Relationships Among Selenium, Vitamin E, and Mammary Gland Health in Commercial Dairy Herds

Abstract

Nine well-managed dairy herds were monitored for 1 yr to determine if bulk tank SCC and rate of clinical mastitis were associated with dietary and plasma Se and vitamin E status. Intakes of Se and vitamin E were 1 to 16 mg/d and 100 to 900 mg/d, respectively. Plasma Se concentrations were correlated positively with intakes of Se below 5 mg/d but were independent of Se intakes above 5 mg/d. Feeding vitamin E increased plasma concentrations of tocopherol, but the influence of dietary vitamin E on plasma concentrations was four times greater for dry cows than for lactating cows probably due to secretion of tocopherol into colostrum and milk. Bulk tank SCC averaged 5.4 log10/ml and decreased significantly as Se concentration in plasma increased. Plasma glutathione peroxidase was correlated positively to Se intake but negatively to SCC. Rate of clinical mastitis was negatively related to plasma Se concentration and concentration of vitamin E in the diet. An apparent interaction between dietary Se and vitamin E was evident since herds fed high amounts of Se tended to have high rates of clinical mastitis, but not if high amounts of vitamin E were fed. These data confirm earlier findings that Se and vitamin E status of dairy cows are related to mammary gland health.

The effect of selenium sources and supplementation on neutrophil functions in dairy cows

“…Higher respiratory burst activity of neutrophils could lead to higher intracellular kill of bacteria. Our findings are in agreement with several authors who demonstrated that neutrophils from cows with supplemental Se (inorganic) increased intracellular kill of bacteria, enhanced viability and reduced extracellular hydrogen peroxide concentration as compared to non supplemented cows (Gyang et al, 1984;Grasso et al, 1990;Hogan et al, 1990). Malbe et al (2006) also demonstrated possible involvement of organic Se supplementation (4 mg/day) with Staphylococcus aureus inhibition in cow's whey.…”

“…Relatively high Se concentrations in the control group, even after withdrawal of Se supplementation before the experiment, might be responsible for lack of significant increases after supplementation. According to Weiss et al (1990), plasma Se concentrations were correlated positively with intakes of Se at a certain limit but were independent of Se intakes above the limit. Further, retention of absorbed Se is influenced both by animal status and the chemical form of Se administrated.…”

“…Several reports associated increased concentration of blood Se with decreased infection rates such as subclinical and clinical mastitis in cows (Jukola et al, 1996;Ranjan et al, 2005). Furthermore, several studies have revealed positive associations of Se supplementation with health conditions of the cow (Weiss et al, 1990;Malbe et al, 1995;Kommisrud et al, 2005). In addition, Se status of the mammary gland is a vital regulator of selenoprotein expression and activities in the gland (Bruzelius et al, 2007).…”

“…Thus, bioavailable Se is essential for an optimum immunological response following pathogen attack in cattle, but the exact mechanism of action is not yet clear. The positive action of Se in biological systems is thought to be supported by vitamin E. Several reports in the past decades examined the role of vitamin E and Se on bovine health (Hogan et al, 1990;Ndiweni and Finch, 1995;Jukola et al, 1996;Sivertsen et al, 2005) with the general consensus that adequate amounts of these nutrients may enhance cow health.…”

Supplemental Selenium Reduces the Levels of Biomarkers of Oxidative and General Stress in Peripartum Dairy Cows / Dodati Selen Snižava Nivoe Biomarkera Oksidativnog I Opšteg Stresa Kod Mlečnih Krava U Peripartalnom Periodu

“…High serum Se concentrations were associated with reduced rates of mastitis and lower bulk-tank somatic cell counts [15].…”