Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
4.9
2.7
Journals
Animals
Special Issues
Modulating Immunometabolism in Transition Dairy Cows
share announcement

Modulating Immunometabolism in Transition Dairy Cows

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Cattle".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2025 | Viewed by 2688

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Pedro G. Melendez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong 518057, China
Interests: management of transition dairy cows; epidemiology of periparturient disorders; nutrition and feeding management of dairy cattle
Dr. Pablo Pinedo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Animal Sciences, College of Agricultural Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
Interests: ruminant health and welfare; epidemiology; dairy production medicine

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The transition period in dairy cows is undoubtedly one of the key stages of the entire productive cycle of the dairy cow that determines the success of the cow's lactation, including health, milk yield, and fertility, and which defines the profit of dairy operations.

In this scenario, nutrition and feeding, cow comfort, and overall management are fundamental pillars that help to modulate the cow’s metabolic status and immunity (immunometabolism) in this challenging time.

Management of the transition cow should focus on minimizing the adverse impacts of negative energy and protein balance, the severity of hypocalcemia, other macro- and microminerals, a reduction in ketosis, the excessive release of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), hepatic lipidosis, displacement of the abomasum, inflammatory disorders (metritis and mastitis), and oxidative stress. In addition, the adaptation of the rumen to diets richer in starch, and therefore, a reduction in the risk of rumen acidosis, must be addressed. In the end, any of these management strategies will help in modulating the immune system, reducing the negative impact of the typical immunosuppression that occurs around parturition.

We invite original research and review papers that contribute new information on immunomodulation and metabolism during the transition period of dairy cows. Research and review papers may cover basic research topics, but manuscripts focused on practical management, including case reports, epidemiological studies, and field trials, are also encouraged and welcomed.

Prof. Dr. Pedro G. Melendez
Dr. Pablo Pinedo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • transition cow
  • metabolic diseases
  • prepartum
  • postpartum
  • oxidative stress
  • immunomodulation
  • nutrition
  • feeding management
  • cow comfort
  • dairy cattle

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

18 pages, 1961 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Subclinical Ketosis on the Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell Inflammatory Response and Its Crosstalk with Depot-Specific Preadipocyte Function in Dairy Cows
by Hunter R. Ford, Ty M. Mitchell, Tanner Scull, Oscar J. Benitez and Clarissa Strieder-Barboza
Animals 2024, 14(13), 1995; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14131995 - 6 Jul 2024
Viewed by 899
Abstract
During the periparturient period, cows undergo heightened energy demands at lactation onset, paired with reduced dry matter intake, leading to negative energy balance (NEB). Excessive lipolysis-driven adipose tissue remodeling, triggered by NEB, significantly contributes to ketosis in periparturient dairy cows. However, the role [...] Read more.
During the periparturient period, cows undergo heightened energy demands at lactation onset, paired with reduced dry matter intake, leading to negative energy balance (NEB). Excessive lipolysis-driven adipose tissue remodeling, triggered by NEB, significantly contributes to ketosis in periparturient dairy cows. However, the role of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in the pathogenesis of ketosis and in modulating adipose tissue function remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated how ketosis affects the transcriptional profile and secretome of PBMCs and its influence on preadipocyte function in visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT). Twenty-one postpartum Holstein dairy cows were categorized as either subclinical ketosis (SCK; BHB ≥ 1.0 mM) or control (CON; BHB < 0.8 mM) based on blood beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) concentration screening. Blood samples were collected intravenously for the isolation of PBMCs and serum metabolic profiling. Ketosis elevated circulating NEFA and BHB levels but reduced total WBC and neutrophil counts. Isolated PBMCs were evaluated for gene expression and used to produce conditioned media (PBMC-CM), during which PBMCs were stimulated with 10 ng/mL LPS. The overall phenotype of PBMCs was largely consistent between SCK and CON cows, with minimal differences detected in immunomodulatory cytokine expression and PBMC-CM composition following stimulation. Preadipocytes isolated from non-ketotic cows were treated with PBMC-CM to assess the effect of PBMC secretomes on adipose cell function. Preadipocytes treated with SCK PBMC-CM showed reduced lipid accumulation compared to those treated with CON PBMC-CM regardless of the depot. SAT preadipocytes had heightened expression of lipid metabolism-related genes, including DGAT1, LIPE, and FASN, compared to VAT when treated with SCK PBMC-CM. Preadipocytes treated with CM from PBMC stimulated by LPS exhibited upregulation in IL1B and IL6 regardless of the depot or source of PBMCs. Together, these results indicate that although PBMC profiles showed minimal differences, preadipocytes treated with PBMC-CM may be influenced by additional factors, leading to altered preadipocyte function and gene expression that may contribute to adipose cellular dysfunction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modulating Immunometabolism in Transition Dairy Cows)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 926 KiB  
Article
Effects of Live Saccharomyces cerevisiae Yeast Administration in Periparturient Dairy Cows
by Lorenzo Benedetti, Luca Cattaneo, Alessandro Vercesi, Erminio Trevisi and Fiorenzo Piccioli-Cappelli
Animals 2024, 14(3), 472; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14030472 - 31 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1320
Abstract
Dairy cows face several challenges during the transition period, and the administration of live yeast might be useful to mitigate this stressful condition. In the current study, the effects of live yeast administration on milk production, feed intake, and metabolic and inflammatory conditions [...] Read more.
Dairy cows face several challenges during the transition period, and the administration of live yeast might be useful to mitigate this stressful condition. In the current study, the effects of live yeast administration on milk production, feed intake, and metabolic and inflammatory conditions were evaluated. Multiparous Holstein cows were enrolled in this randomized controlled trial and received either a control diet (CTR, n = 14) or the control diet plus 4 g/d of live Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast (LSC, n = 14) from −21 to 56 days relative to calving. Dry matter intake, milk yield and composition, and rumination time were monitored daily. Blood samples were collected at −21, −7, 3, 14, 28, 42, and 56 days relative to calving to evaluate the metabolic profile. Fecal samples were collected at 56 days relative to calving to measure volatile fatty acids and feed digestibility. No differences between groups were observed in dry matter intake. Compared with CTR, rumination time was lower in LSC in after calving. Although there were no differences in milk components between groups, LSC had greater milk yield in the last three weeks of the study than CTR. No differences were observed in inflammatory markers or other plasma metabolites, except for β-hydroxybutyrate, which was higher in LSC, and reactive oxygen metabolites (ROMs), which were lower in LSC. Overall, these outcomes suggest that live yeast supplementation had some positive effects on milk yield and oxidative status. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modulating Immunometabolism in Transition Dairy Cows)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop