Comparative evaluation of cytokine and acute-phase protein concentrations in sera of dairy cows with subclinical and clinical ketosis as a different view of the causes of the disease

Abstract

Background and Aim: Ketosis is a common disease occurring during the first stage of lactation in highly productive dairy cows. The aim of the present study was the comparative assessment of selected pro-inflammatory cytokines (including tumor necrosis factor-α [TNF-α] and interleukin 6 [IL-6]), anti-inflammatory cytokines (including IL-10), and acute-phase proteins (APPs) (including haptoglobin [Hp] and serum amyloid A [SAA]), in the sera of cows with subclinical ketosis (SCK), in those with clinical ketosis (CK), and in healthy cows. Materials and Methods: Thirty dairy cows of Holstein-Friesian breed were investigated. The cows were divided into three groups depending on the serum β-hydroxybutyric acid (BHBA) level. The control, SCK, and CK groups included healthy cows, cows with SCK, and cows with CK, respectively. BHBA concentration in blood serum was determined using colorimetric method. The blood serum was used for proper tests. Cytokine (TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10) and APPs (SAA and Hp) concentrations in the investigated samples were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. Results: The SCK group had significantly higher TNF-α, IL-6; IL-10, and SAA values than had the CK group (p<0.01). The SCK group had a lower Hp concentration than had the CK group (p<0.05). Conclusion: This study showed that the inflammation intensity is higher in the initial phase of the disease and decreases during the advancement, probably due to active anti-inflammatory mechanisms (an increase of IL-10 concentration), which protect animal organism from self-destruction. On the basis of our study, it can be assumed that ketosis development in dairy cows was preceded by the systemic inflammation that may influence the progress of this disease.

Clinical and diagnostic characteristics of the development of hepatocardial syndrome in black and white cows in the early lactation period

“…In addition, a systemic inflammatory reaction can develop in cows with clinical and subclinical ketosis, Available at www.veterinaryworld.org/Vol.15/September-2022/18.pdf which can induce secondary damage to internal organs [46][47][48]. In this case, the neurohumoral systems of the body are activated, and an excess amount of catecholamines is formed, which leads to a decrease in the glycogen reserve in cardiomyocytes, leading to the development of intracellular acidosis and a slowdown of energy conversion processes.…”

“…Violation of the ratio between easily fermented carbohydrates and protein in the diets of highly productive cows during early lactation causes changes in the pH of the rumen content, which is characterized by increased synthesis of biologically active and toxic substances [46][47][48]. Increased concentrations of metabolic products and endogenous toxins can lead to hepatocyte dystrophy.…”

Clinical Significance of Some Acute Phase Proteins in Cattle

“…Measurement of APP levels gives accurate and clear results in the diagnosis of inflammatory diseases in ruminants compared with hematological findings. It has been reported that it can be a helpful parameter in the diagnosis in the diseases such as neonatal diarrhea [25][26][27], omphalitis [28,29], pneumonia [30], ascaridiosis [31], besnoitiosis [32], Trypanosoma evansi [33], anaplasmosis [34][35][36], hypodermosis [37], in the bacterial and viral diseases such as brucellosis [38], tuberculosis [39], reticuloperitonitis traumatica [40,41], foot-and-mouth disease [42], as well as in fatty liver [43] including dystocia [44] and subclinical ketosis (Table 1) [45,46]. In addition, in another study conducted in cattle with endometritis, it has been reported that haptoglobin and TNF-α levels decreased significantly after the treatment compared to the pre-treatment values [47] and that progesterone-releasing intravaginal device (PRID) administration increases haptoglobin and ceruloplasmin levels, but decreases albumin levels in another study conducted by Kuru et al [48] in cattle.…”

“…It has been reported that determining the haptoglobin/SAA ratio will be able to be also used in the differential diagnosis of acute and chronic cases [12]. SAA, one of the important APPs in cattle, has been reported to increase in nonfed for more than 3 days [51] in the infections such as foot-and-mouth disease [42], coryza gangrenosa bovum [52], hypomagnesemic tetany [53], enzootic bovine leukosis [54], subclinical ketosis [46], postpartum [55], mastitis [56][57][58], subclinical endometritis [59], and pneumonia (Table 1) [60,61]. In addition, it has been reported that it increases in relation to the severity of clinical symptoms in viral respiratory system diseases [2].…”

Association between Tryptophan Metabolism and Inflammatory Biomarkers in Dairy Cows with Ketosis

“…Sordillo et al [ 18 ] and Pascottini et al [ 19 ] have reported significant negative effects caused by the inflammatory response to ketosis. The levels of inflammatory biomarkers, such as haptoglobin (HP), serum amyloid A (SAA), and lipopolysaccharide (LPS), increase in dairy cows with ketosis [ 20 , 21 , 22 ].…”