Supplementation with difructose anhydride III promotes passive calcium absorption in the small intestine immediately after calving in dairy cows

Abstract

The incidence of hypocalcemia increases in high-parity dairy cows because resorption of bone Ca is delayed in these animals, and they appear to have a reduced ability to absorb Ca from the intestine during the early postpartum period. Difructose anhydride (DFA) III has been shown to promote the absorption of intestinal Ca via a paracellular pathway. However, past studies have not reported this effect in peripartum dairy cows. Therefore, we investigated the effect of DFA III supplementation on Ca metabolism during the peripartum period to determine whether DFA III promotes intestinal Ca absorption via this route. Seventy-four multiparous Holstein cows were separated into DFA and control groups based on their parity and body weight. The feed of the DFA group was supplemented with 40g/d of DFA III from -14 to 6d relative to calving. The control group did not receive DFA III. At calving (0h relative to calving), serum Ca declined below 9mg/dL in both groups. However, serum Ca concentrations were greater in the DFA group than in the control group at 6, 12, 24, and 48h relative to calving, and the time required for serum Ca to recover to 9mg/dL during the postpartum period was shorter in the high-parity cows in the DFA group than in those in the control group. Parathyroid hormone concentrations increased immediately after calving in both groups and were greater in the control group than in the DFA group at 12 and 24h relative to calving. Serum 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D concentrations increased at 0 and 12h relative to calving in both groups and were higher in the control group than in the DFA group at 72h relative to calving. Serum concentrations of the bone-resorption marker cross-linked N-telopeptide of type I collagen (NTX) were not different between the groups during peripartum period, and serum NTX in all cows was lower at 0, 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72h relative to calving than at -21, 4, and 5d relative to calving. Thus, DFA treatment induced faster recovery of serum Ca, although bone resorption was restrained. In conclusion, DFA III promotes intestinal passive Ca absorption via the paracellular pathway during the early postpartum period; this absorption is unaffected by aging.

Influence of calving difficulty on dry matter intake immediately after calving of dairy cows

“…Wynn, Teramura, Sato, and Hanada () demonstrated that serum Ca concentrations after calving were positively associated with the rumen contraction frequency and DMI after calving. Although there was no significant difference in the serum Ca concentration at 3 days after calving between the first lactation heifers and the multiparous cows, the serum Ca concentration generally tends to be low in high parity cows (Teramura et al., ; Wynn et al., ). First lactation heifers can maintain serum Ca at steady concentrations without any treatments after calving because low parity cows absorb Ca efficiently, owing to active mechanisms of Ca homeostasis, including Ca absorption from the intestine and bone resorption (Bronner, ; Goff, Reinhardt, & Horst, ; Kamiya, Kamiya, Tanaka, & Shioya, ).…”

Effect of difructose anhydride III supplementation on passive immunoglobulin G transfer and serum immunoglobulin G concentration in newborn Holstein calves fed pooled colostrum

“…Because the concentration gradient absorption is a characteristic of a paracellular pathway, some IgG could have been absorbed through the paracellular pathway. It has been reported that DFA III enhances the opening of intestinal epithelial tight junctions (Mineo et al, 2002) and thereby increases mineral absorption in cattle (Teramura et al, 2015b). Teramura et al (2015a) reported that DFA III enhances calcium absorption through the paracellular pathway of everted bovine intestinal sacs.…”

Short communication: Serum osteoprotegerin concentrations in periparturient dairy cows

“…Taylor et al (2009) reported a similar result using serum deoxypyridinoline (DPD), as the inhibition of bone resorption had continued around parturition. Devkota et al (2015) revealed the increase in the number of bone-resorbing cells before parturition; on the other hand, Teramura et al (2015) found the acute decline of the serum crosslinked N-telopeptide of type I collagen (NTx) on the day of calving.…”