title: Effects of different doses of free alpha-linolenic acid infused to the duodenum on the immune function of lactating dairy cows.
abstract: This study investigated the effect of a duodenal infusion of a C18:3 free fatty acid on the immune function of lactating dairy cows. Four primiparous Chinese Holstein cows fitted with duodenal cannulas received 0, 100, 200, 300, and 400 g/d of alpha-linolenic acid (LNA) in a two-treatment crossover design. Blood was collected and serum IgA, IgG, IgM, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and Th1/Th2 cytokines were determined. Results showed that increasing the supply of LNA to the small intestine of dairy cows linearly increased serum IgG and quadratically enhanced interferon-gamma (p < 0.05), whereas the concentrations of PGE2 declined linearly (p < 0.05) and those of interleukin (IL)-4 tended to decrease (p = 0.08). No difference was observed in serum IgA, IgM or other cytokines, such as IL-2, IL-6 and IL-10. This study demonstrated that in dairy cows, a post-ruminal infusion of high doses of LNA has immunomodulatory effects, possibly associated with a predisposition to a Th1-type response.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Haidian District, Beijing, PR China.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Jiaqi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Guang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.lastname: Khas-Erdene
authors.forename: Qingsheng
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D002417:Cattle / Q000502:physiology*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D004386:Duodenum / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D016207:Cytokines; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid