1,721,000 research outputs found
Milk and plasma IgG levels in primiparous and multiparous cows, during the first week of lactation
No full textBovines are born agammaglobulinemic and achieve immune protection by transport of colostral immunoglobulins into the bloodstream through intestinal epithelium. This transfer depends on initial permeability of intestinal mucosa and transcytotic mechanisms mediated by receptors. Despite immunoglobulin transfer ceases within 48 hours after birth, receptors persist into adulthood. In bovine colostrum/milk the predominant immunoglobulin is IgG (subclasses IgG1 + IgG2), which mainly derives from maternal blood. During the first week of age, interaction between ingested IgGs and intestinal receptors stimulates intestinal mucosa thickness and villi length of the newborn. During the first week of lactation, colostrum/milk and blood IgGs were analysed in 7 primiparous and 7 multiparous Fresian dairy cows, in order to identify factors affecting their level. All cows were fed a total mixed ration ad libitum. On day 0, 1, 3 and 7 of lactation, milk yield and composition were determined and colostrum/milk and blood samples were tested for IgG1 and IgG2 by ELISA. Data were analysed by the PROC MIXED RM method of SAS.
Colostrum/milk yield ranged between 11.5 and 34.7 L/d, without differences between primiparous and multiparous cows, throughout the study period, but protein and casein were higher (P<0.05) in colostrum/milk of multiparous ones, from day 1 to 7. By contrast, on parturition day, fat (95.4 vs. 58.8 g/L, SE=9.35, P<0.01) and urea (0.81 vs. 0.65 g/L, SE=0.04, P<0.05) were higher in colostrum of primiparous cows. In both groups, maximum levels of IgGs were observed at parturition. Total IgG was twice higher in colostrum of primiparous cows (2.47 vs. 1.26 g/L, SE=0.30, P<0.05), but this difference was entirely due to IgG2 (1.20 vs. 0.37 g/L, SE=0.15, P<0.01), whereas colostrum IgG1 did not differ between groups.. In both groups, colostrum/milk IgG1 correlated (P<0.05) negatively with milk yield and positively with milk protein. In primiparous cows, colostrum/milk IgG2 correlated (P<0.01) negatively with milk yield and positively with milk urea. Maximum levels of blood IgGs were observed at parturition, without differences between groups.
Results suggest that milk yield, protein and urea, parity and distance from parturition are all factors affecting the level of IgG in colostrum and milk. Results suggest that IgG1 and IgG2 are transferred from maternal blood into milk through different processes and the efficiency of IgG2 transfer seems to decrease with parity
Effect of cocoa husks diet on lipid metabolism and liver composition in fattening pigs during the hot season
No full textCocoa husks are byproducts from chocolate production, characterized by high contents of proteins, lipids, dietary fibre and antioxidants, polyphenols in particular. The present study evaluated the effect of cocoa husks feeding on lipid metabolism and liver composition in finishing pigs. Eight castrated male Duroc x Large White pigs (135 ± 4.06 kg, mean ± SE) were randomly assigned to one of two groups: CTRL, fed a conventional pelleted diet based on cereals, and COCOA, fed a diet obtained by substitution of 10% of the conventional diet with coarsely-ground cocoa husks. The experimental diets were isoproteic and isoenergetic, but EE (4.53 vs. 3.60 % DM), NDF (14.2 vs. 12.8 % DM), ADF (7.19 vs. 5.03 % DM), ADL (2.22 vs. 1.21 % DM) and total polyphenols (15.4 vs. 8.18 g/kg DM) were higher in COCOA than CTRL diet. The trial was conducted during the hot season (T = 27.1 ± 2.49 °C; Ur = 65.0 ± 4.65 %) and lasted 6 weeks, after which blood samples were taken before the first meal of the day, and analyzed for lipid parameters. Pigs were then sent to the slaughter house, where body and liver weights were recorded and liver samples were collected and analyzed for composition. Obtained data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA.
Consumption of cocoa husks for 6 weeks reduced (P<0.01) by 10 % DM and energy intake, but had no effect on body and carcass weights and hot dressing percentage.
Cocoa husks diet increased plasmatic level of HDL cholesterol (38.5 vs. 25.9 mg/dL, SE=5.34, P<0.05), without affecting total and LDL cholesterol. In humans, increased HDL cholesterol is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases. The intake of polyphenols has been shown to increase plasma HDL cholesterol in both humans and animals, but the mechanism by which polyphenols stimulate HDL cholesterol synthesis by the liver remains unclear.
Cocoa husks feeding did not affect liver cholesterol, but reduced liver weight (1634 vs. 1833 g, SE=88.5, P<0.05) and liver content of soluble protein (66.7 vs. 84.8 mg/g, SE=4.43, P<0.01), DNA (3.20 vs. 4.74 mg/g, SE=0.34, P=0.01) and glycogen (24.6 vs. 88.4 mg/g, SE=10.7, P=0.01). By contrast, cocoa husks increased liver ether extract (15.1 vs. 11.8 mg/g, SE=1.13, P=0.05). Previous studies showed that liver weight decreases in pigs exposed to high/discomforting temperatures, in order to reduce endogenous heat production. For the same purpose, animals decrease protein synthesis and store energy in the form of fats, because protein synthesis is energetically expensive and largely contributes to total heat production, whereas fat deposition is a more efficient and less thermogenic process. This leads to a shift toward the use of carbohydrates as energy substrate and a consequent reduction in glycogen storage in the liver.
Results suggest that, during the hot season, cocoa husks diet may foster liver metabolism, in order to promote animal coping with environmental conditions. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that COCOA pigs needed less feeding to reach similar body and carcass weight of the CTRL ones
Trend-analysis of plasma insulin level around parturition, in relation to parity in Saanen goats
Get PDFThe present study investigated the effect of parity on plasma insulin level around parturition in Saanen goats. On d -14, -7, 0, 3, 7, 10 and 14 from parturition, plasma glucose, NEFA, free AAs, cortisol and insulin concentrations were analyzed in 10 primiparous and 10 multiparous goats. At parturition, BW of primiparous goats was about 75% of that of multiparous ones (P < 0.001) and then their milk production was lower than that of multiparous ones (P < 0.001). At parturition, glucose increased (P < 0.01) in both primiparous and multiparous goats, and then decreased (P < 0.01) on d 3 of lactation, remaining higher (P < 0.01) in primiparous than multiparous goats until the end of the study period. In both groups, free AAs decreased (P < 0.01) at parturition, returning to pre-partum levels (P < 0.01) on d 3 of lactation without difference between groups. Only in multiparous goats, plasma NEFA increased at parturition (P < 0.01), returning to pre-partum levels on d 14 (P < 0.01). Changes in glucose and AAs could have been caused by cortisol, which increased (P < 0.01) at parturition in both primiparous and multiparous goats, returning to pre-partum levels (P < 0.01) on d 7 of lactation, without difference between the parity groups. In multiparous goats insulin decreased soon after parturition (P < 0.05), remaining at low levels until the end of the study period, whereas, in primiparous goats, insulin did not vary until d 14 of lactation, when it decreased (P < 0.05) also in this group. Therefore, between d 3 and 14 of lactation, insulin was higher in primiparous than multiparous goats (P < 0.05). Only in primiparous goats, at kidding, insulin was negatively correlated to body weight (P < 0.01), and after parturition it was negatively correlated with milk yield (P < 0.05) and plasma NEFA (P < 0.05). We hypothesize that higher insulin levels in primiparous Saanen goats, which are still immature at their first breeding season, acted to limit both the mobilization of bodily reserves and the capture of nutrients by the lactating mammary gland, thus providing nutrients for their own physical and physiological development
Influence of food intake timing on daily variations of leptin and other metabolic variables in NZW rabbits
Get PDFThe aim of this study was to investigate circadian rhythms of plasma leptin and other metabolic variables in rabbits, to assess the influence of the timing of food intake and to investigate the relationship between leptin and lipid metabolites.
Conclusions: The data of this study show
clearly that the time of administration of food is a potent synchronizer of the circadian patterns of leptin and the other parameters investigated. The diurnal
variations in leptin therefore depend on the “nutritional status” of the animal, rather than light cues, as Schoeller et al. (1997) and Ahima et al. (1996) also inferred in humans and mice. Leptin correlations with the variables investigated indicate that in rabbits leptin is an index of the lipid metabolism
Welfare in goat kids during the peri-weaning period : endocrine/metabolic asset and functional development
Get PDFAnimal welfare occurs when all those factors that may reduce the ability of an animal to adapt to the environment are avoided. Those factors are named stressors and can be analyzed. Stress can affect the endocrine/metabolic asset, nutritional status, normal growth and development, productivity and even the environmental impact of farm animals.
In the life of young ruminants, the most dramatic event is weaning, which often coincides with a period of growth stasis. Weaning is the process of switching young animals from milk to solid feed. This change needs adaptation in digestive activity and in rumen functions.
In light of this, the aim of the present study was to evaluate welfare status of goat kids, during the peri-weaning period, with a view to obtaining information that may help to minimize the stress of this crucial period.
For this purpose, 11 Saanen goat kids, at birth, were immediately separated from their mothers and divided into two groups: MILK and WMIX. All kids were fed colostrum for the first three days of life. MILK group received goat milk ad libitum for the rest of the study period, while WMIX group was progressively weaned. Weaning program ended on day 48 of age.
During the experimental period, physiological parameters were analyzed. Animals’ behaviour and haematic parameters of welfare were also studied.
The adopted weaning process minimized the stress of the transition from milk to solid diet. During this transition, milk-borne insulin played a possible role in the development of pancreatic amylase synthesis and activity. Anyway, further studies are required to determine whether milk-borne insulin passes the gastro-intestinal mucosa of suckling kids and contributes to the functional development of the pancreas
Diet influences the content of bioactive peptides in goat milk
No full textLeptin, insulin, ghrelin and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) are circulating peptide hormones concerned with energy homeostasis and the regulation of GH axis. They are present in human milk, and are thought to promote neonatal development. The aim of the present study was to detect these substances in goat milk and determine whether their levels can be modified by changing the macronutrient content of the lactating animals’ diet. Sixteen Saanen goats in mid lactation were divided into two equal groups, one was given a diet containing 17% starch (LS) and the other a diet of 33% starch (HS). Eighty days later, leptin, insulin, ghrelin and IGF-1 were determined by human RIA kits in plasma before and after feeding, and in sonicated milk centrifuged to remove fat from morning and evening milkings. The HS diet was associated with higher plasma and milk insulin and IGF-1, and plasma ghrelin. Leptin, insulin and ghrelin in milk were two-three times higher than in plasma; milk IGF-1 was only 13% of plasma level. Plasma insulin correlated positively with plasma IGF-1; morning milk IGF-1 and insulin correlated positively with morning plasma levels. These findings demonstrate that human immuno-activities of bioactive peptides are present in goat milk, and also that levels of insulin and IGF-1 in milk can be altered by changing the macronutrient content of the diet. Further research is required to determine whether these substances can be transferred from the milk to suckling animals and humans, and whether they have biological activity in such animals
Effect of long-term β-agonist treatment on cAMP and corticosterone levels
No full textThe aim of this work was to examine the effects of long-term dietary administration of clenbuterol on fasting and post-feeding plasma cAMP and corticosterone in rabbits, in order to ascertain if its role as anti-inflammatory and growth promoting agent is mediated by modulations of their plasma concentrations. Eighteen 2-kg male New Zealand White rabbits, divided into 2 homogenous groups, were fed a control diet or a control diet plus 1 mg/kg clenbuterol for 31 d, ad libitum from 18.00 h to 09.00 h. Blood was withdrawn at the end of the experimental period at 18.00 h to 09.00 h and analyzed by RIA. The data related to plasma were processed by two-way ANOVA in order to evaluate the effects of treatment and feeding state. Treatment increased the mean daily gain (+34 %; P<0.001) and reduced feed conversion ratio (-22 %; P=0.001). Clenbuterol did not influence post-feeding (09.00 h) nor fasting (18.00 h) plasma cAMP, but increased fasting corticosterone (26.8 vs 41.2 μg/l; SE=6.3, P<0.05). In control group plasma cAMP was correlated (P<0.01) to corticosterone (post-feeding r=+0.754; fasting r=–0.714), but in treated animals cAMP was correlated to corticosterone only in post-feeding state (r=+0.67, P<0.05). Results show that the long-term β-agonist treatment raised fasting plasma corticosterone and that the higher levels did not actually affect plasma cAMP. Moreover, the treatment impaired the link between plasma cAMP and corticosterone, observed during fasting in the control group
