Microbial–Metabolomic Exploration of Tea Polyphenols in the Regulation of Serum Indicators, Liver Metabolism, Rumen Microorganisms, and Metabolism in Hu Sheep

This study investigated the impact of tea polyphenols on serum indices, rumen microorganisms, rumen metabolism, and liver metabolism in Hu sheep. Sixty healthy lambs, aged three months and with similar average weights, were chosen and randomly assigned to control (CON), TP400, TP800, and TP1200 groups, each consisting of fifteen lambs. The control group received a basal diet, while the experimental groups were provided with basal diet supplemented with 400 mg/kg, 800 mg/kg, and 1200 mg/kg of tea polyphenols, respectively. Compared with the CON group, the addition of tea polyphenols to the diet significantly increased serum IgA, GSH-Px, and TSOD. In addition, tea polyphenols were able to increase rumen pH but had no significant effect on the rumen NH