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Peric T, Veronesi MC, Prandi A, Fusi J, Faustini M, Probo M. Postpartum hair cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate and their ratio in beef cows: Exploring association with parity and conception outcome. Theriogenology 2024; 214:352-359. [PMID: 37979326 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2023.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/20/2023]
Abstract
Hair steroid measurement has received increasing attention for monitoring hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function, as it offers the advantages of being noninvasive, fast, and able to indicate steroid concentrations over long periods. The objects of the study were to evaluate cortisol (C) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) hair concentrations and their ratio (C/DHEA-S) in beef cows from calving to 100 days (d) postpartum (pp) and to assess possible differences related to parity (primiparous vs multiparous) and conception outcome (pregnant vs not pregnant). Hair samples were collected from 6 primiparous and 5 multiparous pregnant beef cows by clipping the coat at calving (T0) and every 20 d for 5 times (T1-T5), collecting only the regrown hair. Starting from the 6th-week pp, cows were submitted to artificial insemination at spontaneous estrus; by 100 d pp, 7 cows were pregnant and 4 were not pregnant. Statistical analysis showed higher hair C concentrations in the 11 cows at calving (T0) compared to all the subsequent samplings except for T1, and higher C concentrations at T1 compared to T3, T4, and T5. These results indicate that hair C concentrations in beef cows are affected by sampling time, with a decrease from calving, as reported in other matrices. When exploring changes within parity groups, no differences were found in the multiparous among sampling times, while hair C concentrations at T0 and T1 tended to be higher than at T2 (0.01 ≤ p < 0.05) and were higher (p < 0.01) than in all the subsequent samplings (T3, T4 and T5) within the primiparous group. Higher hair C concentrations were found at T0 and T1 in the primiparous compared to multiparous (p < 0.01), suggesting that primiparous cows undergo a greater stress level before and around parturition compared to multiparous, probably due to the novelty of the calving experience. No differences were detected in C hair concentrations according to conception outcome (pregnant versus not pregnant) in each sampling time. Hair DHEA-S concentrations were neither affected by time nor by parity or conception outcome. Differences in the C/DHEA-S ratio were found at T1, with higher C/DHEA-S in the multiparous compared to primiparous cows (p < 0.001), and a tendency for higher ratio in the not pregnant compared to the pregnant (0.01 ≤ p < 0.05). These results support the choice of hair as a valuable biological matrix when investigating long-time periods such as postpartum in cows and suggest an enhanced immunoprotective effect of DHEA-S in the postpartum of primiparous cows, and in cows that get pregnant within 100 d postpartum.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Peric
- Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Via Sondrio, 2/a, 33100, Udine, Italy
| | - M C Veronesi
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via dell'Università 6, 26900, Lodi, Italy
| | - A Prandi
- Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Via Sondrio, 2/a, 33100, Udine, Italy
| | - J Fusi
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via dell'Università 6, 26900, Lodi, Italy.
| | - M Faustini
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via dell'Università 6, 26900, Lodi, Italy
| | - M Probo
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via dell'Università 6, 26900, Lodi, Italy
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2
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Otten W, Heimbürge S, Tuchscherer A, Kanitz E. Hair cortisol concentration in postpartum dairy cows and its association with parameters of milk production. Domest Anim Endocrinol 2023; 84-85:106792. [PMID: 37245499 DOI: 10.1016/j.domaniend.2023.106792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) is considered as an indicator for a minimally invasive assessment of long-term stress. In dairy cows, in addition to stress influences, changing physiological conditions during gestation and lactation (eg, due to varying energy requirements or fluctuating milk yield) may affect HCCs. Thus, the aim of our study was to investigate HCCs of dairy cows during different stages of lactation and to determine the relationship between milk production traits and hair cortisol levels. Samples of natural hair and regrown hair were collected from 41 multiparous Holstein Friesian cows at 100-d intervals from parturition to 300 d postpartum. All samples were analyzed for cortisol concentration and the association of HCC with milk productions traits was evaluated. Our results show that cortisol concentration in natural hair increased after parturition and was highest 200 d postpartum. Cumulative milk yield from parturition to 300 d showed moderate and positive correlation with HCC in natural hair at 300 d. There was a positive correlation between urea concentration in milk and cortisol levels in regrown hair at 200 d, and between somatic cell count in milk and HCC in natural and regrown hairs 200 d postpartum. Together, these findings suggest that physiological loads during lactation, eg, caused by metabolic stress and/or inflammation, may be associated with increased HCC levels. In addition, the results on hair color confirm previous findings in cattle that black hair has higher cortisol concentrations than white hair. Black hair therefore appears to be more suitable for hair cortisol analysis as it provides higher protection against photodegradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Winfried Otten
- Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Wilhelm-Stahl-Allee 2, 18196 Dummerstorf, Germany.
