Plasma Metabolomics Reveals Systemic Metabolic Remodeling in Early-Lactation Dairy Cows Fed a Fusarium-Contaminated Diet and Supplemented with a Mycotoxin-Deactivating Product

This study investigated the systemic metabolic effects of feeding a Fusarium-contaminated diet to early-lactation Holstein cows, with or without a mycotoxin-deactivating product (MDP; Mycofix® Plus, BIOMIN Holding GmbH, Tulln, Austria). Thirty cows were divided into three dietary groups: a mildly contaminated control (CTR), a moderately contaminated diet containing zearalenone and deoxynivalenol (MTX), and the same contaminated diet supplemented with MDP. Plasma collected at 56 days in milk was analyzed by untargeted ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), and multivariate models identified discriminant metabolites and pathways. MTX-fed cows showed alterations in sphingolipid metabolism, including accumulation of ceramide (t18:0/16:0), lactosylceramide, and sphinganine 1-phosphate, consistent with ceramide synthase inhibition and lipid remodeling stress. Increases in estradiol, estrone, and cholesterol sulfate suggested endocrine disruption, while elevated 8-oxo-dGMP indicated oxidative DNA damage. MDP supplementation mitigated these alterations, reducing sphingolipid intermediates, modulating tryptophan and glycerophospholipid pathways, and lowering oxidative stress markers. Metabolites such as riboflavin, pipecolic acid, and N-acetylserotonin could be likely associated with an improved mitochondrial function and redox homeostasis, although future studies are required to confirm this hypothesis. Additionally, MDP-fed cows exhibited distinct shifts in pyrimidine and nucleotide metabolism. Overall, MDP effectively counteracted Fusarium-related metabolic disturbances, supporting its protective role in maintaining lipid balance, hormonal stability, oxidative control, and metabolic resilience.