Changes in salivary analytes in cows due to the in vitro presence of feed

Abstract

Background: The effect in a sialochemistry profile of the presence of usually available feed in dairy cows was evaluated by an in vitro experiment. For this purpose, a pooled clean saliva from five healthy dairy cows was incubated five times with a standard feed based on a total mixed ration (F), wheat hay (H), and grass (G). The salivary panel was integrated by biomarkers of stress (cortisol -sCor-, salivary alpha-amylase -sAA-, butyrylcholinesterase -BChE-, total esterase -TEA-, and lipase -Lip-), immunity (adenosine deaminase -ADA-), oxidative status (Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity -TEAC-, the ferric reducing ability of saliva -FRAS-, the cupric reducing antioxidant capacity -CUPRAC-, uric acid, and advanced oxidation protein products -AOPP-), and enzymes, proteins, and minerals of general metabolism and markers of liver, muscle, and renal damage (aspartate aminotransferase -AST-, alanine aminotransferase -ALP-, γ-glutamyl transferase -gGT-, lactate dehydrogenase -LDH-, creatine kinase -CK-, creatinine, urea, triglycerides, glucose, lactate, total protein, phosphorus, and total calcium).

Results: Most of the evaluated analytes showed a coefficient of variations (CV) higher than 15% and/or significant changes compared with the clean saliva when feed was present. Some analytes, such as the oxidative status biomarkers (CV > 80%), AST (CV > 60%), or glucose (CV > 100%), showed significant changes with all the feed types tested. Others showed significant differences only with certain types of feed, such as LDH with F (CV > 60%) or triglycerides with F (CV > 100%) and H (CV > 95%). However, sCor or gGT remained unchanged (CV < 15%, P > 0.05) in all the treatments.

Conclusions: The presence of feed can produce changes in most of the analytes measured in cows' saliva, being of high importance to consider this factor when saliva is used as a sample to avoid errors in the interpretation of the results.

Keywords: Biomarkers; Cow; Feed contamination; Saliva; Sialochemistry.

Fig. 1

Color obtained after the centrifugation of the Salivette tubes once a cows’ saliva pool and deionized water were submitted to incubation during 5 min at 38 °C (C2) and with 250 mg of feed-based on a standard total mixed ration usually offered to lactation cows in production (F), wheat hay (H), and grass (G)

Fig. 2

Coefficient of variations (CVs) of the means (n = 5) from the specimens C2 (cows’ saliva pool submitted to incubation during 5 min at 38 °C), F, H, and G (cows’ saliva pool submitted to incubation with 250 mg of feed-based a standard total mixed ration, wheat hay, and grass, respectively) compared to their control clean saliva pool (specimen C1)

Fig. 3

In vitro experimental workflow performed for the food effect evaluation in a profile of salivary analytes measurement in pool saliva from five cows during five different days. *Standard feed based on a total mixed ration (broccoli -remains-, oat silage, corn -ground-, barley -bagasse-, alfalfa silage, wet corn pulp, rapeseed, dehydrated alfalfa, dry beet pulp, non-protein hydrogen source, barley straw, and a mineral pre-mix)