Effects of Inflammatory Conditions on Liver Activity in Puerperium Period and Consequences for Performance in Dairy Cows

Abstract

The relationship between inflammation and general health conditions in dairy cows and the link between inflammation, liver function, and fertility are poorly understood. To clarify these relationships, 120 multiparous dairy cows were followed throughout an entire lactation. Blood samples were collected during the first month of lactation for a metabolic profile, and milk yield, disease occurrence, and fertility parameters were monitored during the entire lactation. Twenty-four cows were culled, and another 19 were excluded because they had serious problems after 30 d in milk (DIM) and before the first insemination. The remaining 77 cows were pregnant at the end of lactation and were retrospectively grouped into quartiles based on liver activity index (LAI), which is based on plasma negative acute phase proteins. Cows in the lower (LO) and intermediate lower (INLO) quartiles of LAI had more severe inflammations with high concentrations of haptoglobin (0.77 and 0.61 g/L) and globulin (42.5 and 39.0 g/L), respectively, during the first week of lactation compared with cows in the upper (UP) and intermediate upper (INUP) quartiles of LAI (haptoglobin: 0.28 and 0.45 g/L, and globulin: 34.2 and 36.9 g/L, respectively). At 7 DIM, the cows in LO and INLO had greater bilirubinemia (8.7 and 10.5 vs. 6.3 microM/L in UP) and lower blood urea (3.5 and 3.7 vs. 4.1 mM in UP). The INLO group exhibited more days open (139 vs. 93) and services per pregnancy (2.68 vs. 1.65), but lower milk yield (38.3 vs. 40.8 kg/d at 28 DIM) compared with UP. The LO group did not have a significantly lower fertility status, but presented the lowest milk yield (34.1 kg/d at 28 DIM). Our data suggest that cows with lower LAI scores had a more pronounced inflammatory status during the first month of lactation, an impairment of usual hepatic functions (e.g., bilirubin clearance), and a larger negative energy balance. The same cows had poorer performance (lower milk yield and fertility) than cows with higher LAI scores. Overall data suggest that any effort to avoid the acute phase response in the transition period would be useful for optimizing the productive and reproductive performance of high-yielding dairy cows.

Some physiological and biochemical methods for acute and chronic stress evaluationin dairy cows

“…and called positive acute phase proteins (+APP) Cappa et al, 1989;Gruys et al, 1998;Colditz, 2002;Murata et al, 2004). This physio-pathological answer affects the ordinary functions of liver; namely, it causes the reduction in the synthesis of several other proteins, such as albumin, apolipoproteins, binding proteins of fat-soluble vitamins and hormones (Cappa et al, 1989;Fleck, 1989;Gruys et al, 1998;Murata et al, 2004;Gruys et al, 2005;Bionaz et al, 2007;Bertoni et al, 2008); therefore, they are called negative acute phase proteins (-APP). In this situation, other usual functions of the liver, such as gluconeogenesis (Elsasser et al, 2000), bilirubin excretion (Assenat et al, 2004) and others, can be reduced.…”

“…In this situation, other usual functions of the liver, such as gluconeogenesis (Elsasser et al, 2000), bilirubin excretion (Assenat et al, 2004) and others, can be reduced. Thus, among the mechanisms of the well known negative effects of inflammations, mainly when they are prolonged, the changes in liver functionality could be of great interest and could be useful markers of a chronic stress condition ("disease" stress) in dairy cows (Bertoni, 1999;Bertoni et al, 2008;Lomborg et al, 2008) as well as in beef cattle (Arthington et al, 2003;Arthington et al, 2005) and in pigs (Piñeiro et al, 2007). In particular, the -APP represent promising indicators of chronic stress/reduced welfare during the transition period, as demonstrated in various experiments (Bertoni et al, 2006a;Bionaz et al, 2007;Bertoni et al, 2008), because they are linked to the effects of prolonged and severe inflammation, which cause their marked reduction and reduced level of welfare.…”

Prepartum and postpartum nutritional management to optimize fertility in high-yielding dairy cows in confined TMR systems

“…However, the extent to which NEB is causative for peripartal health problems rather than just a correlated phenomenon must be examined critically (Roche et al, 2013). For example, in transition cows inflammatory responses may decrease DMI, cause alterations in metabolism, and predispose cows to greater NEB or increased disease (Bertoni et al, 2008;Graugnard et al, 2012 andIngvartsen and Moyes, 2013). Inducing a degree of calculated NEB in mid-lactation cows similar to what periparturient cows often encounter does not result in marked increases in ketogenesis or other processes associated with peripartal disease (Moyes et al, 2009).…”

“…These findings raise the fascinating prospect that at least some periparturient diseases result from adverse ruminal conditions caused by excessive grain in the precalving or fresh cow diet, perhaps aggravated by overcrowding, heat stress or other stressors. Others also have implicated inflammatory responses in alterations of metabolism, occurrence of health problems and impaired reproduction (Bertoni et al, 2008;Graugnard et al, 2012).Non-nutritional stressors may decrease DMI and predispose cows to postpartum health problems. Cows that developed metritis (Hammon et al, 2006; Huzzy et al, 2007) or ketosis (Goldhawk et al, 2009) after calving had lower DMI or reduced feeding behavior before calving.…”

Fertility in dairy cows: bridging the gaps

“…, nutrition (Kadokawa and Martin, 2006;Robinson et al, 2006;Chagas et al, 2007;Friggens and Newbold, 2007;Wathes et al, 2007) Economics (Vargas et al, 2002;Esslemont, 2003;Santarossa et al, 2004;McGuirk et al, 2007), veterinary interventions and management (Refsdal, 2000;Roche et al, 2000;Sheldon et al, 2004;Bertoni et al, 2006;Diskin et al, 2006;Drillich et al, 2006;Mansell et al, 2006;Mee, 2007;Valergakis et al, 2007). It has also prompted the development of new technology and applications in the field.…”