Rumen-protected glucose stimulates the secretion of reproductive hormones and the mTOR/AKT signaling pathway in the ovaries of early postpartum

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 13; no. 1; p. 2940
• Main Authors: Wang, Yan, Jin, Chenzhong, Yi, Yuzhen, Hu, Yihong, Han, Xuefeng, Tan, Zhiliang, Wang, Zheng, Kang, Jinhe
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 20.02.2023; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 1-Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase; 631/1647/2017; 631/45; 631/45/776; 631/601; 631/601/1737; AKT protein; Animals; Cattle; Dairy cattle; Diet - veterinary; Dietary supplements; Dietary Supplements - analysis; Female; Glucose - metabolism; Gonadotropins; Hormones; Hormones - metabolism; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Lactation; Luteinizing hormone; Milk - chemistry; mRNA; multidisciplinary; Ovaries; Ovary - metabolism; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases - metabolism; Pituitary (anterior); Postpartum; Postpartum Period; Proteins; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt - metabolism; Rumen; Rumen - metabolism; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Signal Transduction; TOR protein; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases - metabolism
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-30170-5

This study was conducted to determine the response of the reproductive hormones and the mTOR/AKT/PI3K pathway in the ovaries of postpartum dairy cows with dietary rumen-protected glucose (RPG). Twelve Holstein cows were randomly assigned to two groups (n = 6/group): the control group (CT) and the RPG group. Blood samples were collected on d 1, 7, and 14 after calving for the gonadal hormone assay. The expression of the gonadal hormones receptors and PI3K/mTOR/AKT pathways were detected using RT-PCR and Western blot. The RPG addition increased the plasma LH, E2, and P4 concentrations on d 14 after calving and upregulated the mRNA and protein expressions of the ERα, ERβ, 17β-HSD, FSHR, LHR, and CYP17A1 but downregulated StAR expression. Immunohistochemical analysis identified higher expressions of the FSHR and LHR in the ovaries of RPG-fed cows compared to CT cows. Furthermore, the protein expressions of p -AKT/AKT and p -mTOR/mTOR were significantly increased in the ovaries of RPG-fed cows compared to the CT group, but the addition of RPG did not alter the protein expression of p -PI3K/PI3K. In conclusion, the current results indicated that dietary RPG supplementation regulated gonadotropin secretion and stimulated expression of hormone receptors and the mTOR/AKT pathway in the ovaries of early postpartum dairy cows. RPG may be beneficial for the recovery of ovarian activity in post-calving dairy cows.