Effect of Different Combinations of Dietary Vitamin A, Protein Levels, and Monensin on Inflammatory Markers and Metabolites, Retinol-Binding Protein, and Retinoid Status in Periparturient Dairy Cows

• Published in: Animals (Basel) Vol. 11; no. 9; p. 2605
• Main Authors: Agustinho, Bruna C., Ramsey, Kirk C., Moore, Chel, Tsai, Chia-Yu, Scholte, Cynthia M., McGuire, Mark A., Rezamand, Pedram
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 05.09.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Acids; Animal lactation; Animals; Body weight; Dairy cattle; Dairy industry; Energy balance; gene expression; Haptoglobin; High protein diet; immune function; Immune response; Immune system; Inflammation; Ionophores; Lactation; Leukocytes (mononuclear); Low protein diet; Markers; Mastitis; Metabolism; Metabolites; Metritis; Milk; Monensin; Nitrogen; Nutrient balance; Nutrient deficiency; Nutrient requirements; Oxidative stress; Parturition; periparturient; Peripheral blood mononuclear cells; Postpartum; Proteins; Retinene; Retinoic acid; Retinol-binding protein; Thiobarbituric acid; Tumor necrosis factor-α; Vitamin A; United States > US
• ISSN: 2076-2615; 2076-2615
• DOI: 10.3390/ani11092605

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of feeding different combinations of dietary vitamin A supplementation (0 or 110 IU/kg body weight), protein (10.3% or 12.2%), and an ionophore (monensin at 0 or 400 mg/day) on retinoid metabolism and immune function of dairy cows. Eighty multiparous Holstein dairy cows were studied from d −35 to +21 relative to expected parturition in a complete randomized block design with a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. The significance of treatments was declared at p ≤ 0.05. Dairy cows receiving high crude protein (CP) diets with monensin had a greater retinol-binding protein serum concentration than cows receiving high CP diets without monensin (p = 0.04). Animals supplemented with vitamin A showed lower SCC (p = 0.04) and a higher thiobarbituric acid reactive substances concentration (p = 0.06) than cows non-supplemented. Moreover, cows receiving low crude protein diets had a greater haptoglobin concentration (p = 0.01). In addition, cows fed a high crude protein diet had a greater TNF-α expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (p = 0.04). Animals fed diets without monensin had a greater serum haptoglobin on day 3 postpartum than those fed monensin (p = 0.01). Moreover, dietary vitamin A increased serum 13-cis retinoic acid postpartum. We conclude that vitamin A, crude protein levels, and monensin fed during the close-up period affect milk somatic cell count, some vitamin statuses, and inflammatory markers during early lactation.