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The effect of implanting an antigen release device on lactoferrin concentration in serum and milk
1State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Haidian, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Insights
Antigen Release Devices (ARD) in dairy cows did not consistently increase lactoferrin levels. However, significant increases in milk and serum lactoferrin were observed early after the first ARD implantation, suggesting a role in innate immunity.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Immunology
- Dairy Science
- Animal Health
Background:
- Lactoferrin is a key protein in innate immunity.
- Understanding immune responses in dairy cows is crucial for herd health.
- Antigen Release Devices (ARD) can be used to modulate immune responses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of ARD implantation on lactoferrin concentrations in dairy cows.
- To determine if ARD-induced immune responses correlate with lactoferrin levels in serum and milk.
Main Methods:
- Forty Chinese Holstein cows were divided into ARD-treated and control groups.
- Lactoferrin concentrations in serum and milk were measured using ELISA.
- ARDs were implanted to induce primary, secondary, and tertiary immune responses.
Main Results:
- ARD implantation did not significantly alter lactoferrin levels throughout the experiment, except on days 7 and 11 post-implantation.
- A significant increase in both serum and milk lactoferrin was observed on days 7 and 11 (p<0.05).
- A strong positive correlation was found between milk and serum lactoferrin levels (r=0.564, P<0.01).
Conclusions:
- The early increase in lactoferrin suggests its involvement in the initial phase of the immune response.
- ARDs may influence innate defense mechanisms through transient lactoferrin elevation.
- Further research is needed to fully elucidate the role of ARDs and lactoferrin in dairy cow immunity.
Abstract:
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of implanting an Antigen Release Devices (ARD) into dairy cows during the lactation cycle to induce an immune response. Subsequently, the concentrations of lactoferrin in serum and milk were measured. Forty healthy adult Chinese Holstein cows were divided into two equal groups: a test group and a control group. Animals in the test group received ARD implants, whereas the control group animals were not treated. An even spread across the two groups was maintained with animal selection based on parity, the lactation days and milk yields. The concentrations of lactoferrin in the serum and milk of all forty animals were measured using an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). The results show that the implantation of an ARD did not significantly increase the concentration of lactoferrin in the serum and milk throughout the whole experiment period except on two occasions. The levels of lactoferrin in the milk and serum significantly increased on day 7 and on day 11 after implantation (p<0.05). There was a strong correlation between milk lactoferrin and serum lactoferrin (r=0.564, P<0.01). Three separate ARDs were used releasing its antigen load on day 0, 14 and 28 to induce a primary, secondary and tertiary response respectively. As the significant increases in the lactoferrin levels were only observed after the first ARD release, the effects of lactoferrin appears to be associated with the early phase of the immune response, consistent with its role in the host's innate defense system.