| | - Susen Heimbürge
- Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Wilhelm-Stahl-Allee 2, 18196 Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Armin Tuchscherer
- Institute of Genetics and Biometry, Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Wilhelm-Stahl-Allee 2, 18196 Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Ellen Kanitz
- Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Wilhelm-Stahl-Allee 2, 18196 Dummerstorf, Germany
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Urakawa M, Zhuang T, Sato H, Takanashi S, Yoshimura K, Endo Y, Katsura T, Umino T, Tanaka K, Watanabe H, Kobayashi H, Takada N, Kozutsumi T, Kumagai H, Asano T, Sazawa K, Ashida N, Zhao G, Rose MT, Kitazawa H, Shirakawa H, Watanabe K, Nochi T, Nakamura T, Aso H. Prevention of mastitis in multiparous dairy cows with a previous history of mastitis by oral feeding with probiotic Bacillus subtilis. Anim Sci J 2022; 93:e13764. [PMID: 36085592 PMCID: PMC9541589 DOI: 10.1111/asj.13764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2022] [Revised: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Mastitis is a very common inflammatory disease of the mammary gland of dairy cows, resulting in a reduction of milk production and quality. Probiotics may serve as an alternative to antibiotics to prevent mastitis, and the use of probiotics in this way may lessen the risk of antibiotic resistant bacteria developing. We investigated the effect of oral feeding of probiotic Bacillus subtilis (BS) C‐3102 strain on the onset of mastitis in dairy cows with a previous history of mastitis. BS feeding significantly decreased the incidence of mastitis, the average number of medication days and the average number of days when milk was discarded, and maintained the mean SCC in milk at a level substantially lower than the control group. BS feeding was associated with lower levels of cortisol and TBARS and increased the proportion of CD4+ T cells and CD11c+ CD172ahigh dendritic cells in the blood by flow cytometry analysis. Parturition increased the migrating frequency of granulocytes toward a milk chemoattractant cyclophilin A in the control cows, however, this was reduced by BS feeding, possibly indicating a decreased sensitivity of peripheral granulocytes to cyclophilin A. These results reveal that B. subtilis C‐3102 has potential as a probiotic and has preventative capacity against mastitis in dairy cows.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megumi Urakawa
- International Education and Research Center for Food and Agricultural Immunology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Laboratory of Animal Health Science, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Laboratory of Animal Functional Morphology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Tao Zhuang
- International Education and Research Center for Food and Agricultural Immunology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Laboratory of Animal Health Science, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Laboratory of Animal Functional Morphology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Hidetoshi Sato
- Miyagi Prefectural Livestock Experiment Station, Osaki, Japan
| | - Satoru Takanashi
- International Education and Research Center for Food and Agricultural Immunology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Laboratory of Animal Functional Morphology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Kozue Yoshimura
- International Education and Research Center for Food and Agricultural Immunology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Laboratory of Animal Health Science, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Laboratory of Animal Functional Morphology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Yuma Endo
- International Education and Research Center for Food and Agricultural Immunology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Laboratory of Animal Health Science, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Laboratory of Animal Functional Morphology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Teppei Katsura
- International Education and Research Center for Food and Agricultural Immunology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Laboratory of Animal Health Science, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Laboratory of Animal Functional Morphology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Tsuyoshi Umino
- International Education and Research Center for Food and Agricultural Immunology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Laboratory of Animal Functional Morphology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Koutaro Tanaka
- International Education and Research Center for Food and Agricultural Immunology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Laboratory of Animal Functional Morphology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Watanabe
- Laboratory of Animal Functional Morphology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | | | - Naokazu Takada
- Miyagi Prefectural Livestock Experiment Station, Osaki, Japan
| | | | - Hiroaki Kumagai
- Miyagi Prefectural Livestock Experiment Station, Osaki, Japan
| | - Takafumi Asano
- Miyagi Prefectural Livestock Experiment Station, Osaki, Japan
| | - Kohko Sazawa
- Miyagi Prefectural Livestock Experiment Station, Osaki, Japan
| | - Nobuhisa Ashida
- Laboratory of Animal Health Science, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Guoqi Zhao
- Institute of Animal Culture Collection and Application, College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Michael T Rose
- Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania, Sandy Bay, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Haruki Kitazawa
- International Education and Research Center for Food and Agricultural Immunology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Laboratory of Animal Health Science, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Laboratory of Animal Food Function, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Shirakawa
- International Education and Research Center for Food and Agricultural Immunology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Laboratory of Animal Health Science, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Laboratory of Nutrition, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Kouichi Watanabe
