Abstract
Nutrient flow to the embryo and placenta is crucial for proper development and growth during pregnancy. In this study, a metabonomic analysis was undertaken to better understand global changes in pregnant dairy cows on D 17 and D 45 after timed artificial insemination (AI). Metabolic changes in the blood plasma of pregnant dairy cows were investigated using HPLC-MS and a multivariate statistical analysis. Changes in metabolic networks were established using the MetPA method. Alterations in six metabolic pathways were found on D 17 and D 45, including variations in the level of alpha-linolenic acid metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, pentose and glucuronate interconversions, glycerolipid metabolism, folate biosynthesis, and tyrosine metabolism. In addition to these pathways, 9 metabolic pathways were markedly altered on D 45. These pathways included changes in the one-carbon pool caused by folate; phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis; thiamine metabolism; pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis; purine metabolism; inositol phosphate metabolism; amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism; pentose phosphate; and the TCA pathway. The combination of metabonomics and network methods used in this study generated rich biochemical insight into possible biological modules related to early pregnancy in dairy cows.
Highlights
Once fertilization has occurred, the fate of a successful pregnancy is determined by the survival of the embryo and foetus
There have been no previous reports of the use of metabonomics in the study of dairy cows during early pregnancy
high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-QTOF/MS was used in combination with pattern recognition methods and pathway analysis methods to look for variation in the metabolic phenotype and to generate a better understanding of the metabolic mechanisms occurring in pregnant dairy cows
Summary
The fate of a successful pregnancy is determined by the survival of the embryo and foetus. Certain maternal metabolism pathways change due to the nutrient transport during early pregnancy. The related information on maternal comprehensive metabolic response to early pregnancy remains limited. Metabonomics is a valuable emerging tool to measure the dynamic metabolic response of living systems to stimuli or modification[5,6] and has been increasingly used to evaluate metabolic changes in dairy cows[7,8,9]. There have been no previous reports of the use of metabonomics in the study of dairy cows during early pregnancy. HPLC-QTOF/MS was used in combination with pattern recognition methods and pathway analysis methods to look for variation in the metabolic phenotype and to generate a better understanding of the metabolic mechanisms occurring in pregnant dairy cows
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
