Peripartal fluctuations of plasma and hepatic lipid components in dairy cows
Husvéth, F.; Karsai, F.; Gaál, T.
Acta Veterinaria Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 30(1-3): 97-112
1982
ISSN/ISBN: 0001-7205 PMID: 6892356 Document Number: 183755
During calving, healthy dairy cows showed a significant decrease in plasma total lipid (TL) and total cholesterol (TCh) relative to the pre- and posparturient concentrations. The average decrease in plasma TL was assessed as 35%. The free fatty acid (FFA) level increased to about 3 times the initial value during calving, on the average to 4.5% against the pre- and post-parturient range of 1.1-1.8%. The hepatic TL of the parturient cow increased over 1.5-fold of the preparturient level, and returned to approximately preparturient level by 2 mo. post partum. An analysis of the fatty acid components of plasma and hepatic lipids showed the presence of the same 12 components in both; of these, C16:0, C16:1, C18:0, C18:1, C18:2 and C20:4 showed significant fluctuations; C12:0, C14:0, C17:0, C18:3, C20:0 and C22:0 did not change significantly in the peripartal period. C18:0, C18:1 and C18:2 made up 85-90% of the plasma lipids, and C16:0, C18:0 and C18:1 70-80% of the hepatic lipids. Despite diversities in the percengate participation of identical fatty acid components in plasma and hepatic lipids, the respective changes were similar. Simultaneous monitoring showed that the most characteristic changes in plasma fatty acids were soon followed by consistent alterations in the liver. The changes in the relative proportions of fatty acids were greater in the liver, and the standard errors of the mean values were also greater. During calving, the plasma and hepatic lipids equally showed C16:0, C16:1 and C18: concentration increase, and C14:0, C18:0, C18:2 concentration decrease. The fluctuations observed in the parameters of lipid metabolism in both plasma and liver indicate that during calving dramatic, yet physiological changes, comparable to those observed in fasting or ketotic condition, occur in the lipid metabolism of the healthy cow, and may give rise to diagnostic confusion, if minsinterpreted.