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The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of vitamin E supplementation on oxidative status in blood, liver, milk, and ovarian follicular fluid in periparturient heifers. Vitamin E supplementation started 8 wk before calving and continued until 8 wk postpartum. Grass silage was the main forage fed during the experiment. In addition, supplemented heifers (n=9) received 3,000I U of vitamin E daily on a carrier food; control heifers (n=9) consumed only the carrier food. Blood samples and liver biopsies were taken frequently throughout the study and ovarian follicular fluid was sampled at 8 wk postpartum. Body condition score was scored weekly and milk yield was measured daily. A marker of oxidative damage, determinable reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROM), and a set of antioxidants were measured in blood, liver, milk, and ovarian follicular fluid. Control heifers had a low vitamin E status, and selenium status was marginal in control and supplemented heifers. Vitamin E supplementation increased vitamin E concentrations in blood, liver, and ovarian follicular fluid and increased triacylglycerol in liver. Serum d-ROM were not reduced by vitamin E supplementation. Superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activity in red blood cells and liver and glutathione peroxidase activity in ovarian follicular fluid were not affected by vitamin E supplementation and they were not increased around calving. Protein thiol groups and ratio of reduced glutathione to oxidized glutathione were also not increased around calving. These results suggest that heifers around calving experience a low level of oxidative processes. This might be caused by lower than expected milk production attributed to a low forage intake. Serum d-ROM were negatively correlated with protein thiol groups and positively correlated with the activity of glutathione peroxidase in red blood cells, oxidized glutathione, and the ratio of reduced glutathione and oxidized glutathione in serum. The lack of treatment effects allowed estimation of the effects of body condition 4 wk before calving and the loss of body condition on markers of lipid peroxidation and antioxidants. A trend that a body condition of >or=3 might result in more oxidative damage measured by serum d-ROM was observed, but fatter heifers had a significantly higher ratio of reduced glutathione to oxidized glutathione., (Copyright (c) 2010 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This study investigated the relationship between oxidative damage and the effect of vitamin E supplementation in blood, milk, and liver tissue in 16 periparturient heifers. The question is whether measurements of oxidative and vitamin E status in blood of a periparturient cow are representative of the total body, given that blood concentrations of both vitamin E and oxidative stress products change around this period. The daily vitamin E intake of the vitamin E-supplemented Holstein-Friesian heifers (n = 8) was 3,000 international units and was started 2 mo before calving; the control heifers (n = 8) were not supplemented. Oxidative damage was determined on the basis of malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations. Blood was sampled 9 times before calving, on calving day, and twice after calving. Liver biopsies were taken at wk -5, -1, and 2 relative to calving day. Milk was obtained from all heifers immediately after calving, the first 2 milkings and on d 3, 7, and 14 at 0600 h. Serum and liver tissue were analyzed for vitamin E, cholesterol, and MDA; and milk samples were analyzed for vitamin E, MDA, fat, protein, and somatic cell count. The results showed that vitamin E supplements increased both absolute vitamin E concentrations and the ratio of vitamin E to cholesterol in blood and liver tissue. Absolute vitamin E concentration in milk tended to be greater in supplemented cows. Based on the increased MDA blood concentrations at calving, it seems that dairy heifers experience oxidative stress. The effect of vitamin E on MDA differs between the blood, liver, and mammary gland. Vitamin E supplementation could not prevent the increase in blood MDA at calving, but the significantly lower MDA blood concentrations of supplemented cows in the 2 wk after calving suggest that vitamin E has a role in recovery from parturition-related oxidative stress. Vitamin E supplementation reduced oxidative damage in liver, whereas no obvious effect was found on milk MDA concentrations. A strong relationship was found between blood and liver vitamin E and the ratio of vitamin E to cholesterol. Concentrations of MDA in blood and milk were also strongly related. The results show that the relationship between oxidative damage and vitamin E differs within blood, liver tissue, and milk. This implies that oxidative and vitamin E status calculated on the basis of blood values alone should be interpreted with caution and cannot be extrapolated to the whole animal.