Decoding PRRS Resilience: The Metabolic differences of High- and low- resilience Pigs

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is a highly contagious viral disease causing severe economic losses worldwide. This study applied untargeted metabolomics to lung and lymph node tissues from high‑ versus low‑resilience Min pigs following PRRSV infection, aiming to identify differential metabolites and pathways associated with resilience. In lung tissue, 13 differential metabolites were identified, including acylcarnitine species, glycocholic acid, and phosphatidylcholine; in lymph node tissue, 27 metabolites differed significantly, notably propionylcarnitine, epoxidized fatty acids, and deoxyadenosine. Pathway enrichment revealed common enrichment in the oxidation of branched‑chain fatty acids in both tissues. Deoxyadenosine, up‑regulated in lymph node tissues of high‑resilience animals, promoted proliferation of porcine macrophages (3D4/21 cells), as confirmed by CCK‑8 assays. These findings indicate that carnitine‑related metabolites and branched‑chain fatty acid oxidation are associated with the host recovery process after PRRSV infection, while deoxyadenosine may enhance immune cell function. This study provides exploratory, hypothesis-generating metabolic features associated with the resilience phenotype in PRRS‑endemic herds.