Nutritional and Metabolic Health of Dairy Cow

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2015) | Viewed by 31608

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
1. Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), 08010 Barcelona, Spain
2. Department of Ruminant Production, Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentaries (IRTA), 08193 Barcelona, Spain
Interests: calves; heifers; metabolism; nutrition

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Dairy cattle represent an incredible example of metabolic orchestration and nutrient partitioning. They have the ability to increase dry matter intake above 4 times what they would normally consume to cover their maintenance needs, and then divert nutrients for milk production, reproduction, gestation, and even growth. However, 30 to 50% of dairy cows are affected by some form of metabolic or infectious disease around the time of calving. The biology of dairy cow health and reproductive performance is multifactorial and complex, and on most occasions, the origin of these afflictions is nutrition, both before and after calving.

The aim of this Special Issue is to publish high-quality manuscripts on the current state of the art concerning the interrelations between nutrition, metabolism, and the health of the dairy cow. Therefore, this Special Issue welcomes submissions, including reviews or original research studies, on this topic.

Prof. Dr. Àlex Bach
Guest Editor

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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Article
Effects of Prepartum Dietary Energy Level and Nicotinic Acid Supplementation on Immunological, Hematological and Biochemical Parameters of Periparturient Dairy Cows Differing in Parity
by Reka Tienken, Susanne Kersten, Jana Frahm, Liane Hüther, Ulrich Meyer, Korinna Huber, Jürgen Rehage and Sven Dänicke
Animals 2015, 5(3), 910-933; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani5030391 - 8 Sep 2015
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 4791
Abstract
The periparturient period is critical according to health, productivity and profitability. As this period is fundamental for the success of the lactation period, the interest in improving periparturient health by dietary supplements increased in recent years. The present study investigated the effects of [...] Read more.
The periparturient period is critical according to health, productivity and profitability. As this period is fundamental for the success of the lactation period, the interest in improving periparturient health by dietary supplements increased in recent years. The present study investigated the effects of feeding nicotinic acid (NA) combined with varying dietary energy densities on immunological, hematological and biochemical parameters of periparturient cows differing in parity. Thirty-six multiparous and 20 primiparous dairy cows were enrolled in the study 42 days before expected parturition date until 100 days postpartum with the half of the cows being supplemented with 24 g of NA/d. After parturition a diet with 30% concentrate was fed to all cows which was followed by different concentrate escalation strategies. Dietary NA supplementation was ceased on day 24 postpartum. Dietary NA increased (P = 0.010) serum nicotinamide concentrations (mean of 3.35 ± 1.65 µg/mL), whereas NA could not be detected. Present data emphasize that periparturient cows are faced with major physiological challenges and that both parity-groups have different prerequisites to adapt to those changes irrespective of NA supplementation. The overfeeding of energy to cows which were similar in body condition score had only minor effects on periparturient immune system function and the metabolism of those cows. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional and Metabolic Health of Dairy Cow)
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707 KiB  
Article
Evidence for a Role of Prolactin in Mediating Effects of Photoperiod during the Dry Period
by Heather M. Crawford, Dawn E. Morin, Emma H. Wall, Thomas B. McFadden and Geoffrey E. Dahl
Animals 2015, 5(3), 803-820; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani5030385 - 19 Aug 2015
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 5144
Abstract
Photoperiod manipulation during the lactation cycle alters milk yield, with long days (LDPP) increasing yield in lactation and short days (SDPP) in the dry period improving subsequent yield. Circulating prolactin (PRL) is directly related to day length, with LDPP increasing and SDPP decreasing [...] Read more.
Photoperiod manipulation during the lactation cycle alters milk yield, with long days (LDPP) increasing yield in lactation and short days (SDPP) in the dry period improving subsequent yield. Circulating prolactin (PRL) is directly related to day length, with LDPP increasing and SDPP decreasing PRL, respectively. Two blocks of 24 multiparous Holstein cows were used during two consecutive years to test the hypothesis that the mammary response to SDPP is the result of decreased concentrations of PRL in the circulation relative to LDPP. Cows were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups during the dry period: SDPP, LDPP, or SDPP+PRL. Cows were returned to ambient photoperiod at calving and milk yield and DMI recorded for 120 d and 42 d, respectively. Mammary biopsies were obtained to determine rates of [3H]-thymidine incorporation into DNA in vitro. Treatment of SDPP cows with PRL caused a rapid increase in systemic PRL that reached concentrations similar to cows under LDPP. The periparturient PRL surge was similar for LDPP and SDPP+PRL cows, but those groups had greater surge concentrations versus SDPP. Cows exposed to SDPP produced more milk than LDPP cows, and there was a trend for SDPP+PRL cows to produce more milk than LDPP cows. Milk production was inversely related to the periparturient PRL surge. There was a trend for a treatment effect on mammary cell proliferation with greater proliferation in mammary tissue of SDPP cows relative to LDPP or SDPP+PRL on day −20 relative to parturition. Replacement of PRL to cows on SDPP when dry resulted in milk yield intermediate to cows on SDPP or LDPP, supporting the concept of a link between dry period PRL and yield. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional and Metabolic Health of Dairy Cow)
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478 KiB  
Article
Relationships between Circulating Urea Concentrations and Endometrial Function in Postpartum Dairy Cows
by Zhangrui Cheng, Chike F. Oguejiofor, Theerawat Swangchan-Uthai, Susan Carr and D. Claire Wathes
Animals 2015, 5(3), 748-773; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani5030382 - 14 Aug 2015
Cited by 27 | Viewed by 5608
Abstract
Both high and low circulating urea concentrations, a product of protein metabolism, are associated with decreased fertility in dairy cows through poorly defined mechanisms. The rate of involution and the endometrial ability to mount an adequate innate immune response after calving are both [...] Read more.
Both high and low circulating urea concentrations, a product of protein metabolism, are associated with decreased fertility in dairy cows through poorly defined mechanisms. The rate of involution and the endometrial ability to mount an adequate innate immune response after calving are both critical for subsequent fertility. Study 1 used microarray analysis to identify genes whose endometrial expression 2 weeks postpartum correlated significantly with the mean plasma urea per cow, ranging from 3.2 to 6.6 mmol/L. The biological functions of 781 mapped genes were analysed using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis. These were predominantly associated with tissue turnover (e.g., BRINP1, FOXG1), immune function (e.g., IL17RB, CRISPLD2), inflammation (e.g., C3, SERPINF1, SERPINF2) and lipid metabolism (e.g., SCAP, ACBD5, SLC10A). Study 2 investigated the relationship between urea concentration and expression of 6 candidate genes (S100A8, HSP5A, IGF1R, IL17RB, BRINP1, CRISPLD2) in bovine endometrial cell culture. These were treated with 0, 2.5, 5.0 or 7.5 mmol/L urea, equivalent to low, medium and high circulating values with or without challenge by bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). LPS increased S100A8 expression as expected but urea treatment had no effect on expression of any tested gene. Examination of the genes/pathways involved suggests that plasma urea levels may reflect variations in lipid metabolism. Our results suggest that it is the effects of lipid metabolism rather than the urea concentration which probably alter the rate of involution and innate immune response, in turn influencing subsequent fertility. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional and Metabolic Health of Dairy Cow)
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Review

