What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to assess how Astragalus stem polysaccharides can improve milk production and antioxidant capacity in dairy goats.

March 12, 2026Open Access

Dietary astragalus stems polysaccharides improve antioxidant capacity and lactation performance in dairy goats through integrated metabolomic and mechanistic analyses

ZMZiqi MengInner Mongolia Agricultural University YSYang SongInner Mongolia Agricultural University QMQier MuInner Mongolia Agricultural University

Key Points

The aim is to assess how Astragalus stem polysaccharides can improve milk production and antioxidant capacity in dairy goats.
Optimized hot-water extraction of Astragalus stem polysaccharides.
Supplemented mid-lactation dairy goats with polysaccharides at 100 mg/kg dry matter daily.
Conducted serum metabolomics to identify differentially expressed metabolites.
Performed molecular docking for key metabolites with relevant targets.
Increased milk yield and protein content in goats supplemented with ASPS.
Reduced levels of blood urea nitrogen, alkaline phosphatase, and malondialdehyde.
Elevated levels of immunoglobulin A, total antioxidant capacity, and catalase.
Identified 307 differentially expressed metabolites, particularly in glycerophospholipid and D-amino acid metabolism.

Abstract

Astragalus stems are abundant yet underutilized in livestock feeds. This study optimized the extraction of Astragalus stem polysaccharides (ASPS) and assessed their efficacy as a natural antioxidant in improving milk yield and metabolic profiles in dairy goats. Hot-water extraction was optimized (solid-to-liquid ratio of 1: 30, 2 h duration, 85 °C) to achieve a polysaccharide yield of 119.38 ± 4.27 mg/g. Mid-lactation dairy goats supplemented with ASPS 100 mg/kg dry matter (DM) daily showed increased milk yield and milk protein content, along with reduced blood urea nitrogen (BUN), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. Supplementation also elevated immunoglobulin A (IgA), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and catalase (CAT). Serum metabolomics identified 307 differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) enriched in glycerophospholipid metabolism and D‑amino acid metabolism. Six key metabolites were selected for molecular docking against relevant targets; all bound with affinities ≤ - 5.0 kcal/mol, with phenylacetyl‑L‑glutamine-D-amino acid oxidase (DAO) showing strongest affinity (- 8.34 kcal/mol). Molecular dynamics simulation suggested stable binding of phenylacetyl-L-glutamine to DAO, with MM-PBSA estimating a favorable free energy (- 92.051 ± 0.366 kJ/mol) dominated by van der Waals interactions. This findings provide valuable insights into the utilization of AS as well as its application in enhancing productivity within the dairy goat industry.

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