The aim of this study was to examine changes in some hormones concentrations in calves during the first 32 hours of neonatal life and to estimate their association with glycemia. Thyrty two Holstein breed calves were selected for the study. Blood samples were taken at 30, 60 and 90 minutes postnatal. Calves received pooled colostrum: primary colostum (1.5 L, 2 hours after birth), secondary colostrum (2 L, 14 hours after birth) and tertiary colostrum (2 L, 26 hours after birth). Blood samples were taken at hours 5, 20 and 32 of neonatal life. Concentrations of glucose, insulin, cortisol, thyroid hormones and IGF-I and abundance of IGFBP-1, IGFBP-2 and IGFBP-3 were determined in the blood serum. The T3/T4 ratio was also calculated. Calves were born hypoglycemic (glycemia was 2.56±1.05 mmol/L at birth). Thereafter, glycemia significantly increased (p<0.001) to 3.05±0.89 mmol/L at min 90. Glucose concentration showed a further increase after colostrum intake and was significantly higher than at the initial value in all examined periods (p<0.001). During the first 90 minutes of neonatal life insulinemia decreased significantly (p<0.001) compared to initial value (26.33±10.05 μIU/L) and it measured 18.66±5.56 μIU/L at min 90. Cortisolemia was highest at minute 30 (85.08±19.36 nmol/L) and than decreased until the end of the experiment (p<0.001) compared to initial values in samples obtained during the period of colostrum intake. A significantly high correlation was determined between glycemia and cortisolemia in all examined periods before the first colostrums intake (r2=0.854; p<0.01 at min 30; r2=0.742; p<0.01 at min 60 and r2=0.551; p<0.01 at min 90). T4 concentrations significantly increased during the first 2 hours, while T3 concentrations decreased, significantly from min 30 to min 90 postnatal (p<0.05). T3/T4 ratio significantly increased during the first 2 hours of neonatal life. After first colostrum intake, concentrations of both hormones rose significantly compared to the initial level, but T3/T4 ratio did not change and maintained the value determined at minute 90. IGF- 1 concentrations significantly decreased during the first 2 postnatal hours. A significant positive correlation was observed between IGF-1 concentration and insulinemia (r2=0.463; p<0.05 at min 30, r2=0.662; p<0.01 at min 60 and r2=0.583; p<0.01 at min 90). IGFBP-3 abundance significantly decreased, while IGFBP-1 significantly increased in this period. IGFBP-2 abundance was highest at birth. Results presented in this study indicate that the increase in glucose concentration during the first 2 hours of neonatal life, before the first colostrum intake is mainly the result of increased activity of the adrenal cortex in cortisol secretion and extrathyroidal tissue thus providing sufficient triiodothyronine. Immaturity of mechanisms responsible for insulin secretion provides the dominance of catabolic processes. Changes of the IGF system provide a rise of glucose concentration...

The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of added natural mineral adsorber zeolite (clinoptilolite) to the colostrum on the degree of absorption of colostral IgG in 60 Holstein newborn calves fed different amounts of colostrum during the first two days of life. Calves were divided in four groups: 1) experimental group I received 0.75L of colostrum with 5g/L of clinoptilolite in 12h intervals (0.75+); 2) experimental group II received 1.5L of colostrum with 5g/L of zeolites in 12h intervals (1.5+); 3) control group I received 0.75L of colostrum in 12h intervals (0.75-); 4) control group II received 1.5L of colostrum in 12h intervals (1.5-). In blood sera from experimental group I, concentrations of IgG were 15.79±6.53 g/l; 21.81 ±9.29 g/L and 20.30±8.64 g/L respectively 6, 24 and 48 hours after birth. IgG concentrations in the sera of experimental group II were 22.21 ±8.79 35.20±8.43 and 30.51 ±9.86 respectively 6, 24 and 48 hours after birth. In the blood sera of the first control group concentrations of IgG were 9.89±4.97; 18.07±5.32 and 15.84±4.92 respectively 6, 24 and 48 hours after birth. IgG concentrations of the second control group were 14.53±7.19 25.39±11.57 and 22.88±8.63 respectively 6, 24 and 48 hours after birth. The statistical significance of the difference in mean IgG concentrations between experimental group I and the first control group was high after 6 (p<0.05) hours after birth. In this groups, the difference was not statistically significant 24 and 48 hours after birth. The statistical significance of the difference in levels of IgG between the experimental group II and the second control group was high after 6 (p<0.001), 24 (p<0.01) and 48 (p<0.05) hours. It can be seen that the absorption rate of colostral IgG in calves from the experimental groups I and II was approximately 40% higher than in the respective control groups. The mean concentrations of IgG in the colostrum samples used to feed the calves were almost equal during the observed period. Agarose-gel electrophoresis of serum proteins 48 hours after birth showed in the gamma electrophoretic zone a more intesively colored fraction for the treated animals compared to the analogous fraction on the electrophoresogram of serum proteins in the control group. Imunoglobulin G concentrations in the sera of calves who received 0.75 I of colostrum with clinoptilolite were almost equal to imunoglobulin G concentrations in the sera of calves who received 1.51 of colostrum at 6 hours after birth (this effect is present at 24 and 48 hours after birth). It can be seen that calves which received an insufficient amount of colostrum with clinoptilolite had the same concentrations of serum IgG compared to the calves which received the full ration of colostrum. The data from this investigation show that a concentration of 5 g/l of clinoptilolite based mineral adsorber in the colostrum leads to a significantly higher degree of absorption of colostral IgG in newborn calves

The aim of this investigation was to determine the concentrations of insulin like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and total protein in blood serum from calves consuming different amounts of colostrum during the first 32 h of postnatal life, as well as at 7 days old. The experiment involved two groups of calves. The first group was offered the standard amount of colostrum while the second group received half the recommended amount. At birth serum concentration of IGF-I was in the range from 5 to 13 nmol/L. Compared to the initial level there was a marked decrease of mean IGF-I concentration in both groups of calves at 2 h after the first intake of colostrum. Thereafter, the level gradually increased until 20 h of age, more markedly in the group which received the full ration of colostrum. The highest mean IGF-I concentrations were recorded at 20 h in both groups (11.81 nmol/L for group one and 8.96 nmol/L for group two), and were significantly higher than values recorded 2h after the first intake of colostrum. Two hours after the third intake of colostrum, serum concentration of IGF-I dropped in both groups, compared with the value recorded at 20 h. During the time period from 4hto32h after birth, the calves that received the standard amount of colostrum had a significantly higher mean concentration of serum IGF-I than the calves which received an insufficient amount. Calves were born with serum concentrations of total proteins, which were lower than those found for adult animals. Serum protein concentrations in the calves that consumed normal amounts of colostrum increased more rapidly than in the calves that received insufficient amounts of colostrum. Presumably, total protein concentrations increased as a consequence of colostral immunoglobulin absorption. Thus our results indicate that the amounts of colostrum received during the first 32 h of postnatal life had strong effects on the serum concentrations of IGF-I and total proteins. The differences in IGF-I concentrations between the two groups of calves may have been a consequence of greater colostral IGF-I absorption and/or the result of greater absorption of other colostral components, which stimulate endogenous synthesis of this bioactive substance in the tissues of neonatal calves

The aim 'of this investigation was to determine the concentrations of triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4) and cortisol in blood plasma from calves during the first 32 h of postnatal life, as well as at 7 days old. The experiment involved two groups of calves. The first group was offered the standard amount of colostrum while the second group received half the recommended amount. The results obtained showed that the calves were born with high plasma concentrations of 73, 74 and cortisol up to four times greater than values found at 7 days old. In the calves given the full ration of colostrum there was a gradual increase of mean 73 concentration to levels which plateaued from 8 to 28 h after birth, while the level of T4 increased slightly but significantly up to 18 h. Sharp highly significant increases in 73 and 74 concentrations were observed during the first 4 h of postnatal life in the group of calves given half the usual amount of colostrum to levels which persisted up to 20 h. Except at 4 and 20 h there were no significant differences between the groups. At 7 days old the levels of plasma 73 and 74 in both groups of calves were within the limits found for adult animals. The plasma concentrations of cortisol decreased during the first 18 h afterbirth in both groups of calves and then increased somewhat. At 32 h the mean concentration was higher in group two than in group one. At 7 days old cortisol concentrations were up to four times lower than the level immediately after birth. It was concluded that a decrease in the amount of colostrum consumed had only minor effects on the plasma concentrations of the examined hormones in neonatal calves

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the natural mineral adsorber clinoptilolite on the serum levels of insulin and insulin-like growth factor-I in newborn piglets in the first 30 hours postnatally. A total number of 40 crossbred Landrace x Duroc newborn piglets from 4 litters was used. Five piglets from each litter were randomly assigned to the treated group and another five piglets to the control group. The treated animals received 10 ml of 15% clinoptilolite suspension three times: immediately after birth and subsequently at 12 and 24 hours after birth. Mean serum insulin level in the treated newborn piglets was almost 20% higher at both time intervals after treatment but the increases were not statistically significant, due to the high individual variation (44.40±6.33:36.40±5.14 and 17.54±2.61:14.02±1.14 mIU/L, treated vs. control at 10 and 30 hours postpartum). Serum levels of IGF-I were also increased in the treated newborn piglets, and the differences between means were statistically significant (18.20±0.63: 13.70±1.02 and 17.61±0.173:12.48±0.64 nmol/L, p<0.001, treated vs. control at 10 and 30 hours postpartum). Our results indicate that clinoptilolite treatment could effectively increase serum IGF-I and possibly also insulin levels in newborn piglets