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341 KiB  
Review
The Role of TCA Cycle Anaplerosis in Ketosis and Fatty Liver in Periparturient Dairy Cows
by Heather M. White
Animals 2015, 5(3), 793-802; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani5030384 - 18 Aug 2015
Cited by 101 | Viewed by 15422
Abstract
The transition to lactation period in dairy cattle is characterized by metabolic challenges, negative energy balance, and adipose tissue mobilization. Metabolism of mobilized adipose tissue is part of the adaptive response to negative energy balance in dairy cattle; however, the capacity of the [...] Read more.
The transition to lactation period in dairy cattle is characterized by metabolic challenges, negative energy balance, and adipose tissue mobilization. Metabolism of mobilized adipose tissue is part of the adaptive response to negative energy balance in dairy cattle; however, the capacity of the liver to completely oxidize nonesterified fatty acids may be limited and is reflective of oxaloacetate pool, the carbon carrier of the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Alternative metabolic fates of acetyl-CoA from nonesterified fatty acids include esterification to triacylglycerides and ketogenesis, and when excessive, these pathways lead to fatty liver and ketosis. Examination of the anaplerotic and cataplerotic pull of oxaloacetate by the tricarboxylic acid cycle and gluconeogenesis may provide insight into the balance of oxidation and esterification of acetyl-CoA within the liver of periparturient dairy cows. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional and Metabolic Health of Dairy Cow)
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