Milk Fatty Acids Composition Changes According to β-Hydroxybutyrate Concentrations in Ewes during Early Lactation

Abstract

Ketosis is a metabolic disease of pregnant and lactating ewes linked to a negative energy balance which can cause different economic losses. The aims of this study were to understand the metabolic status of the early-lactating ewes and to identify biomarkers for early diagnosis of subclinical ketosis. Forty-six Sarda ewes were selected in the immediate post-partum for the collection of the biological samples. A blood sample from the jugular vein was used to determine β-Hydroxybutyrate (BHB) concentrations. Animals were divided into two groups: BHB 0 or healthy group (n = 28) with BHB concentration < 0.86 mmol/L; and BHB 1 or subclinical ketosis (n = 18) with a BHB concentration ≥ 0.86 mmol/L. Ten mL of pool milk were collected at the morning milking for the analyses. The concentration of 34 milk fatty acids was evaluated using gas chromatography. Two biochemical parameters and 11 milk fatty acids of the total lipid fraction presented a p-value ≤ 0.05. The study revealed different relationships with tricarboxylic acid cycle, blood flows, immune and nervous systems, cell functions, inflammatory response, and oxidative stress status. Eight parameters were significant for the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis with an area under the curve greater than 0.70.

Differences of the Plasma Total Lipid Fraction from Pre-Foaling to Post-Foaling Period in Donkeys

“…After foaling, the animals returned to a physiological state, even though they showed a progressive loss of fat resources. A similar condition can be observed in small ruminants affected by ovine pregnancy toxemia [16,20,21]. Moreover, urea concentration showed a peak around the second month of lactation.…”

“…Whereas TP and LDH showed a trend toward significance (p = 0.076 and 0.078, respectively). 9 Alanine Transaminase; 10 γ-Glutamyl-transferase; 11 Alkaline phosphatase; 12 Lactate dehydrogenase; 13 Creatin-kinase; 14 Creatinine; 15 Reactive protein C; 16 Calcium; 17 Chlorine; 18 Magnesium; 19 Sodium; 20 Potassium; 21 Nonsignificant; 22 Linear orthogonal contrast; 23 Orthogonal quadratic contrast; a-c Mean values in the same row that differ significantly.…”

“…An inflammatory cascade begins when these fatty acids, especially arachidonic acid (C20:4 ω 6; AA), are released from phospholipids and used to produce eicosanoids [45]. Specifically, ω-3 is involved in the production of anti-inflammatory products, such as lipoxins, resolvins, and protectins, whereas ω-6 is involved in both pro-and anti-inflammatory responses [16]. The ω-3 fatty acids derive from essential fatty acids, the α-linolenic acid (C18:3 ω 3; ALA) [46,47].…”

“…Gas chromatography (GC), singularly or coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS), is a well-established technique for identifying and quantifying fatty acids in samples [14,15]. This technique can be used to identify the total lipid fraction, which can indicate different aspects of the metabolism that are not always identifiable by standard biochemical analysis [16]. In addition, the use of plasma as a sample type is useful, because this matrix can report changes present in all organs, without being influenced by the activity of the mammary gland, as would be in the case of milk as a sample type [16,17].…”

Estimation of Milk Fatty Acids Health Index as Milk Value Added Determinant using FT-NIRS

“…High CLA content in smallholder dairy farm milk due to high proportion of forage used in ration. According to Lahlou et al (2014), high CLA content in smallholder dairy farm milk was also related to the high proportion used of tofu waste in concentrate which contained high linoleic acid (Damanik et al, 2018) as a precursor for CLA synthesis (Fiore et al, 2021). The Lower AI index and higher H/H ratio found in the milk from traditional farms were caused by high unsaturated fatty acid content in the milk due to high forage used in the ration (Lestari et al, 2015).…”