Effect of Forsythiaside a on LPS-Induced MiRNA Expression Changes in Bovine MAC-T Cells

Bovine mastitis is a common disease that endangers the health of dairy cows, resulting in their early termination, increased feeding costs, and substantial losses to the breeding industry. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) aid in the defense against bacterial invasions, and miRNAs play important roles in TLR-related signaling events. Forsythia is a traditional Chinese medicine with anti-inflammatory effects. However, its effects on miRNA expression during lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation in bovine mammary epithelial cells remain unclear. In this study, we used a bovine mammary epithelial cell line (MAC-T cells) to investigate the effect of forsythiaside A (FTA) on miRNA changes during LPS-induced inflammation. We used high-throughput RNA sequencing to compare control, LPS-treated, and FTA+LPS groups and identified 79 differentially expressed genes between the control and LPS groups. Compared with the control group, the LPS group displayed 41 upregulated and 38 downregulated genes; 63 differentially expressed genes were identified between the LPS and FTA+LPS groups. Compared with the LPS group, 32 genes were upregulated and 31 downregulated in the FTA+LPS group. Gene Ontology enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway annotation analyses revealed that differential target genes among the three groups were mainly enriched in the organic metabolism process, cell metabolic process, catalytic activity, protein binding, mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling, tumor necrosis factor signaling, oxytocin signaling, and gonadotropin-releasing hormone signaling. These findings deepen our understanding of the effect of FTA on LPS-induced inflammation in vitro, providing a theoretical basis for developing new drugs for treating bovine mastitis.