Left displaced abomasum (LDA) leads to substantial changes in the metabolism of dairy cows. Surgical correction of LDA can rapidly improve the health of cows; however, changes in metabolism following surgery are rarely described. To investigate the changes of plasma metabolome in cows with LDA before and after surgical correction, blood samples were collected from 10 healthy postpartum cows and 10 cows with LDA on the day of diagnosis, then again from the LDA cows 14 d after surgery. Serum nonesterified fatty acid, β-hydroxybutyric acid, cortisol and histamine concentration, and antioxidant enzyme (superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase) activities were evaluated, and the metabolic profile in plasma was analyzed using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography timeof-flight mass spectrometry. The results demonstrated that cows with LDA experienced severe negative energy balance and oxidative stress, which can be improved by surgical correction. The metabolic profile was analyzed using multidimensional and univariate statistical analyses, and different metabolites were identified. In total, 102 metabolites differed between cows with LDA and healthy cows. After surgical correction, 65 metabolites changed in cows with LDA, compared with these cows during the LDA event. Following surgical correction, AA levels tended to increase, and lipid levels tended to decrease in cows with LDA. Pathway analysis indicated marked changes in linoleic acid metabolism, Arg biosynthesis, and Gly, Ser, and Thr metabolism in cows at the onset of LDA and following surgical correction. Surgical treatment reversed the changes in AA and lipid metabolism in cows with LDA.
LDA is a major contributor to economic losses in the dairy industry worldwide; however, the mechanisms associated with the metabolic changes in LDA remain unclear. Most previous studies have focused on the rumen microbiota in terms of understanding the contributors to the productivity and health of dairy cows; this study further sheds light on the relevance of the lower gut microbiota and its associated metabolites in mediating the development of LDA.
Dairy cows with ketosis have high circulating beta-hydroxybutyric acid (BHBA) concentrations alongside which inflammation is concomitantly developed. Tryptophan (Trp) is an essential amino acid that participates in the regulation of the inflammatory response. However, the association between Trp metabolism and inflammation in dairy cows with ketosis remains unclear. Therefore, blood samples from healthy (n = 10) and ketotic (n = 10) primiparous dairy cows were collected at the calving date and the day of ketosis diagnosis (7 days in milk (7 DIM)). Serum levels of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), BHBA, haptoglobin (HP), serum amyloid A (SAA), lipopolysaccharide, and cortisol were analyzed. Tryptophan and its metabolites were quantified using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. At 7 DIM, the concentrations of NEFA, BHBA, HP, and SAA were higher and the levels of Trp, kynurenine (KYN), indoleacetic acid, indole-3-lactic acid, and 3-indoxyl sulfate were lower in the dairy cows with ketosis compared with those in the healthy cows. However, the KYN/Trp and melatonin/Trp ratios increased in the cows with ketosis. At the calving date, the serum lipopolysaccharide levels did not differ between the healthy and ketotic cows, whereas the levels of NEFA, HP, and cortisol increased in the ketotic cows. Correlation analysis showed that Trp deficiency and elevated Trp metabolism in the dairy cows occurred during ketosis. Overall, our results suggest that abnormal Trp metabolism may contribute to the pathogenesis of ketosis.
In Southern China, distillers' grain is the main feed ingredient for small beef cattle farms. High intake of distillers' grain may lead to abomasum impaction, a disorder caused by the accumulation of solid content within the organ. For treatment, there are non-surgical and surgical options. In this study, we aimed to describe the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of beef cattle with abomasum impaction due to high intake of distillers' grain. Forty-nine Simmental beef cattle from 13 farms in Chongqing, China, were diagnosed with abomasum impaction. Animals were male, aged ≤2 years, and weighed between 200 and 350 kg. In this retrospective study, information on distillers' grain intake and clinical data were collected for 49 beef cattle diagnosed with abomasum impaction. The animals were treated between 2011 and 2019 with either non-surgical therapy or surgery. Animals diagnosed with mild abomasum impaction (n = 14) fully recovered after non-surgical treatment. Among moderate cases (n = 19), 12 cattle recovered after non-surgical treatment (63%), while the remaining seven did not respond well and underwent surgery. Three of those animals were subsequently cured (3/7). Among the severe cases (n = 16), four cattle were cured after non-surgical treatment (25%) (4/16). Of the remaining 12 cattle, six were slaughtered, and six died after surgery. Non-surgical treatment is efficient for mild abomasum impaction caused by a high intake of distillers' grain and may be considered for both moderate and severe cases. However, the treatment success rate for more severe cases decreases as the disease severity worsens.
Prepartum exercise (PA) has been proposed as a strategy for the peripartum management of dairy cows; however, the mechanism by which PA affects metabolism has not been elucidated. Here, we investigated the metabolic changes in transition dairy cows with PA. Holstein transition multiparous dairy cows were assigned to an exercise (n = 12) or a control (n = 12) group; the cows in the exercise group walked for a targeted 45 min at 3.25 km/h, two times a day. Plasma non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA), β-hydroxybutyric acid (BHBA), glucose, and triglyceride levels were measured, and metabolic profiles were analyzed using untargeted mass spectrometry. Compared with those in the control group, the concentrations of NEFA at −7 d, glucose at 0 d, and BHBA at +7 d relative to calving were considerably decreased in the exercise group. Untargeted metabolomics analysis revealed differences in the levels of key metabolites, including kynurenine, tryptophan, homovanillic acid, dopamine, cis-9-palmitoleic acid, and palmitic acid, between the exercise and control group cows. This study suggests that PA may decrease homovanillic acid and cis-9-palmitoleic acid levels and increase tryptophan levels to alleviate the metabolic stress in dairy cows during calving, thereby improving postpartum health.
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