Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary vitamin C supplementation on blood parameters of pre-parturient (PP) dairy cows and growth performance and immune system of their newborn calves. Forty PP cows (at approximately 21 days before calving and an average weight 791 ± 50 kg) were allocated into two experimental treatments: (1) basal diet without vitamin C supplementation (CO) and (2) basal diet with 20 g of vitamin C supplementation from 21 days before calving to parturition (VC). After parturition, the experiment continued by grouping the calves into four dietary treatments with 8 calves in each treatment. The experimental treatments were (1) control calves with no vitamin C supplementation and from cows that received no vitamin C supplement (CON), (2) calves supplemented with 600 mg of vitamin C per day and from cows that received no vitamin C supplement (CVC), (3) calves supplemented with no vitamin C and from cows that received 20 g of vitamin C per day (MVC), and (4) calves supplemented with 600 mg of vitamin C per day and from cows that received 20 g of vitamin C per day (CMVC). Serum concentrations of glucose, HDL and LDL, cholesterol, triglycerides, total protein, and albumin of cows were not affected by vitamin C supplementation during pre-parturient period. However, cows that received VC diet had lower (P < 0.05) malondialdehyde (MDA) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) concentrations, higher total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and vitamin C concentration in their blood compared to CO cows. Vitamin C supplementation had no effect on plasma iron, copper, and zinc concentrations of PP cows. Similarly, vitamin C supplementation had no effect on total feed intake and feed conversion ratio (FCR) of suckling calves. However, calves in the CMVC group had higher (P < 0.05) overall daily weight gain compared to the other groups. Calves in the CVC and CMVC groups had lower (P < 0.05) blood MDA concentration on days 7 and 21. The highest (P < 0.05) blood TAC level was recorded in CMVC calves. Control group calves had lower (P < 0.05) blood superoxide dismutase activity compared to the other calves. Blood levels of alanine aminotransferase on days 7 and 21 and aspartate aminotransferase on day 7 were higher (P < 0.05) for calves in the CON and MVC groups. Based on the results, vitamin C supplementation had positive health effects on the oxidative parameters of PP dairy cows and also improved the performance and health status of the calves.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Prof. Uchenna Y. Anele (North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA) for his suggestions and editing the English of this manuscript during the revision process. This research received no grant from any funding agency/sector.
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SS, JS, and HAB designed and conducted the experiment; JS, HAB, and AZMS were supervisors of the student PhD thesis and the experiment; SS, JS, HAB, MMMYE, AZMS, and RSS prepared the manuscript. UYA carried out extensive review of the manuscript. All Authors approved of the manuscript.
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Seifzadeh, S., Seifdavati, J., Abdi-Benemar, H. et al. Dietary vitamin C in pre-parturient dairy cows and their calves: blood metabolites, copper, zinc, iron, and vitamin C concentrations, and calves growth performance. Trop Anim Health Prod 54, 54 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-022-03061-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-022-03061-6