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Effects of fermented Chinese herbal medicines on milk performance and immune function in late-lactation cows under heat stress conditions.

ABSTRACT: Heat stress (HS) causes significant economic losses and has become a continual challenge in the dairy industry worldwide. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a dietary supplement on milk performance and immune function in late-lactation cows under HS conditions. The supplement was a fermented Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) mixture consisting of 18 herbs. Forty lactating Holstein cows (560 ± 51.0 kg of initial BW, 230 ± 10.0 DIM, 16 ± 3.0 kg of milk per day) were randomly assigned into 4 treatment groups (10 cows per group). Each group was fed a dietary supplemented with 0, 25, 50, or 100 g CHMs per cow per day. Cows were housed at high ambient temperature-humidity index (average 74.5) for an experimental period of 42 d during the summer months. Milk yield, composition, immune responses involving blood lymphocyte apoptosis rate, serum biochemical parameters, and genes expression in lymphocytes were evaluated on days 14, 28, and 42, respectively. Results showed that milk yield, milk fat, and protein content were greater (all P < 0.05) for 50 or 100 g/d CHMs compared with the group without CHMs supplements throughout the experimental period. On the other hand, increasing CHMs dose demonstrated a greater lymphocyte or leukocyte count (P < 0.01). By flow cytometry analysis, early or late apoptosis rate of the lymphocytes was decreased (P < 0.05) by CHMs supplements. The immunity-related biochemistry and genes transcript responses involving cytokines (IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, and IL-12), apoptosis (Bak, Mcl-1, Bax, Bcl-2, Bcl-xl, and P53), and immunoglobulins (IgA, IgG, and IgM) were investigated. Compared with the unsupplemented group, the serum IL-2 and IL-6 levels, as well as IL-2 mRNA expression, increased (P < 0.05) for 100 g/d. However, the serum IL-1 level tended to decrease (P = 0.08) with increasing CHMs dose, and IL-1 mRNA expression was down-regulated (P = 0.02) by up to 24% for 100 g/d. Additionally, the serum Bax level decreased (P < 0.01) and Bcl-2 level increased (P = 0.01) for 100 g/d. Bax and Bak mRNA expressions were down-regulated (P < 0.05), and Bcl-2 and Bcl-xl expression were up-regulated (P < 0.05) for 50 or 100 g/d. The mRNA expressions of P53 and Mcl-1 were not affected by CHMs (P > 0.10). Besides, serum IgG levels were greater (P < 0.01) for 50 or 100 g/d, compared with unsupplemented group. In conclusion, CHMs supplements may improve milk performance and immune function in dairy cows under HS conditions.

SUBMITTER: Shan CH

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6162570 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Effects of fermented Chinese herbal medicines on milk performance and immune function in late-lactation cows under heat stress conditions.

Shan Chun-Hua CH Guo Jianjun J Sun Xinsheng X Li Nan N Yang Xinyu X Gao Yuhong Y Qiu Dianrui D Li Xuemei X Wang Yanan Y Feng Man M Wang Chao C Zhao Juan Juan JJ

Journal of animal science 20180901 10

Heat stress (HS) causes significant economic losses and has become a continual challenge in the dairy industry worldwide. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a dietary supplement on milk performance and immune function in late-lactation cows under HS conditions. The supplement was a fermented Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) mixture consisting of 18 herbs. Forty lactating Holstein cows (560 ± 51.0 kg of initial BW, 230 ± 10.0 DIM, 16 ± 3.0 kg of milk per day) were randomly ...[more]