- International Education and Research Center for Food and Agricultural Immunology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Laboratory of Animal Health Science, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Laboratory of Animal Functional Morphology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Tomonori Nochi
- International Education and Research Center for Food and Agricultural Immunology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Laboratory of Animal Health Science, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Laboratory of Animal Functional Morphology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Takehiko Nakamura
- International Education and Research Center for Food and Agricultural Immunology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Laboratory of Animal Health Science, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Hisashi Aso
- International Education and Research Center for Food and Agricultural Immunology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Laboratory of Animal Health Science, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Laboratory of Animal Functional Morphology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,The Cattle Museum, Maesawa, Oshu, Japan
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4
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Endo N, Kitamura T, Okubo M, Tanaka T. Hair cortisol concentration in pre- and postpartum dairy cows, and its association with body condition, hock health, and reproductive status. Anim Sci J 2019; 90:924-931. [PMID: 31237038 DOI: 10.1111/asj.13247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2019] [Revised: 03/25/2019] [Accepted: 05/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The objective of this study was to investigate the profiles of hair cortisol concentrations as an index of chronic stress in dairy cows in association with their health, nutrition, and reproductive parameters. For 25 Holstein dairy cows, hair was collected from the tail switch -19.2 ± 11.4, 44.8 ± 11.9, 103.0 ± 9.9, and 168.0 ± 9.7 days postpartum (L0, L1, L2, and L3, respectively). Body condition scores were negatively correlated with hair cortisol concentrations (r = -0.255), and hock health scores were positively correlated with hair cortisol concentrations (r = 0.236, p < 0.05). Hair cortisol concentrations during the postpartum period showed different patterns according to the time of first artificial insemination (AI) and fertility. Cows that were submitted to first AI by 86 days postpartum showed a peak hair cortisol concentration at L1, whereas cows with delayed first AI had a peak at L2. The hair cortisol concentrations of subfertile (≥168 days) cows were significantly higher at L1 and L2 compared with L0, whereas hair cortisol concentrations of fertile cows (<168 days) were not different among the sampling times. These results indicate that cows with health problems appear to experience greater chronic stress, which may impair their reproductive function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natsumi Endo
- Laboratory of Veterinary Reproduction, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tomoya Kitamura
- Tokyo Agricultural Mutual Aid Association, Koganei, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mitsuyuki Okubo
- Tokyo Agricultural Mutual Aid Association, Koganei, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tomomi Tanaka
- Laboratory of Veterinary Reproduction, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan
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Osada M, Iwabuchi H, Aoki T, Sasaki K, Ushijima H, Ozawa T. Economic evaluation of artificial insemination of sex-sorted semen on a Brown Swiss dairy farm-A case study. Anim Sci J 2019; 90:597-603. [PMID: 30739361 PMCID: PMC6594040 DOI: 10.1111/asj.13156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2018] [Revised: 11/21/2018] [Accepted: 11/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Artificial insemination using sex‐sorted semen is employed to efficiently increase the number of female dairy calves born. Previous studies have determined that using sex‐sorted semen is beneficial to improve the management, but the mechanism by which it increases cattle numbers through objective indices of breeding remains unclear. This study focused on a Brown Swiss cattle herd in which frozen female sex‐sorted semen was systematically employed to increase the number of cattle. We analyzed the correlation between the increase in the number of cattle and the screening accuracy of sex‐sorted semen, measuring indices such as pregnancy rate and birth rate of female calves. Study revealed that: (1) production cost for female calves is influenced by the pregnancy rate, rate of female calves, and using sex‐sorted semen is less expensive than using nonsorted semen; (2) improvements in screening accuracy nearly doubled the number of cows and tripled the number of heifers in 5 years; and (3) use of sex‐sorted semen improved milk quality. The pregnancy rate was lower when sex‐sorted semen was used, but the birth rate of heifers was improved. Results suggest that artificial insemination using sex‐sorted semen is beneficial because it economically produces offspring to increase the herd.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masahiro Osada
- Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, Musashino, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hitomi Iwabuchi
- Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, Musashino, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Toru Aoki
- Tochigi Prefecture Ozasa Farm, Tochigi Dairy Farmers Cooperative, Nikko, Tochigi, Japan
| | - Kika Sasaki
- Tochigi Prefecture Ozasa Farm, Tochigi Dairy Farmers Cooperative, Nikko, Tochigi, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Ushijima
- Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, Musashino, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takeyuki Ozawa
- Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, Musashino, Tokyo, Japan
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