Effects of free gossypol in the diet of pregnant and postpartum Brahman cows on calf development and cow performance3

Abstract

Pregnant Brahman cows (n = 38) and heifers (n = 12) were assigned, 90 d before expected calving dates, to one of three treatment groups: 1) 0 g of free gossypol(FG).animal-1.d-1 (FGHD) from soybean meal (SBM), controls; 2) 2 g of FGHD from SBM and cottonseed meal (CSM), low FG; or 3) 4 g of FGHD from CSM, high FG, to determine the effects of dietary FG on prepartum and postpartum cow performance, calf development, and selected blood variables. Prepartum and postpartum cow BW, 4-h milk production, and calf BW were similar (P > .10) among treatments. Following 84 d of treatment, cows receiving 4 g of FGHD tended (P < .10) to have greater erythrocyte fragility (EF) than cows given 0 or 2 g of FGHD. Mean EF for the 112-d postpartum period were greater (P < .05) in cows given 4 than in those given 0 g of FGHD. Dietary FG consumption by the dam did not affect (P > .10) calf EF. Serum triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) in cows and T4:T3 ratio in calves were similar (P > .10) among treatments. After 84 d of treatment, cows receiving 4 g of FGHD had lower (P < .05) serum concentrations of alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene than cows given 0 g of FGHD. At parturition, serum alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene were similar (P > .10) for all cows and calves. On d 7 and 28 after calving, alpha-tocopherol tended to be lower (P < .10) and beta-carotene was lower (P < .05) in calves given 4 than in those given 0 g of FGHD. Calf metacarpal medial cortex tended to be greater (P < .10) in calves from cows given 0 than in those from cows given 2 or 4 g of FGHD, and the lateral cortex (treatment x sex; P < .05) was smaller in male calves from cows given 4 than in those from cows given 0 g of FGHD but was not affected in female calves. By 96 to 105 d after calving, a greater number of (P < .05) cows consuming 4 and 2 g of FGHD experienced luteal activity, and a greater (P < .10) number than of cows receiving 0 g of FGHD had conceived by 112 d after calving. In summary, pre- and postpartum consumption of FG may have impaired some aspects of calf skeletal development and vitamin metabolism, although long-term performance of cows and calves was not affected.

Effect of selected fungi on the reduction of gossypol levels and nutritional value during solid substrate fermentation of cottonseed meal

“…It is produced in the seeds of the cotton plant, and feeding diets containing gossypol cause negative effects such as growth depression and intestinal and other internal organ abnormalities (Berardi and Goldblatt, 1980;Robinson et al, 2001). Its negative effect on animal health has long been recognized, and the toxic effect of gossypol is much greater for non-ruminants than ruminants due to binding of free gossypol (FG) to soluble proteins in the rumen (Willard et al, 1995). Thus, if FG was transformed into bound gossypol (BG), it would not harm animals, because BG cannot be absorbed through the digestive tract.…”

Effects of varying levels of dietary free gossypol in whole cotton seed on physiological responses of growing-fattening lambs

“…The variation in group means for plasma urea N at days 28 and 54 was associated with differences in both feed protein consumption and dietary free gossypol intake, in the latter case especially at day 54 where a marked increase in plasma urea levels was obtained with increasing WCS feeding. In this respect, Coppock et al 17 found higher levels of blood urea N in lactating cows as a result of increased WCS feeding, while a recent study in calves 40 indicated a direct effect of dietary free gossypol intake on serum urea N concentration. No speci®c mechanism by which gossypol level may affect the level of blood urea N has been proposed.…”

Growth performance and toxic response of broilers fed diets containing fermented or unfermented cottonseed meal

“…Free gossypol (FG) has been recognised toxic to birds for a long time (Henry et al, 2001), whereas bound gossypol (BG) is usually thought to be physiologically inactive and nontoxic as it cannot be absorbed from digestive tract (Gadelha et al, 2014). Similarly, Willard et al (1995) found that toxic effects of gossypol were much greater in nonruminants than in ruminants due to the fact that FG is binding with soluble proteins or amino acids in the rumen. However, numerous studies have shown that BG may be released as FG during the digestion period and then can be absorbed by the digestive tract (Blackwelder et al, 1998;Mena et al, 2004).…”