Effects of vegetation type and breed on n-3 and n-6 fatty acid proportions in heart, lung and brain phospholipids of lambs

Multiple benefits of herbs: Polygonaceae species in veterinary pharmacology and livestock nutrition

Herbs rich in secondary metabolites may possess beneficial properties in livestock nutrition and health. 49 Polygonaceae species of European mountain regions were included in a qualitative systematic review based on the methodological framework of the PRISMA statement. 174 relevant publications were identified. They comprised 231 in vitro and 163 in vivo experiments with cattle, sheep, goats, poultry, pigs, and rodents. For 16 Polygonaceae species no reports were found. Fagopyrum esculentum and Fagopyrum tataricum showed potential as anti-inflammatory, antioxidative and metabolic modifying herbs and feeds improving intake and nitrogen conversion in broiler as well as milk quality and ruminal biotransformation in dairy cows. Polygonum aviculare was promising as an antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory drug or feed, improving performance and affecting ruminal biotransformation in sheep, and Polygonum bistorta as an anti-inflammatory drug or feed, improving performance in broiler and mitigating methane emissions in ruminants. Rumex obtusifolius showed potential as an antibacterial drug or feed improving ruminal biotransformation and preventing bloating in cows, while Rumex acetosa and Rumex acetosella had antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. Furthermore, Polygonum minus, Polygonum persicaria, Rumex crispus and Rumex patientia possess interesting anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities. In conclusion, some Polygonaceae species show relevant properties that might be useful to prevent and treat livestock diseases, combined with nutritional benefits in performance, product quality, lowering ruminal methane and ammonia formation and transferring omega-3 fatty-acids from feed to tissue. The potential of such multifunctional plants for a holistic integration of veterinary, nutritional and ecological perspectives under a one-health approach of livestock management is discussed.

Supplementation of n-3 fatty acid and ruminal undegradable to degradable protein ratio in young lambs raised under heat condition: effects on growth performance and urinary purine derivatives

The present study evaluated the effect of supplementation alpha-linolenic fatty acid source (ALA) with different rumen undegradable to degradable protein ratios [low ratio (LR) = 26:74; high ratio (HR) = 36:64 based on CP%] on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, fecal score, animal feeding behavior, and urinary purine derivatives (PD) in young lambs during hot season. Forty 10-day-old lambs (averaging body weight of 7.9 ± 0.8 kg) were used in a completely randomized block design with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement as following treatments (10 lambs/treatment): (1) no n-3 FA supplementation with LR diet (NALA-LR), (2) no ALA supplementation with HR diet (NALA-HR), (3) supplementation of ALA with LR diet (ALA-LR), and (4) supplementation of ALA with HR diet (ALA-HR). Results showed that ALA supplementation slightly increased feed efficiency (FE; tendency, P = 0.076), improved fecal score (P = 0.045), and reduced rectal temperature (tendency, P = 0.064) during pre-weaning period. The HR diets improved average daily gain (ADG; P < 0.01), wither height (post-weaning; P = 0.015), and final BW (P = 0.048) compared with LR diets. The greatest ADG (pre-weaning; P = 0.012), structural growth, and the lowest urinary nitrogen exertion (P = 0.043) were found in the ALA-HR treatment. No change was found for ruminal fermentation, nutrient digestibility, and animal behavior in lambs fed different experimental treatments. In summary, results indicated that concurrent feeding of ALA and high dietary RUP:RDP ratio can be recommendable that is likely due to more efficient nitrogen utilization when young lambs are raised during hot season. HIGHLIGHTS: • The interaction of n-3 FA and nitrogen was evaluated in pre-weaning lambs raised under heat condition. • Supplementation of n-3 FA increased FE and improved fecal score in heat-exposed lambs during pre-weaning period. • The high RUP:RDP ratio improved skeletal growth during post-weaning period. • Concurrent feeding of n-3 FA and high dietary RUP:RDP ratio is recommendable in young lambs raised during hot season.

