Nicotinic acid (NA) acting as the precursor of NAD+/NADH and NADP+/NADPH, participates in many biochemical processes, e.g. lipid metabolism. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary NA on carcass traits, meat quality, blood metabolites, and fat deposition in Chinese crossbred finishing steers. Sixteen steers with the similar body weight and at the age of 24 months were randomly allocated into control group (feeding basal diet) and NA group (feeding basal diet + 1000 mg/kg NA). All experimental cattle were fed a 90% concentrate diet and 10% forage straw in a 120-day feeding experiment. The results showed that supplemental NA in diet increased longissimus area, intramuscular fat content (17.14% vs. 9.03%), marbling score (8.08 vs. 4.30), redness (a*), and chroma (C*) values of LD muscle, but reduced carcass fat content (not including imtramuscular fat), pH24 h and moisture content of LD muscle, along with no effect on backfat thickness. Besides, NA supplementation increased serum HDL-C concentration, but decreased the serum levels of LDL-C, triglyceride, non-esterified fatty acid, total cholesterol, and glycated serum protein. In addition, NA supplementation increased G6PDH and ICDH activities of LD muscle. These results suggested that NA supplementation in diet improves the carcass characteristics and beef quality, and regulates the compositions of serum metabolites. Based on the above results, NA should be used as the feed additive in cattle industry.
HausmanGJDodsonMVAjuwonKAzainMBarnesKMGuanLLJiangZPoulosSPSainzRDSmithSSpurlockMNovakofskiJFernyhoughMEBergenWG. Board-invited review: the biology and regulation of preadipocytes and adipocytes in meat animals. J Anim Sci2009; 87: 1218–46.
2.
SmithSBKawachiHChoiCBChoiCWWuGSawyerJE. Cellular regulation of bovine intramuscular adipose tissue development and composition. J Anim Sci2009; 87(14 Suppl): E72–82.
3.
DuMYinJZhuMJ. Cellular signaling pathways regulating the initial stage of adipogenesis and marbling of skeletal muscle. Meat Sci2010; 86: 103–9.
4.
ThorntonJHSchultzLH. Effects of administration of nicotinic acid on glucose, insulin, and glucose tolerance in ruminants. J Dairy Sci1980; 63: 262–8.
5.
ChilliardY. Dietary fat and adipose tissue metabolism in ruminants, pigs, and rodents: a review. J Dairy Sci1993; 76: 3897–931.
6.
KangIKimSWYounJH. Effects of nicotinic acid on gene expression: potential mechanisms and implications for wanted and unwanted effects of the lipid-lowering drug. J Clin Endocrinol Metab2011; 96: 3048–55.
7.
LukasovaMHansonJTunaruSOffermannsS. Nicotinic acid (niacin): new lipid-independent mechanisms of action and therapeutic potentials. Trends Pharmacol Sci2011; 32: 700–7.
8.
GanjiSHTavintharanSZhuDXingYKamannaVSKashyapML. Niacin noncompetitively inhibits DGAT2 but not DGAT1 activity in HepG2 cells. J Lipid Res2004; 45: 1835–45.
9.
HuMChuWCYamashitaSYeungDKShiLWangDMasudaDYangYTomlinsonB. Liver fat reduction with niacin is influenced by DGAT-2 polymorphisms in hypertriglyceridemic patients. J Lipid Res2012; 53: 802–9.
10.
FujimoriKAmanoF. Niacin promotes adipogenesis by reducing production of anti-adipogenic PGF2alpha through suppression of C/EBPbeta-activated COX-2 expression. Prostaglandins Other Lipid Mediat2011; 94: 96–103.
11.
ChristensenRAClarkJHDrackleyJKBlumSA. Fatty acid flow to the duodenum and in milk from cows fed diets that contained fat and nicotinic acid. J Dairy Sci1998; 81: 1078–88.
12.
EricksonPSTruskAMMurphyMR. Effects of niacin source on epinephrine stimulation of plasma nonesterified fatty acid and glucose concentrations, on diet digestibility and on rumen protozoal numbers in lactating dairy cows. J Nutr1990; 120: 1648–53.
13.
