Abstract: This study aimed to investigate the effect of reactive oxygen species (ROS) on early postmortem energy metabolism in bovine muscle via regulating the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α). The muscle samples were treated with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), and normal saline (control), separately. The ROS content, proline hydroxylase (PHD) activity, phosphoinositide-3 kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) and HIF-1α expression levels, energy metabolism, and pH were determined at 0.5, 6, 12, 24 and 48 h postmortem. The results revealed that the H2O2-treated group showed a significantly higher ROS content than the other two groups at 0.5 h postmortem (P < 0.05) and remained at a high level within 48 h, while NAC inhibited the accumulation of ROS for a short period of time (during 0.5–12 h) postmortem. The PHD activity in the H2O2-treated group was significantly lower than that in the other two groups during 0.5–48 h (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, the expression levels of PI3K from 0.5 to 12 h and phosphorylated AKT (p-AKT) from 0.5 to 6 h were significantly higher than those in the other groups (P < 0.05). Consequently, the expression level of HIF-1α in the H2O2-treated group was significantly higher than that of the other two groups during 6–48 h (P < 0.05), the rate of glycogenolysis and the rate of increase in R value were significantly faster in the H2O2-treated group during 6–24 h (P < 0.05), and the pH of the H2O2-treated group reached the limit value earlier (at 12 h). In conclusion, ROS can activate the stable expression of HIF-1α by reducing the activity of PHD and up-regulating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and consequently accelerate energy metabolism dominated by glycolysis and the decrease in pH in bovine muscle at the initial stage of postmortem aging, which may have a crucial impact on meat quality.

Key words: bovine muscle; reactive oxygen species; hypoxia-inducible factor-1α; energy metabolism; postmortem aging