Relationship between some variables of protein profile and indicators of lipomobilization in dairy cows after calving

Abstract. The objective of this study was to determine the concentrations of the main indicators of lipomobilization and selected variables of protein profile in dairy cows after calving, including immunoglobulins and acute phase proteins, as well as to evaluate the relationships between the altered lipid metabolism and changes in protein profile. Into the evaluation we included 54 clinically healthy dairy cows of a Slovak spotted breed, low-land black spotted breed and their crossbreeds in the period of 1-2 weeks after parturition. Blood samples were analysed for non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA, mmol/l), β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB, mmol/l), total proteins (TP, g/l), albumin (Alb, g/l), immunoglobulin G (IgG, g/l), haptoglobin (Hp, g/l) and serum amyloid A (SAA, mg/l). In cows with concentrations of NEFA above 0.35 mmol/l (n=20) we found significantly lower mean serum concentrations of total proteins, albumin and IgG than in cows with serum NEFA concentrations below 0.35 mmol/l (n=34) (P<0.001). On the other hand, cows with higher values of NEFA showed significantly higher mean concentrations of BHB, Hp and SAA (P<0.001). The concentrations of NEFA significantly negatively correlated with the values of TP (P<0.001), albumin (P<0.01) and IgG (P<0.001). Significant positive correlations were found between the concentrations of NEFA and BHB, Hp, as well as SAA (P<0.001). Similar correlations were also found between the values of BHB and the variables of protein profile except for albumin. This study indicates strong relationships between NEFA and selected variables of protein profile in cows after parturition.