Long Chain Fatty Acids of Diet as Factors Influencing Reproduction in Cattle

Abstract

Cattle are fed moderate amounts of long chain fatty acids (FA) with the objective to enhance lactation and growth; however, recent interest on lipid feeding to cows has focused on reproduction, immunity and health. Increasing the caloric density of the ration by fat feeding has generally improved measures of cow reproduction, but when milk yield and body weight losses were increased by fat supplementation, positive effects on reproduction were not always observed. Feeding fat has influenced reproduction by altering the size of the dominant follicle, hastening the interval to first postpartum ovulation in beef cows, increasing progesterone concentrations during the luteal phase of the oestrous cycle, modulating uterine prostaglandin (PG) synthesis, and improving oocyte and embryo quality and developmental competence. Some of these effects were altered by the type of FA fed. The polyunsaturated FA of the n-6 and n-3 families seem to have the most remarkable effects on reproductive responses of cattle, but it is not completely clear whether these effects are mediated only by them or by other potential intermediates produced during rumen biohydrogenation. Generally, feeding fat sources rich in n-6 FA during late gestation and early lactation enhanced follicle growth, uterine PG secretion, embryo quality and pregnancy in cows. Similarly, feeding n-3 FA during lactation suppressed uterine PG release, and improved embryo quality and maintenance of pregnancy. Future research ought to focus on methods to improve the delivery of specific FA and adequately powered studies should be designed to critically evaluate their effects on establishment and maintenance of pregnancy in cattle.

Dietary omega-3 and -6 polyunsaturated fatty acids affect the composition and development of sheep granulosa cells, oocytes and embryos

“…Central to the current thesis are the reported differential effects of omega-3 (n-3) and -6 (n-6) PUFAs on fertility, ovarian function and oocyte quality, where the literature to date has been inconsistent (Santos et al 2008). By way of example, in the rat, studies by the same group have reported n-3 PUFA to both enhance and reduce egg recovery following ovarian stimulation (Trujillo & Broughton 1995, Broughton et al 2008.…”

Feeding dried distillers grains with solubles to lactating beef cows: impact of excess protein and fat on cow performance, milk production and pre-weaning progeny growth

“…However, when excess protein was fed in combination with additional dietary fat during the last 100 days of gestation and first 100 days of lactation in beef cows, as is the case when DDGS is fed, altered energy partitioning occurs in the cow and reproductive performance was improved (Gunn et al, 2014). It has been proposed that fat supplementation (Santos et al, 2008); fatty acid composition, specifically polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs; Mattos et al, 2000); and type of protein, specifically rumen protein (RUP; Martin et al, 2007), or a combination of both fat and protein (Engel et al, 2008) improve reproductive performance. Gunn et al (2014) also reported increased dystocia rates in cows fed large amounts of DDGS during gestation and lactation.…”

Effect of Linolenic acid during in vitro maturation of ovine oocytes: embryonic developmental potential and mRNA abundances of genes involved in apoptosis

“…Although numerous studies have advanced knowledge of the influence of fat and mix of fatty acids on oocyte developmental competence [9][10][11][12][13], data on the effect of each family or each specific fatty acid are rare and the results of the existing studies are somewhat discordant. All-cis-9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid or α-linolenic acid (ALA,18:3 n-3, an essential fatty acid of the ω-3 family) is a PUFA highly abundant in some vegetable oils and sea fishes [14].…”