Preferential Partitioning of Rumen-Protected n-3 and n-6 Fatty Acids into Functionally Different Adipose Tissues

Lipids are stored at various sites inside the body as adipose tissue (AT). These include subcutaneous, abdominal, and intermuscular locations. The AT substantially differ in their metabolic function. It is, however, unclear whether AT have specific requirements for individual essential n-3 and n-6 fatty acids (FA). If so, control mechanisms would partition FA from the blood. To investigate the hypothesis of a selective FA incorporation, 18 beef heifers were fed diets supplemented with 60 g/kg diet with lipids from either fish oil (FO) or sunflower oil (SO). The lipids had partially been rumen-protected to ruminal biohydrogenation of n-3 and n-6 FA. The AT analyzed for n-3 and n-6 FA by gas chromatography were obtained from pericardial, longissimus thoracis (LT) intermuscular, perirenal, and subcutaneous sites. The greatest proportions of n-3 and n-6 FA were found in the pericardial AT. Despite generally low abundance, n-3 FA proportions increased with FO compared to SO supplementation in all AT, but to a different extent. No such partitioning was found for the n-6 FA when supplementing SO. Concomitantly, the n-6/n-3 FA ratio was reduced with FO in all AT, except in the pericardial AT. The latter has specific metabolic functions and thus appears to be quite resistant to diet-induced changes in FA profile in order to maintain its function. The present findings showed the special role of specific n-3 and n-6 FA in bovine AT.

A multicomponent herbal feed additive improves somatic cell counts in dairy cows - a two stage, multicentre, placebo-controlled long-term on-farm trial

In contrast to natural and historical diets of wild and domesticated ruminants, the diversity of plant species is limited in diets of modern dairy cows. Are "production diseases" linked to this? We conducted a trial to test the effects of a multicomponent herbal feed additive (HFA) on health, performance and fertility traits. A dose-finding study (DF) with 62 cows on 11 commercial farms compared a low (50 g) and a high (100 g) dose of HFA (HFA-50, HFA-100) with a placebo (PL). In a subsequent field trial (FT) with 280 cows on 30 commercial farms, HFA-100 was compared to PL. Cows were randomly assigned to HFA and PL groups and received HFA or PL individually daily from 14 days pre- to 300 days post-calving. Data were analysed with mixed effects models. No differences between HFA and PL were found regarding performance, body condition score and overall culling rates. A tendency towards lower milk urea for HFA-100 compared to PL (p = .06) was found in DF. HFA significantly reduced elevated milk acetone observations (≥10 mg/L) in the first 10 lactation weeks (HFA-100: 4%; HFA-50: 4%; PL: 12%) in DF. HFA-50 significantly reduced lameness incidence (HFA-100: 11%; HFA-50: 2%; PL: 14%) in DF. Calving intervals were 15 days shorter in HFA compared to PL in both trials, which could be confirmed by tendency (p = .07) in FT. In both trials, the proportion of test days with elevated somatic cell score (≥3.0) was significantly lower in HFA compared to PL (DF: HFA-100: 40%, HFA-50: 45% and PL: 55%; FT: HFA-100: 38% and PL: 55%) which is also reflected by tendency (p = .08) in lower culling rates due to udder diseases in FT. HFA showed no negative impact on any of the measured parameters. The effects of HFA indicate a potential of phytochemically rich and diverse feed additives for dairy cows' nutrition and physiology.

Partitioning of Rumen-Protected n-3 and n-6 Fatty Acids is Organ-Specific in Growing Angus Heifers

Dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), especially n-3 and n-6 fatty acids (FA), play an important role in the regulation of FA metabolism in all mammals. However, FA metabolism differs between different organs, suggesting a distinct partitioning of highly relevant FA. For the present study in cattle, a novel technology was applied to overcome rumen biohydrogenation of dietary unsaturated FA. Angus heifers were fed a straw-based diet supplemented for 8 weeks with 450 g/day of rumen-protected oil, either from fish (FO) or sunflower (SO). The FA composition in blood and five important organs, namely heart, kidney, liver, lung, and spleen, was examined. In blood, proportions of polyunsaturated FA were increased by supplementing FO compared to SO. The largest increase of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) proportion was found with FO instead of SO in the kidney, the lowest in the lung. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) was increased more in the liver than in kidney, lung, and spleen. The heart incorporated seven times more EPA than DHA, which is more than all other organs and described here for the first time in ruminants. In addition, the heart had the highest proportions of α-linolenic acid (18:3n-3) and linoleic acid (18:2n-6) of all organs. The proportions of polyunsaturated FA in the lung and spleen were exceptionally low compared to heart, liver, and kidney. In conclusion, it was shown that the response to FO in the distribution of dietary n-3 FA was organ-specific while proportions of n-6 FA were quite inert with respect to the type of oil supplemented.