The Impact of Dietary Berberine Supplementation during the Transition Period on Blood Parameters, Antioxidant Indicators and Fatty Acids Profile in Colostrum and Milk of Dairy Goats.

Navid Ghavipanje,Mohammad Hasan Fathi Nasri,Seyyed Ehsan Ghiasi,Seyyed Homayoun Farhangfar,Einar Vargas-Bello-Pérez

doi:10.3390/vetsci9020076

Navid Ghavipanje, Mohammad Hasan Fathi Nasri + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci9020076

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Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of berberine (BBR) supplementation on productivity, antioxidant markers, and the fatty acid (FA) profile in the colostrum and milk of goats. Twenty-four primiparous Saanen goats were supplemented with 0, 1, 2, and 4 g/d (per goat) of BBR in control (CON), BBR1, BBR2, and BBR4 groups (n = 6 per group), respectively, from 21 days before expected kidding to 21 days after parturition. Blood sampling was carried out at −21, −14, −7, 0, 7, 14, and 21 d relative to delivery. Colostrum was collected within the first and second milking (d 1 of lactation), and milk was harvested weekly after kidding. Both BBR2 and BBR4 increased dry matter intake (DMI) (p ≤ 0.05) and energy balance (EB) as well as colostrum and milk production. Both BBR2 and BBR4 decreased (p ≤ 0.05) plasma levels of cholesterol, haptoglobin, and ceruloplasmin, while elevating the plasma albumin and paraoxonase (p ≤ 0.05), which may indicate that BBR mitigates inflammation during the transition period. BBR reduced (p ≤ 0.05) malondialdehyde (MDA) and increased (p ≤ 0.05) total antioxidant capacity (TAC), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and catalase (CAT) in blood, colostrum, and milk. Concentrations of de novo fatty acid in colostrum and milk were increased (p ≤ 0.05) with both BBR2 and BBR4. Free fatty acid (FFA) concentration in colostrum and milk fat were lower (p ≤ 0.05) in BBR2 and BBR4 compared to CON. The concentration of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) in colostrum and milk fat increased (p ≤ 0.05) with BBR2 and BBR4, while unsaturated fatty acids (USFAs) decreased (p ≤ 0.05) in milk. In summary, supplementation with at least 2 g/d BBR may enhance the EB and antioxidant status of dairy goats.

Highlights

Academic Editor: Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Birjand, Birjand 97175-331, Iran; Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
Goats supplemented with BBR tended (p = 0.10) to lose less body condition score (BCS) than unsupplemented goats
The transition period imposes tremendous stress on dairy goats and is recognized as a critical period because of anatomical, physiological, biochemical, and hormonal alterations that lead to metabolic, immune, and antioxidant imbalance, which can result in inflammation [1,3] and oxidative stress [8,9], and may result in inadequate nutrient and energy intake to support the onset of lactation [1,2,3], similar to dairy cows [4,5,7,10]

Summary

Introduction

Colostrum was collected within the first and second milking (d 1 of lactation), and milk was harvested weekly after kidding Both BBR2 and BBR4 increased dry matter intake (DMI) (p ≤ 0.05) and energy balance (EB) as well as colostrum and milk production. Apart from negative energy balance (NEB) caused by high energy requirements at the beginning of lactation and an inadequate feed intake [2,3], goats during the transition period can show elevated plasma free fatty acid concentration [2], low-grade inflammation [2,3], and oxidative stress [1], similar to cows [4,5,6,7]. Throughout the transition period, dairy goats can have significant alterations of metabolic status, pro-oxidant/antioxidant status, and in their immune systems [1,8]

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