TitgemeyerECSpiveyKSMamedovaLKBradfordBJ. Effects of pharmacological amounts of nicotinic acid on lipolysis and feed intake in cattle. Int J Dairy Sci2011; 6: 134–41.
14.
YuanKShaverRDBerticsSJEspineiraMGrummerRR. Effect of rumen-protected niacin on lipid metabolism, oxidative stress, and performance of transition dairy cows. J Dairy Sci2012; 95: 2673–9.
15.
PescaraJBPiresJAGrummerRR. Antilipolytic and lipolytic effects of administering free or ruminally protected nicotinic acid to feed-restricted Holstein cows. J Dairy Sci2010; 93: 5385–96.
16.
RealDENelssenJLUnruhJATokachMDGoodbandRDDritzSSDeRoucheyJMAlonsoE. Effects of increasing dietary niacin on growth performance and meat quality in finishing pigs reared in two different environments. J Anim Sci2002; 80: 3203–10.
17.
WaldroupPWHellwigHMSpencerGKSmithNKFancherBIJacksonMEJohnsonZBGoodwinTL. The effects of increased levels of niacin supplementation on growth rate and carcass composition of broiler chickens. Poult Sci1985; 64: 1777–84.
18.
RuizNHarmsRHLindaSB. Niacin requirement of broiler chickens fed a corn-soybean meal diet from 1 to 21 days of age. Poult Sci1990; 69: 433–9.
19.
JiangRRZhaoGPChenJLZhengMQZhaoJPLiPHuJWenJ. Effect of dietary supplemental nicotinic acid on growth performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality in three genotypes of chicken. J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl)2011; 95: 137–45.
20.
CelikLOzturkcanOInalTCCanacankatanNKayrinL. Effects of L-carnitine and niacin supplied by drinking water on fattening performance, carcass quality and plasma L-carnitine concentration of broiler chicks. Arch Tierernahr2003; 57: 127–36.
21.
VillarroelMMariaGASanudoCOlletaJLGebresenbetG. Effect of transport time on sensorial aspects of beef meat quality. Meat Sci2003; 63: 353–7.
22.
MachNBachAVelardeADevantM. Association between animal, transportation, slaughterhouse practices, and meat pH in beef. Meat Sci2008; 78: 232–8.
23.
ByrneDVBredieWLBakLSBertelsenGMartensHMartensM. Sensory and chemical analysis of cooked porcine meat patties in relation to warmed-over flavour and pre-slaughter stress. Meat Sci2001; 59: 229–49.
24.
CarlezAVeciana-NoguesTCheftelJC. Changes in colour and myoglobin of minced beef meat due to high pressure processing. LWT-Food Sci Technol1995; 28: 528–38.
25.
KhanMCouturierAKubensJFMostEMoorenFCKrugerKRingseisREderK. Niacin supplementation induces type II to type I muscle fiber transition in skeletal muscle of sheep. Acta Vet Scand2013; 55: 85–85.
26.
RingseisRRosenbaumSGessnerDKHergesLKubensJFMoorenFCKrugerKEderK. Supplementing obese Zucker rats with niacin induces the transition of glycolytic to oxidative skeletal muscle fibers. J Nutr2013; 143: 125–31.
27.
Klont RE, Brocks L, Eikelenboom G. Muscle fibre type and meat quality. Meat Sci 1998;49S1:S219–29.
28.
AltschulRHofferAStephenJD. Influence of nicotinic acid on serum cholesterol in man. Arch Biochem Biophys1955; 54: 558–9.
29.
CarlsonLA. Nicotinic acid: the broad-spectrum lipid drug. A 50th anniversary review. J Intern Med2005; 258: 94–114.
30.
KamannaVSKashyapML. Mechanism of action of niacin. T Am J Cardiol2008; 101: 20B–26B.
31.
BonnetMFaulconnierYLerouxCJurieCCassar-MalekIBauchartDBoulesteixPPethickDHocquetteJFChilliardY. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and leptin are related to marbling differences among Limousin and Angus or Japanese Black x Angus steers. J Anim Sci2007; 85: 2882–94.
32.
YanQBriehlMCrowleyCLPayneCMBernsteinHBernsteinC. The NAD+ precursors, nicotinic acid and nicotinamide upregulate glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase mRNA in Jurkat cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun1999; 255: 133–6.
