Untargeted Metabolomics Reveals Metabolic Stress Alleviation by Prepartum Exercise in Transition Dairy Cows
Zhengzhong Luo,
Yixin Huang,
Li Ma,
Jing Jiang,
Qiao Luo,
Zhuo Yang,
Kang Yong,
Liuhong Shen,
Shumin Yu,
Xueping Yao,
Jinzhong Tao,
Suizhong Cao
Affiliations
Zhengzhong Luo
Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Yixin Huang
Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Li Ma
Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Jing Jiang
Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Qiao Luo
Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Zhuo Yang
Agriculture College, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China
Kang Yong
Department of Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Science and Technology, Chongqing Three Gorges Vocational College, Chongqing 404100, China
Liuhong Shen
Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Shumin Yu
Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Xueping Yao
Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Jinzhong Tao
Agriculture College, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China
Suizhong Cao
Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Prepartum exercise (PA) has been proposed as a strategy for the peripartum management of dairy cows; however, the mechanism by which PA affects metabolism has not been elucidated. Here, we investigated the metabolic changes in transition dairy cows with PA. Holstein transition multiparous dairy cows were assigned to an exercise (n = 12) or a control (n = 12) group; the cows in the exercise group walked for a targeted 45 min at 3.25 km/h, two times a day. Plasma non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA), β-hydroxybutyric acid (BHBA), glucose, and triglyceride levels were measured, and metabolic profiles were analyzed using untargeted mass spectrometry. Compared with those in the control group, the concentrations of NEFA at −7 d, glucose at 0 d, and BHBA at +7 d relative to calving were considerably decreased in the exercise group. Untargeted metabolomics analysis revealed differences in the levels of key metabolites, including kynurenine, tryptophan, homovanillic acid, dopamine, cis-9-palmitoleic acid, and palmitic acid, between the exercise and control group cows. This study suggests that PA may decrease homovanillic acid and cis-9-palmitoleic acid levels and increase tryptophan levels to alleviate the metabolic stress in dairy cows during calving, thereby improving postpartum health.