PMID: 30032262

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Project description:BACKGROUND:Hypercholesterolemia is an important key contributory factor for ischemic heart disease and is associated with age, high blood pressure, a family history of hypercholesterolemia, and diabetes. Chinese herbal medicines have been used for a long time as lipid-lowering agents. OBJECTIVES:To assess the effects of Chinese herbal medicines on hypercholesterolemia. SEARCH STRATEGY:We searched the following databases: The Cochrane Library (issue 8, 2010), MEDLINE (until July 2010), EMBASE (until July 2010 ), Chinese BioMedical Database (until July 2010), Traditional Chinese Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System (until July 2010), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (until July 2010), Chinese VIP Information (until July 2010), Chinese Academic Conference Papers Database and Chinese Dissertation Database (until July 2010), and Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (until July 2010). SELECTION CRITERIA:We considered randomized controlled clinical trials in hypercholesterolemic participants comparing Chinese herbal medicines with placebo, no treatment, and pharmacological or non-pharmacological interventions. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS:Two review authors independently extracted data and assessed the risk of bias. We resolved any disagreements with this assessment through discussion and a decision was achieved based by consensus. We assessed trials for the risk of bias against key criteria: random sequence generation, allocation concealment, blinding of participants, incomplete outcome data, selective outcome reporting and other sources of bias. MAIN RESULTS:We included 22 randomized trials (2130 participants). The mean treatment duration was 2.3 ± 1.3 months (ranging from one to six months). Twenty trials were conducted in China and 18 trials were published in Chinese. Overall, the risk of bias of included trials was high or unclear. Five different herbal medicines were evaluated in the included trials, which compared herbs with conventional medicine in six comparisons (20 trials), or placebo (two trials). There were no outcome data in any of the trials on cardiovascular events and death from any cause. One trial each reported well-being (no significant differences) and economic costs. No serious adverse events were observed. Xuezhikang was the most commonly used herbal formula investigated. A significant effect on total cholesterol (two trial, 254 participants) was shown in favor of Xuezhikang when compared with inositol nicotinate (mean difference (MD) -0.90 mmol/L, 95% confidence interval (CI) -1.13 to -0.68) . AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS:Some herbal medicines may have cholesterol-lowering effects. Our findings have to be interpreted with caution due to high or unclear risk of bias of the included trials.

Project description:This study examined the effect of mixed medicinal herbs from China in the ground form on milk yield and various blood metabolites before and after parturition in Holstein cows. Crushed Agastache rugosus, Scutellaria barbata, Pericarpium citri reticulate, and Radix glycyrrhizae were used to develop TCMF4. Thirty-two Chinese Holstein cows were randomly divided into a control group or groups receiving 0.1, 0.3, or 0.5 kg TCMF4/cow/d from -7 through 21 d relative to parturition. Blood samples for serum isolation were collected at -7, -1, 1, 7, 14, and 21 d relative to parturition and used to measure glucose, β-hydroxybutyric acid (BHBA), total protein, albumin, globulin, and alkaline phosphatase. Milk production was recorded daily for the first 21 d postpartum, and composition was analyzed at 7, 14, and 21 d. Data were analyzed using a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for multiple comparisons. The average milk production during the first 21-d postpartum was 28.7 ± 6.9, 27.2 ± 7.1, 31.2 ± 6.8, and 38.5 ± 6.1 kg/d for control group and groups receiving 0.1, 0.3, or 0.5 kg TCMF4. Thus, average daily milk production increased between 9 to 34% by supplementation with TCMF4 compared with the control group. Compared with the control group, in the middle dose group, milk concentrations of lactose and total protein decreased by 21 and 19%, respectively, at d 7 around parturition, while total solids increased by 23% at d 21 in the high-dose group. Furthermore, compared with the control group, serum BHBA decreased by 50 and 20% at d -1 and 21 around parturition in the high-dose group. Overall, TCMF4 supplementation improved dry matter intake (DMI) and milk production of dairy cows during the periparturient period without adverse effects on liver function, and plasma BHBA concentrations of dairy cows tended to decrease when dietary TCMF4 increased, which suggested that TCMF4 might be used as potential additives in dairy cows to improve production performance.

