Microtomographic Parameters and Nanoindentation of the Hoof of Girolando Cattle

Abstract

The aim of this study was to describe the microstructure of the pigmented and depigmented hoof capsule of Girolando cattle by bi- and tridimensional microtomography and nanoindentation, analysing the possible relation between these findings and the susceptibility of such animals to podal diseases. To carry out the microtomography and the nanoindentation, duplicated samples were collected from the dorsal wall, abaxial wall and pre-bulbar sole of the hoof capsule. Material collection was performed in 40 medial digits of thoracic limbs and 40 lateral digits of pelvic limbs. The bidimensional microtomography showed that the dorsal wall of the thoracic and pelvic limbs presented higher density, followed by the abaxial wall, and finally by the sole, with the lowest density. Moreover, the hoof capsule of cows of Girolando breed is a compact, non-porous material, and constituted by extratubular and intratubular keratin. By the tridimensional microtomography, it was possible to measure the angles of the corneal tubules in relation to the periople and the claws in the different regions of the hoof capsule, which were 90° for the dorsal wall, 55° for the abaxial wall and 70° for the sole. The tridimensional microtomography also showed corneal tubules of different diameters: 17, 51, 85, 119 and 153 μm. The nanoindentation test, when performed in different regions of the hoof capsule, did not reveal significant difference of Vickers hardness in the evaluated areas. However, we verified a larger elastic module of these regions on the transversal cut of the corneal tubules compared to the longitudinal cut.

Microstructure of the hoof capsule of pigmented and partial albino buffaloes

“…Thus, indicating that there were no empty spaces or pores in the evaluated samples. This was also observed in other studies that evaluated cattle (Assis, Silva, Lima, Sant'Ana et al, 2017;Queiroz et al, 2021) and buffalo (Assis, Silva, Lima, Gouveia et al, 2017) hoof capsules by MCT. Conversely, Kasapi and Gosline (1997) evaluated the equine hoof wall morphology using circularly polarized light microscopy and found that medullary cavities of the horn tubules were usually devoid of cellular material.…”

“…The 2D samples were assessed by interpreting the colorimetric scale produced by the above‐mentioned software. The colour scale ranged from dark brown to light green, according to the regions that showed lower and greater X‐ray attenuation, respectively (Assis, Silva, Lima, Gouveia et al, 2017). The horn tubules were classified into three diameter ranges to compare the two groups: small diameter (0–25 μm), intermediate diameter (26–100 μm) and large‐diameter (>100 μm).…”

“…This is because they help in the understanding of biochemical and cellular events involved in the formation of hoof capsules (Sasidharan & Sunilkumar, 2019). Some techniques have helped in the microscopic characterization and mineral quantification of buffalo (Assis, Silva, Lima, Gouveia et al, 2017; Assis, Vulcani et al, 2017) and cattle (Assis, Silva, Lima, Sant'Ana et al, 2017; Queiroz et al, 2021) hoof capsules. These advances occurred through methods routinely used in materials science, which represent new perspectives for scientific research on the morphology of buffaloes and cattle hooves.…”

“…The use of advanced laboratory methods has elucidated some important issues regarding buffaloes' hoof morphology and composition (Assis, Silva, Lima, Gouveia et al, 2017; Assis, Vulcani et al, 2017). However, little is known about albino and partial albino buffaloes hoof.…”

New perspectives in a microstructure study of the bovine and bubaline claw

“…In order to reverse this situation, studies have been redirected, revisiting the basic area and conducting scientific investigations involving bovine claw biometrics, radiography, tomography, thermography and venography (Silva 2012;Loureiro 2013;Freitas 2015). In addition, more complete and clear studies have been started, focusing on the claw microstructure, especially on the molecular and atomic levels (Assis et al 2017a;Assis et al 2017b). https://doi.org/10.17221/167/2020-VETMED…”