Evidence mapPaperPMID 41751034Full record

ArticleAnimals : an open access journal from MDPI2026

Metagenomic-Metabolomic Integration Reveals Gut Microbiota Dynamics and Metabolic Changes in Super-Geriatric Captive Giant Pandas.

Jingheng Wang, Meiling Cheng, Feiyun Huang, Lei Chen, Wencai Xu, Jieyao Cai, Zhoulong Chen, Yanni Zhao, Xiuyue Zhang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Animals : an open access journal from MDPI, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Jingheng WangKey Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China.ORCID 0009-0004-0822-8277
Meiling ChengKey Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration on the Giant Panda, China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Chengdu 610051, China.
Feiyun HuangKey Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China.
Lei ChenKey Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China.
Wencai XuKey Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China.ORCID 0009-0002-1961-0717
Jieyao CaiKey Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China.
Zhoulong ChenKey Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China.
Yanni ZhaoKey Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China.ORCID 0009-0008-7850-7297
Xiuyue ZhangKey Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China.

Funding

the Science and Technology Project of Sichuan Province 2025ZNSFSC0252
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Age-related changes throughout the lifespan are known to influence gut microbiota composition, microbial functional potential, and host-associated metabolic processes. Understanding these age-related variations is important for elucidating their potential physiological implications at different life stages. However, information regarding the gut microbiome and metabolomic characteristics of super-geriatric captive giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) remains limited. In this study, fecal samples were collected from adult and super-geriatric captive giant pandas and analyzed using metagenomic sequencing combined with untargeted metabolomics. The gut microbiota of super-geriatric individuals exhibited a marked decrease in Bacillota and an enrichment of Pseudomonadota compared with adult individuals. Functional profiling revealed age-associated shifts in microbial metabolic potential, with a transition from biosynthesis-dominated pathways toward pathways related to substrate degradation and energy utilization. Metabolomic analyses further revealed pronounced metabolic alterations in super-geriatric giant pandas, including elevated levels of unsaturated fatty acids and changes in bile acid-related metabolites. Alterations in gut microbiota composition, particularly the relative enrichment of Pseudomonadota-associated taxa, were associated with inflammation-related metabolic features. Collectively, these findings indicate coordinated changes in gut microbial composition and metabolic profiles during aging. Overall, this study characterizes age-associated alterations in gut microbiota structure and fecal metabolic signatures in super-geriatric captive giant pandas, providing a scientific basis for future studies on microbiota-metabolism interactions and for improving nutritional management and health monitoring strategies in aged individuals of this endangered species.

Indexed as

aginggiant pandagut microbiotametabolomicsmetagenomics

Identifiers

PMID41751034
PMCPMC12937218

What Socratic holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.