Project description:Climate changes lead to rising temperatures during summer periods and dramatic economic losses in dairy production. Modern high-yielding dairy cows experience severe metabolic stress during the transition period between late gestation and early lactation to meet the high energy and nutrient requirements of the fetus or the mammary gland, and additional thermal stress during this time has adverse implications on metabolism and welfare. The mechanisms enabling metabolic adaptation to heat apart from the decline in feed intake and milk yield are not fully elucidated yet. To distinguish between feed intake and heat stress related effects, German Holstein dairy cows were first kept at thermoneutral conditions at 15°C followed by exposure to heat-stressed (HS) at 28°C or pair-feeding (PF) at 15°C for 6 days; in late-pregnancy and again in early lactation. Liver and muscle biopsies and plasma samples were taken to assess major metabolic pathway regulation using real-time PCR and Western Blot. The results indicate that during heat stress, late pregnant cows activate Cahill but reduce Cori cycling, prevent increase in skeletal muscle fatty acid oxidation, and utilize increased amounts of pyruvate for gluconeogenesis, without altering ureagenesis despite reduced plane of nutrition. These homeorhetic adaptations are employed to reduce endogenous heat production while diverting amino acids to the growing fetus. Metabolic adaptation to heat stress in early lactation involves increased long-chain fatty acid degradation in muscle peroxisomes, allowance for muscle glucose utilization but diminished hepatic use of amino acid-derived pyruvate for gluconeogenesis and reduced peroxisomal fatty acid oxidation and ATP production in liver of HS compared to PF cows in early lactation. Consequently, metabolic adaptation to heat stress and reduced feed intake differ between late pregnancy and early lactation of dairy cows to maintain energy supply for fetus development or milk production simultaneously reducing endogenous heat production.

Project description:BackgroundChinese herbal medicines (CHMs) are the major interventions of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which are typically administered as either single herbs or formulas. The Cochrane systematic reviews (SRs) of CHMs are essential references for evaluating the efficacy and safety of CHMs interventions; they are expected to be accurate and reliable. This study aimed to assess the reporting quality of these SRs, particularly whether necessary information related to CHM was adequately reported.MethodsThe Cochrane Database was systematically searched for all SRs of CHM that were published up to 31 December 2017. The primary analysis was to assess their reporting quality based on 27-item of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and 9-item of CHM-related information designed according to TCM theory. Descriptive statistics were additionally used to analyze their baseline characteristics.ResultsA total of 109 Cochrane SRs of CHM were identified from 1999 to 2017. For 27-item of PRISMA, 26 had the reporting compliances higher than 50%, of which 11 were fully reporting (100%). However, for CHM-related information, 65 (59.6%) SRs did not report the specific name of the CHM in the title, 42 (38.5%) lacked TCM-related rationales in the introduction, 62 (56.9%) did not include CHM-related characteristics in the additional analyses, and 77 (70.6%) did not analyze CHM results in terms of TCM-related theories in the discussion. Of 97 SRs that included clinical trials, 38 (39.2%) did not provide the details of composition and dosage of CHMs, 85 (87.6%) did not report the CHM sources, 13 (13.4%) did not provide the dosage form, 95 (97.9%) lacked CHM quality control information, and 57 (58.8%) did not describe details of the controls. For 62 (72.9%) of 85 SRs that included meta-analysis, it was impossible to assess whether meta-analysis had been properly conducted due to inadequate reporting of CHM interventions.ConclusionAlthough the Cochrane SRs of CHM showed reporting compliance with PRISMA checklist, their reporting quality needs improvement, especially about full reporting of CHM interventions and of TCM-related rationales. Reporting guideline of "PRISMA extension for CHM interventions" should be developed thus to improve their quality.

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Effects of fermented Chinese herbal medicines on milk performance and immune function in late-lactation cows under heat stress conditions.

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Effects of fermented Chinese herbal medicines on milk performance and immune function in late-lactation cows under heat stress conditions.

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