Abstract
BackgroundDuring peripartum period, dairy cows are highly susceptible to energy metabolism disorders such as fatty liver and ketosis. Angiopoietin-like protein 4 (ANGPTL4) and fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), known as hepatokines, play important roles in lipid metabolism. The purposes of our study were to evaluate variations of serum ANGPTL4 and FGF21 concentrations in periparturient dairy cows and changes in these serum analyte concentrations of energy-related metabolic disorders in early lactation dairy cows.This study was divided into two experiments. Experiment I: Blood parameters were measured in healthy periparturient Holstein cows from 4 wk antepartum to 4 wk postpartum (n = 219). In this experiment, weekly blood samples were obtained from 4 wk before the expected calving date through 4 wk after calving. Experiment II: Blood parameters were measured in healthy cows (n = 30) and cows with clinical ketosis (n = 29) and fatty liver (n = 25) within the first 4 wk of lactation. In the present study, all blood samples were collected from the coccygeal vein in the early morning before feeding.ResultsSerum ANGPTL4 and FGF21 concentrations peaked at parturition, and declined rapidly over the following 2 wk Serum ANGPTL4 and FGF21 concentrations were positively correlated with serum non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) concentration (r = 0.856, P = 003; r = 0.848, P = 0.004, respectively). Cows with clinical ketosis and fatty liver had significantly higher serum ANGPTL4 and FGF21 concentrations than healthy cows (P < 0.01).ConclusionSerum ANGPTL4 and FGF21 concentrations were elevated during peripartum period, suggesting that energy balance changes that were associated with parturition contributed significantly to these effects. Although FGF21 and ANGPTL4 could play important roles in the adaptation of energy metabolism, they may be involved in the pathological processes of energy metabolism disorders of dairy cows in the peripartum period.
Highlights
During peripartum period, dairy cows are highly susceptible to energy metabolism disorders such as fatty liver and ketosis
Serum between serum non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and β-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA) concentration was significantly higher at 1 wk postpartum than during late pregnancy (1 to 4 wk antepartum) and early lactation (2 to 4 wk postpartum) (P < 0.05)
Our results demonstrated that serum fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) and Angiopoietin-like protein 4 (ANGPTL4) concentrations were significantly higher in cows with fatty liver and clinically ketotic cows compared with the healthy control cows
Summary
Dairy cows are highly susceptible to energy metabolism disorders such as fatty liver and ketosis. Experiment I: Blood parameters were measured in healthy periparturient Holstein cows from 4 wk antepartum to 4 wk postpartum (n = 219). Excessive NEFA will be incompletely oxidized by the liver to generate ketone bodies or re-esterified to form triacylglycerols (TAG), thereby potentially resulting in the development of metabolic disorders associated with NEB, such as ketosis and fatty liver [6]. These disorders are associated with increased veterinary costs, longer calving intervals, decreased milk production, and decreased average lifetime of cows, causing huge economic losses for the dairy industry [6, 7]
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