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. 2023 Mar 25;13(7):1167.
doi: 10.3390/ani13071167.

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, Kynurenine Pathway, and Lipid-Profiling Alterations as Potential Animal Welfare Indicators in Dairy Cattle

Alessandra Favole  1 , Camilla Testori  1 , Stefania Bergagna  1 , Maria Silvia Gennero  1 , Francesco Ingravalle  1 , Barbara Costa  2 , Sara Barresi  2 , Piercarlo Curti  2 , Francesco Barberis  2 , Sandra Ganio  3 , Riccardo Orusa  1 , Elena Vallino Costassa  4 , Elena Berrone  1 , Marco Vernè  4 , Massimo Scaglia  4 , Claudia Palmitessa  1 , Marina Gallo  1 , Carlotta Tessarolo  1 , Sabina Pederiva  1 , Alessio Ferrari  1 , Valentina Lorenzi  5 , Francesca Fusi  5 , Laura Brunelli  6 , Roberta Pastorelli  6 , Giulia Cagnotti  7 , Cristina Casalone  1 , Maria Caramelli  1 , Cristiano Corona  1
Affiliations

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, Kynurenine Pathway, and Lipid-Profiling Alterations as Potential Animal Welfare Indicators in Dairy Cattle

Alessandra Favole et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

Complete animal welfare evaluation in intensive farming is challenging. With this study, we investigate new biomarkers for animal physical and mental health by comparing plasma expression of biochemical indicators in dairy cows reared in three different systems: (A) semi-intensive free-stall, (B) non-intensive tie-stall, and (C) intensive free-stall. Additionally, protein levels of mature brain-derived neurotrophic factor (mBDNF) and its precursor form (proBDNF) and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO1) specific activity were evaluated in brain samples collected from 12 cattle culled between 73 and 138 months of age. Alterations in plasma lipid composition and in the kynurenine pathway of tryptophan metabolism were observed in the tie-stall-reared animals. The total plasma BDNF concentration was higher in tie-stall group compared to the two free-housing groups. Brain analysis of the tie-stall animals revealed a different mBDNF/proBDNF ratio, with a higher level of proBDNF (p < 0.001). Our data are similar to previous studies on animal models of depression, which reported that inhibition of the conversion of proBDNF in its mature form and/or elevated peripheral kynurenine pathway activation may underlie cerebral biochemical changes and induce depressive-like state behavior in animals.

Keywords: BDNF; animal welfare; biomarkers; dairy cattle; depression-like state; kynurenine pathway; lipidome; neurobiology; tie-stall.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(a) PCA score plots and loading plots. Green class: Housing-A; Blu Class: Housing-B; Red class: Housing-C. (b) PLS-DA score plots and loading plots. Green class: Housing-A; Blu Class: Housing-B; Red class: Housing-C.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Average plasma BDNF concentration expressed as pg/mL. Error bars denote confidence intervals (>95%).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effect of KYN/TRP ratio (a) and ages (b) on plasma BDNF levels. Blu Class: Housing-A; Red class: Housing-B. Green class: Housing-C.
Figure 4
Figure 4
(a) Western blot analysis of hippocampal homogenate from Farm A cows (lanes A1, A4, A3), Farm B cows (lanes B2 and B10), and Farm C cows (lanes C12, C11, and C4) was performed to measure the expression of mBDNF and pro-BDNF. (b) Expression of proBDNF and mBDNF is shown as normalized volume against bovine β-tubulin used as a housekeeping gene.
Figure 5
Figure 5
(a) BDNF ratio (mBDNF/proBDNF) of normalized volume calculated in the hippocampus; (b) box plot of the mBDNF/proBDNF ratio in the hippocampus of the cows grouped by farm. The error bars indicate standard deviation. Individual cows are indicated as: A1, A2, A3, A4 for Farm A; B2, B10, B13 for Farm B; C1, C4, C8, C11, C12 for Farm C.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Box plot of IDO1 endogenous enzyme activity in the thalamus (a) and the cerebral cortex (b) samples. Error bars denote standard deviation.
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