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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Comparison between feeding rumen-protected choline and vitamin E on milk yield and blood metabolites in early lactation dairy cows

Mohammadreza Rahmani A C , Mehdi Dehghan-banadaky A and Romic Kamalyan B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Daneshkadeh Street, University of Tehran, 31587-77871 Karaj, Iran.

B Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Armenian National Agrarian University, 74 Teryan Street, Yerevan 0009, Armenia.

C Corresponding author. Email: m.rahmani@live.com

Animal Production Science 55(6) 752-757 https://doi.org/10.1071/AN14429
Submitted: 15 May 2013  Accepted: 24 April 2014   Published: 30 September 2014

Abstract

Twenty-four early-lactation primiparous and multiparous Holstein cows, beginning 5 weeks postpartum, were used for 4 weeks to investigate the effects of feeding rumen-protected choline (RPC) or vitamin E on milk yield, dry matter intake (DMI), blood metabolites and plasma enzymes. Cows were randomly assigned to one of the following treatments: no supplement (control), 90 g/day of RPC, or 4400 IU/day of vitamin E. Treatments did not affect milk yield, DMI, plasma glucose, non-esterified fatty acids, blood urea nitrogen, aspartate aminotransferase or total bilirubin, whereas feeding RPC affected cholesterol, plasma albumin, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Feeding vitamin E affected triglyceride, cholesterol, β-hydroxy butyric acid, gamma-glutamyl transferase and alanine aminotransferase, and highly affected plasma albumin and ALP. There was a tendency for vitamin E supplementation to increase plasma total protein concentration. The results of this study suggest that supplemental vitamin E may improve liver function in dairy cows in early lactation.

Additional keywords: cattle, fatty liver, ketosis, gluconeogenesis, hepatic lipidosis, metabolic parameters.


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