Effect of reduced energy density of close-up diets on metabolites, lipolysis and gluconeogenesis in Holstein cows

• Main Authors: Wenming Huang, Libin Wang, Shengli Li, Zhijun Cao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Asian-Australasian Association of Animal Production Societies 2019-05-01
• Series: Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• Subjects: Transition Cow; Dietary Energy Density; Lipolysis; Gluconeogenesis; Blood Metabolites
• Online Access: http://www.ajas.info/upload/pdf/ajas-18-0624.pdf
• ISSN: 1011-2367; 1976-5517

Objective An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of reduced energy density of close-up diets on metabolites, lipolysis and gluconeogenesis in cows during the transition period. Methods Thirty-nine Holstein dry cows were blocked and assigned randomly to three groups, fed a high energy density diet (HD, 1.62 Mcal of net energy for lactation [NEL]/kg dry matter [DM]), a medium energy density diet (MD, 1.47 Mcal NEL/kg DM), or a low energy density diet (LD, 1.30 Mcal NEL/kg DM) prepartum; they were fed the same lactation diet to 28 days in milk (DIM). All the cows were housed in a free-stall barn and fed ad libitum. Results The reduced energy density diets decreased the blood insulin concentration and increased nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) concentration in the prepartum period (p<0.05). They also increased the concentrations of glucose, insulin and glucagon, and decreased the concentrations of NEFA and β-hydroxybutyrate during the first 2 weeks of lactation (p<0.05). The plasma urea nitrogen concentration of both prepartum and postpartum was not affected by dietary energy density (p>0.05). The dietary energy density had no effect on mRNA abundance of insulin receptors, leptin and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ in adipose tissue, and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α in liver during the transition period (p>0.05). The HD cows had higher mRNA abundance of hormone-sensitive lipase at 3 DIM compared with the MD cows and LD cows (p = 0.001). The mRNA abundance of hepatic pyruvate carboxykinase at 3 DIM tended to be increased by the reduced energy density of the close-up diets (p = 0.08). Conclusion The reduced energy density diet prepartum was effective in controlling adipose tissue mobilization and improving the capacity of hepatic gluconeogenesis postpartum.