Multi-Omics Reveals Disrupted Immunometabolic Homeostasis and Oxidative Stress in Adipose Tissue of Dairy Cows with Subclinical Ketosis: A Sphingolipid-Centric Perspective

Ketosis, especially its subclinical form, is frequently observed in high-yielding dairy cows and is linked to various diseases during the transition period. Although adipose tissue plays a significant role in the development of metabolic disorders, its exact impact on the emergence of subclinical ketosis (SCK) is still poorly understood. The objectives of this study were to characterize and compare the profiling of transcriptome and lipidome of blood and adipose tissue between SCK and healthy cows and investigate the potential correlation between metabolic disorders and lipid metabolism. We obtained blood and adipose tissue samples from healthy cows (CON, n = 8, β-hydroxybutyric acid concentration < 1.2 mmol/L) and subclinical ketotic cows (SCK, n = 8, β-hydroxybutyric acid concentration = 1.2-3.0 mmol/L) for analyzing biochemical parameters, transcriptome, and lipidome. We found that serum levels of nonesterified fatty acids, malonaldehyde, serum amyloid A protein, IL-1β, and IL-6 were higher in SCK cows than in CON cows. Levels of adiponectin and total antioxidant capacity were higher in serum and adipose tissue from SCK cows than in CON cows. The top enriched pathways in whole blood and adipose tissue were associated with immune and inflammatory responses and sphingolipid metabolism, respectively. The accumulation of ceramide and sphingomyelin in adipose tissue was paralleled by an increase in genes related to ceramide biosynthesis, lipolysis, and inflammation and a decrease in genes related to ceramide catabolism, lipogenesis, adiponectin production, and antioxidant enzyme systems. Increased ceramide concentrations in blood and adipose tissue correlated with reduced insulin sensitivity. The current results indicate that the lipid profile of blood and adipose tissue is altered with SCK and that certain ceramide species correlate with metabolic health. Our research suggests that disruptions in ceramide metabolism could be crucial in the progression of SCK, exacerbating conditions such as insulin resistance, increased lipolysis, inflammation, and oxidative stress, providing a potential biomarker of SCK and a novel target for nutritional manipulation and pharmacological therapy.