title: Alleviation of fatty liver in dairy cows with 14-day intravenous infusions of glucagon.
abstract: Twenty multiparous cows were fed additional concentrate during the final 30 d prepartum to cause susceptibility to fatty liver. From 14 to 42 d postpartum, all cows were subjected to a protocol to induce fatty liver and ketosis. To test glucagon as a treatment for fatty liver, either glucagon at 10 mg/d or excipient was infused via the jugular vein from 21 to 35 d postpartum. All cows had fatty liver at 14 d postpartum and became ketonemic and hypoglycemic during the induction of ketosis. Glucagon increased plasma glucose to 142% of that of controls throughout the 14-d treatment. The hypoinsulinemia present in cows with fatty liver was not affected by glucagon. Plasma beta-hydroxybutyrate and nonesterified fatty acids were decreased by glucagon. At 6 d postpartum, liver triacylglycerol averaged 12.9% of liver (wet weight basis). Glucagon had decreased triacylglycerol content of livers by 71% at d 35. Glycogen was 1.0% of the wet weight of livers at 6 d in milk, but it was decreased by glucagon to 0.5% at 2 d after glucagon began. Glycogen then increased in cows treated with glucagon until at 38 d in milk liver glycogen was 3.7% versus 1.6% in controls. Our results document that glucagon decreases the degree of fatty liver in early lactation dairy cows, which also decreases the incidence of ketosis after alleviation of fatty liver.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames 50011-3150, USA.
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Hippen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: She
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Beitz
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Lindberg
authors.forename: L F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Tucker
mesh_terms: D020155:3-Hydroxybutyric Acid / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D001823:Body Composition; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified / Q000097:blood; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D005934:Glucagon / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D007662:Ketosis / Q000662:veterinary; D007774:Lactation; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008892:Milk / Q000737:chemistry; D049590:Postpartum Period; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified; D007328:Insulin; D014280:Triglycerides; D005934:Glucagon; D020155:3-Hydroxybutyric Acid