Somatotropin and fat administration to lactating dairy buffalo: effects on milk production and plasma leptin
No full textThe aims of this study were to determine the effects of somatotropin (bST) and dietary Fat administration on milk production, plasma leptin, and selected plasma lipid parameters in dairy buffalo. Forty lactating Italian river dairy buffalo in mid to late lactation were randomly divided into 4 groups: Control, Fat (0.3 kg/d of rumen-protected fat), bST (320 mg/3wk of slow release bST for 4 cycles) and bST+Fat. Milk production was measured weekly. Blood samples were collected weekly at 14.00h and plasma analyzed for leptin, NEFA and triglyceride. Somatotropin administration increased (P<.01) milk yield (6.76, 7.55, 9.03, and 8.99 kg/d in control, Fat, bST and bST+Fat respectively), whereas milk composition was unaffected by treatments. Although plasma NEFA was unaffected by treatments, mean plasma leptin (2.33, 2.81, 2.28, 3.32 microg/l; P<.01) and triglyceride (309, 370, 321, 351mmol/l; P<.05) were increased by Fat supplementation. Results herein presented confirmed a galactopoetic effect of bST in lactating dairy buffalo. On the other hand increased plasma leptin level observed in fat supplemented buffalo pcould confirm that, like in other mammals, plasma leptin is related to dietary fat composition and to the nutritional status of the animal
Haptoglobin, cortisol, A/G ratio and IGF-1 in goat kids around weaning
Get PDFWeaning is the most stressful event in the life of young ruminants. Since
stress can affect endocrine and immune functions, weaning often results
in a period of growth stasis and risk of disease. In light of this, the aim
of this study was to evaluate the effect of weaning on growth and on
some physiological mediators of stress and immune function.
Eleven Saanen goat kids were studied from day 3 to day 50 of age.
Kids were randomly divided into two groups: MILK (6 animals) and
WMIX (5 animals). All were fed goat milk to age 29 days. After that,
MILK kids continued to receive milk, while WMIX group underwent
weaning, in which milk was gradually replaced by solid feed. WMIX
kids were completely weaned on day 48.
During the experimental period, dry matter intake (DMI) and body
weights (BW) were recorded and blood was analyzed for metabolic
traits, for indicators of health status (cortisol, haptoglobin and albumin/
globulin - A/G ratio) and for IGF-1, which has a crucial role in postnatal
development.
Starting from day 37 of age, DMI began to lower in WMIX group.
On day 50, glucose, amino acids and urea were significantly lower in
WMIX kids. On the same day, plasma IGF-1 was also lower in WMIX
kids, as possible consequence of the lower plasma glucose and amino
acids. Despite these differences, BW did not differ between groups,
throughout the entire period.
Along the experimental period, plasma cortisol was always low in both
groups, signaling no stressful condition, even if from day 44 to 50 of
age, cortisol level significantly increased in MILK kids. This last result
may indicate a function for cortisol as metabolic hormone involved in
glucose homeostasis, rather than as telltale sign of poor health. In fact,
no difference was observed neither in plasma haptoglobin, nor in A/G
ratio, which are useful tools for suggesting when the animal is pathologically
or physically challenged.
Results imply that a gradual transition from milk to solid feed does not
affect the health status of goat kids, but it can decrease plasma cortisol,
as hormone involved in glucose metabolism
Sources of variation in biopeptides and IgG levels in goat milk
No full textFor the importance of goat milk in human nutrition, we evaluated milk content of some bioactive compounds and the effect of time of milking and milk treatment on their concentration. Twenty-four Saanen goats were studied from day 18 to day 46 of lactation. Samples of the bulk milk were taken weekly from morning and evening milkings. An aliquot for each sample was centrifuged (skim milk). Another aliquot was sonicated before centrifugation. Both aliquots were analyzed for insulin, IGF-1 and IgG.
No difference was observed between morning and evening milking for insulin. IGF-1 was higher in morning than in evening milk (20.3 vs. 15.7 ng/ml, P=0.06). By contrast, IgG level was higher in evening milk (252 vs. 92.2 ng/ml, P<0.05).
No difference was observed between skim and sonicated-centrifuged milk for the mean level of IGF-1 and IgG, but mean insulin level was higher in sonicated-centrifuged milk (1.80 vs. 0.72 ng/ml, P<0.001)
- …
