Effect of rumen-protected B vitamins and choline supplementation on health, production, and reproduction in transition dairy cows

Abstract

The objectives were to determine the effects of a rumen-protected blend of B vitamins and choline (RPBC) on the incidence of health disorders, milk yield, and reproduction in early lactation and the effects on gene expression and liver fat infiltration. A randomized controlled trial in 3 commercial dairy herds (n = 1,346 cows with group as the experimental unit; experiment 1) and a university research herd (n = 50 cows with cow as the experimental unit; experiment 2) evaluated the use of 100 g/cow per d of commercially available proprietary RPBC supplement (Transition VB, Jefo, St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada), or a placebo, fed 3 wk before to 3 wk after calving. In experiment 2 liver biopsies were taken at 4 and 14 ± 1 d in milk to measure triacylglycerol concentrations and expression of 28 genes selected to represent relevant aspects of liver metabolism. Treatment effects were assessed using multivariable mixed logistic regression models for binary health and reproductive outcomes; linear regression models for milk yield, dry matter intake, and liver outcomes; and survival analysis for time insemination and pregnancy. In experiment 1, treatment did not have an effect on the incidence of hyperketonemia (blood β-hydroxybutyrate ≥ 1.2 mmol/L; cumulative incidence to 3 wk postpartum of 28 to 30%), clinical health disorders, or udder edema. The prevalence of anovulation at 8 wk postpartum was 11% in the treatment group and 23% in the control but did not differ statistically given group-level randomization. Pregnancy at first insemination (33 and 35%) and median time to pregnancy to 200 d in milk (96 and 97 d) were not different between treatment and control, respectively. No difference was observed between treatment groups in milk yield or components through the first 3 Dairy Herd Improvement Association test days (44 kg/d in both groups, accounting for parity and components). In experiment 2, there were no differences between treatment groups in feed intake. Mean blood β-hydroxybutyrate was lower at wk 3 in RPBC (0.6 vs. 0.9 ± 0.12 mmol/L) with no difference between treatments for mean blood concentrations of fatty acids (wk -1 or 1) and β-hydroxybutyrate at wk 1 or 2. The gene for acyl-CoA oxidase 1 (ACOX1) had lower mRNA abundance in RPBC with no difference between treatments for the other genes, but the expression of half of the genes assessed differed with days in milk. Liver triacylglycerol was lower in primiparous cows at 4 d in milk in RPBC (2.0 vs. 4.4 ± 1.2%) but not at 14 d in milk (2.2 vs. 3.2 ± 0.97%) with no treatment effect in multiparous cows (4.6 ± 0.8%). Accounting for parity, days in milk, fat and protein percentages, repeated test days, and a random effect of cow, no significant difference was observed between treatments in milk yield across the first 3 Dairy Herd Improvement Association tests (41.2 ± 1.3 in RPBC vs. 38.0 ± 1.4 kg/d in control). Under the diet and management conditions of the field study including low prevalence of clinical health disorders, in experiment 1 we did not detect a bene...

Efecto de la Suplementación con Biocholine Powder®, durante el periodo de transición sobre parámetros productivos, metabólicos y reproductivos de vacas lecheras a pastoreo

“…Los indicadores de integridad del tejido hepático (AST, GGT y GD), junto con los niveles de BHB medidos en las vacas de este estudio se encontraban cercano al límite superior de referencia (0,64 y 0,67 mmol L -1 para CPR y control respectivamente) y fueron disminuyendo posterior al parto (0,73 a 0,61 mmol L -1 para las SRP +1 y +3), sugiriendo que tanto las vacas suplementadas con CPR como las del grupo control no presentarían cuadros de cetosis o hígado graso. Resultados similares obtuvieron Morrison et al (2018) quienes observaron una disminución en las concentraciones de BHB de 0,67 a 0,61 y de 0,67 a 0,62 para vacas con y sin suplementación, respectivamente. Adicionalmente, no observaron diferencias en la proporción de vacas con niveles de BHB por sobre los 1,2 mmol L -1 .…”

“…En teoría, fue planteado que la suplementación con CPR podría incrementar la concentración de grasa y proteína en la leche al favorecer el transporte y utilización de lípidos en la glándula mamaria y las mayores concentraciones de caseína asociadas a una mayor disponibilidad de metionina (Jayaprakash et al, 2016). No obstante, esta ventaja teórica no se ha reflejado en otros estudios (Piepenbrink y Overton, 2003;Morrison et al, 2018), lo que concuerda con nuestros resultados.…”

“…La relación que existe entre la severidad del BEN y el retorno a la ciclicidad ovárica se ha realizado midiendo niveles de concentración de hormonas en sangre (GH, IGF-1, Leptina, glucosa, insulina etc.) (Chandra et al, 2011) o vigilando el momento en que ocurre la primera ovulación (Morrison et al, 2018), estos concuerdan con Meikle et al (2010), en que la CC y la pérdida de CC dentro de los primeros 60 días post parto afectan el reinicio de la ciclicidad ovárica. Sumado a este antecedente, la recuperación de la condición CC de la segunda semana postparto en las vacas tratadas con CPR da indicios de una mejor recuperación del BEN en este grupo y, por ende, resulta en una menor cantidad de días abiertos.…”

Production‐related metabolic disorders of cattle: ketosis, milk fever and grass staggers

“…Supplements include targeted use of choline, B-vitamins (Duplessis and others 2014, Morrison and others 2018), and oral supplementation of monensin (Petersson-Wolfe and others 2007). A meta-analysis summarising 17 studies of monensin use in lactating cattle showed an overall decreased risk of ketosis in treated cattle (Duffield and others 2008).…”

Short communication: Associations of udder edema with health, milk yield, and reproduction in dairy cows in early lactation

“…of B vitamins, reported elsewhere (Morrison, 2017). All farms used automated activity monitors for estrus detection as the primary means of reproductive management, supplemented by synchronization for timed AI.…”