fvets.2026.1941177