Dietary glutamine enhances immune responses of dairy cows under high ambient temperature

The objective of the study was to determine the effects of adding Gln or Gln in combination with flaxseed to the diet on milk production and immune response of dairy cows during the summer season. The experiment lasted 60 d and involved 24 lactating Friesian cows, divided into 4 groups of 6 animals, fed as follows: (1) control diet, (2) control diet supplemented with 160 g/d of rumen-protected Gln (GLN), (3) control diet supplemented with whole flaxseed (FS), and (4) control diet supplemented with both flaxseed and Gln (FS+GLN). Individual milk samples were collected at morning and afternoon milkings every 14 d throughout the experiment and analyzed for pH, total protein, casein, fat, lactose content, and somatic cell count. Milk samples were also analyzed for milk fatty acid profile. Monitoring of cow immune responses was carried out by the determination of lymphocyte response to phytohemagglutinin in vivo on each animal by measurement of skin-fold thickness at site of phytohemagglutinin injection. A humoral response to chicken egg albumin (OVA) was determined following a subcutaneous injection with OVA. Plasma samples were measured for the presence of anti-OVA IgG, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-10. Results indicate that Gln administration can be used to support dairy cows under a hot climate, because Gln was able to enhance cow immune reactions in terms of a strengthening of cell-mediated immune response, which is weakened in cows under heat stress. In addition, an increase in milk and fat, protein, and casein yields in response to GLN was observed. When administrating Gln in combination with flaxseed, milk production and milk fat profile did not further increase compared with FS milk, and a reduction in immune reactivity compared with FS and GLN cows was found.