Rumen-protected methionine in cattle: influences on reproduction, immune response, and productive performance

Abstract

Nowadays, information and knowledge generated about the main ingredients used in cattle diets have enabled greater assertiveness in their formulation. Among the ingredients, amino acids stand out as a promising tool, capable of reducing total crude protein (CP) levels and adjusting optimal metabolizable protein concentrations in diets. Nutritional programs allow diets due to amino acid requirements, providing the opportunity to increase the efficiency of the use of dietary nitrogen, increasing the scarce protein concentrates, maintaining or even boosting performance. This review aimed to present the influences of methionine, in its formulation protected from ruminal degradation, according to reproductive parameters, immune response, and productive performance in cattle. Reproduction-related benefits are linked to the early days of embryonic implantation in the uterine environment, which initially secretes through the histotroph produced by endometrial glands, the nutrients needed to develop the conceptus until implantation, and vascular communication with the mother. Given the immune response, the main results are related to the benefits of innate immunity, with marked increase in phagocytic capacity of neutrophils and monocytes, as well as an important antioxidant effect mediated by methionine products, such as glutathione. When evaluating the influences on productivity, the most evident correlation is the increase in protein in the milk of cows supplemented with methionine. Over the past decade, studies investigating the potential benefits of this strategic supplementation in beef cattle were intensified, expanding the opportunities for the development of new experimental projects.

Effect of supplementation of rumen protected methionine and lysine on some physiological aspects of fattening calves

“…The results of significant increasing of body weight of G2 in compare with G1and G3 agreed with Singh et al (17) when they studied the effect the same products in heifers, but not agreed with Lopes et al (18) suggesting that the response of increasing of body weight was due to lysine, not methionine (treated group with a mixture of Met+Lys), although non significance increasing of body weight in G1 to G2 occur as a result of dietary protein supplementation that are respected to be beneficial resources of "bypass" or rumen non degradable protein have been used in expansion of animal performance (19), and Dietary supplementation of rumen protected protein and amino acids are suggested to keep the physiological and productive requirements of livestock for amino acids (11), while this results agreed with one study that evaluated the effect of supplementing crossbred steers with rumen protected methionine , rumen protected lysine or a mixture of both rumen protected amino acid through the entire feeding interval 134day (20).…”

Effects of Supplementing Rumen-Protected Methionine and Lysine on Milk Performance and Oxidative Status of Dairy Ewes

“…Up to now, the dietary inclusion of rumen-protected methionine and lysine has been well documented in dairy cows mainly focusing on milk performance [ 13 , 14 ], immune response [ 13 , 15 ], oxidative status [ 16 ], and reproduction [ 13 , 17 ]. Recently, limiting AAs have been tested as immune function regulators during the early lactation of dairy sheep [ 18 , 19 ], while extensive studies have been carried out on small ruminants’ milk performance [ 20 ].…”

The effects of rumen protected methionine supplementation on the performance of primiparous dairy cows using the Presynch‐Ovsynch protocol

“…In the same study, the addition of S ‐adenosyl Met could partly restore embryonic development in the presence of Met anti‐metabolite (Ikeda et al, 2017). This could be due to the effects of RPM on the pre‐implantation of the embryo by the use of endogenous lipid reserves as an energy source for pre‐implanted embryos and a key to the survival of membrane synthesis (Acosta et al, 2016, 2017; Lopes et al, 2019). Therefore, adequate Met may be required for correct embryo attachment and development.…”