Metabolomic analysis of untargeted bovine uterine secretions in dairy cows with endometritis using ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

Endometritis is among the most common bovine uterine diseases; as a cause of infertility, it affects the progress of the cattle industry. In this study, we used a novel technique based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry for comparative metabolomics of uterine secretions in healthy cows and cows with endometritis, classified based on clinical symptoms. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses revealed significant differences between the two groups (n = 12). Compared with healthy uterine secretion samples, in the clinical endometritis samples, coumaric acid, benzoic acid, and equol were downregulated. However, l-phenylalanine, glutamine, succinic acid, linoleate, arachidonic acid, and other metabolites were upregulated, revealing variations between healthy cows and cows with endometritis (p < 0.05). This metabolomic approach may provide an in-depth understanding of endometritis pathobiology, along with a theoretical framework for the diagnosis and treatment of this bovine disease.