052 | Metabolic analysis of farm animal plasma by 1H-NMR: variation and preliminary spectral characterization

Luca Cicero¹, Silvia Orecchio¹, Aldo Migliazzo¹, Valeria Vitale Badaco¹, Stefano Burgio³, Tiziana Orefice¹, Giuseppe La Corte¹, Antonino La Corte¹, Grazia Scuderi², Paolo Fagone², Giovanni Cassata¹ | ¹Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia, Italy; ²Università degli Studi di Catania, Italy; ³Università di Enna "Kore", Italy.

Metabolomics is an increasingly important discipline in the life sciences, as it allows for a comprehensive description of an organism's physiological state through the analysis of its metabolites. Among the available techniques, proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-NMR) represents a reliable and reproducible tool for the study of biofluids such as plasma and serum, thanks to its non-destructive nature, rapid analysis, and high degree of standardization. This approach allows for the simultaneous detection of numerous metabolic compounds, providing a detailed biochemical profile of the organism. In the livestock sector, 1H-NMR-based metabolomics is emerging as a promising method for monitoring animal health and welfare, while NMR analysis of ovine plasma remains largely unexplored. This work applied 1H-NMR to the preliminary characterization of the metabolic profile of sheep plasma from different farms. Blood samples were collected from the jugular vein, collected with lithium heparin, centrifuged, and stored at –80°C until analysis. Spectra were acquired with a Bruker 7 Tesla spectrometer (300 MHz) and processed using standard Fourier transformation, phase correction, and chemical alignment procedures. Results showed a clear separation between the metabolic profiles of animals from different farms, demonstrating the potential of 1H-NMR to detect specific metabolic “fingerprints.” Semi-quantitative analysis showed that lactate and circulating lipids were the dominant spectral components, while glucose, alanine, BCAAs, choline-containing compounds, and creatine were present at moderate or low intensities. Two subgroups were identified: one with relatively higher levels of lactate, lipids, glucose, BCAAs, and choline, consistent with a more metabolically active phenotype; the other with lower metabolic intensities, indicative of a more conservative energy state. Overall, these differences suggest the presence of distinct physiological states within the cohort, likely related to recent activity, nutritional status, or metabolic efficiency of the animals.