UDC 636.5.033:619:615.356
THE EFFICIENCY OF USING COMMON THYME (THYMUS VULGARIS)
FOR THE CORRECTION OF BIOCHEMICAL STATUS OF HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE COWS
UNDER THE TRANSPORT STRESS
Boytsova O.A., Post-graduate student Orel State Agrarian University, Orel City, Russia E-mail: priemn2@orelsau.ru
ABSTRACT
The article under review deals with the positive effect of common thyme and its complex with Khotynetskiy zeolites on biochemical blood parameters in highly productive cows after transportation in the conditions of an industrial complex. On the 28-th day of the experiment their integrated use showed the normalization of biochemicalblood serum parameters: CP activity increaseby 27.5%, the glucose content by 12.3%, total protein by 7%, the MDA level decrease by 42%, the urea concentration by 8.0%, creatinine by 10.6% , cholesterol by 13.6%, triglycerides by 30.6%, ALT activity by 18.8%, ASTby 14.4% , LDH by 8.9% CK by 11.4%, ALP-AMP by 11.2%, GT by 19,3%.
KEY WORDS
Highly productive cows; Transport stress; Common thyme; Zeolites; Biochemical parameters.
The economic efficiency increase of dairy cattle breeding is currently connected with the mass purchase of highly productive imported cows which requires their long-term transportation. It causes some disorders in the physiological and biochemical status of these animals. The disorders consist in the development of the acute phase of the stress-reaction, the adaptive abilities of the cows imported are reduced, the resistance to diseases is weakened , productivity is decreased [2].
During transportation the stress components are considered to be loading on the transport, disturbing atmosphere, scream and noise, driving animals with sticks, the change in temperature and humidity regime, etc.The development of stress-reaction when transporting animals is stated through the changes in the parameters of pituitary hormones level, adrenal cortex hormones, thyroid hormones and other physiological-biochemical blood parameters [1,9,11].
The stress-reaction of cows after transportation is a reaction of the adaptive nature, it is accompanied by the energy loses in the body of an animal and the tension of physiological and biochemical processes to maintain homeostasis. It is impossible to avoid cattletransportation, that's why we need an artificial correction of the adaptation processes using the special adaptogenicpreparations [1,8,12].
Despite the great interest of researchers to the problems of disorders in the biochemical status under the transport stress, the most important tasks of the modern dairy farming are stillfinding ways and developing methods of correction and prevention of disorders, adaptatingimported highly productive cows aftertransportation.
At present, in veterinary practice theadaptogenic preparations are used to reduce the negative effects of stress factors. They cause natural resistance due to the physiological biochemical processes optimization in the organism of an animal. These preparations are ginseng, Eleutherococcussenticosus, rhodiolarosea, Jew's Tar, apicultural products and others [4,6,9].
The adaptogenic effect has also been detected in the Thymus genus of Lamiaceaefamily, which has antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic,spasmolitic properties. The biological activity of thyme is connected with the presence of phenolic compounds in it: carvacrol and thymol, apigenin and luteolin flavones, coffee and Gallic acids [13].
The Khotynetskiy natural zeolites containing about 40 mineral elements and having adsorption, catalytic and ion-exchange properties are also used as adaptogens [3,14]. The
objective of our research was to study the biochemical status of the imported highly productive cows after transportation and to develop the ways of correction of disorders found using thyme herb both in its pure form and in combination with Khotynetskiy zeolites as an adaptogenic preparation.
MATERIAL AND RESEARCH METHODS
The studies have been conducted in the framework of the contest project of the Department of agriculture Orel region in JSC AIC «OrlovskayaNiva» of the JV « Milk Production Complex Saburovo" of the Orel region. The down calving cows of Holstein black-motley breed from Poland were an object of the researchbeginning from the 3-rd day after transportation. To conduct an experiment onthe 3-rd day after transportation of the down calving cows, there were formed 3 groups of animals, 10 heads each on the principle of pair-analogues: Group 1 (control) - animals getting the basic diet; Group 2 - animals getting the basic diet + thyme; Group 3 - the basic diet + thyme + Khotynetskiy zeolites. The zeolites were added to the diet of cows in the amount of 3% of the dry feed matter, the thyme rate was 20 g per 100 kg of live weight of a cow [10]. Blood samples were taken from the jugular vein before the experiment (on the 3rd day after transportation), and then on the 14t-h and 28-th days of the experiment in the morning, before feeding.
Thebiochemical blood tests were conducted in the laboratory of the ISRTC (Innovative Scientific Research Test Centre of the OrelSAU on the automatic analyzer «Clima MS15» using standard reagent sets made by the company «Lachema» (Czech Republic). At the Chemistry Department ofthe OrelSAU the content of malondialdehyde was determined by the reaction with Thiobarbituricacid by E.N. Korobeinikova's method (1989), activity of ceruloplasmin was detected by Z.T.Ten's Express-method (1981) [7].
The results of experimental studies were put to the biometric processing with the use of Student criterionin MicrosoftOfficeExcel program .
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The transport stress, like any other kinds of stress, is accompanied by the activation of free-radical oxidation processes, against the background of the antioxidant protection depletion, that is judged by the malondialdehyde level andceruloplasmin activity in the blood serum[1,7,14]. Our studies have shown that before the beginning of the experiment MDA content in cows' blood was significantly 2.5 times higher (P<0.01) relative to the reference values, and the content of the CPwas 1.4 times lower(P<0.01), that indicates the presence of oxidative stress in the cows imported. The oxidative stress is characterized by free radical oxidation level increase and antioxidant protection decrease.
The results of the effect of common thyme both in its pure form and in combination with Khotynetskiy zeolites on the MDA level and CP activity in the blood serum of cows under the transport stress are presented in Figure 1.
before the MDA on the MDA on the before tye CP on the CP on the
experiment 14-th day 28-th day experiment 14-th day 28-th day
Figure 1 - The effect of common thyme both in its pure form and in combination with Khotynetskiy zeolites on the MDA level and CP activity in the blood serum of cows under the transport stress
The analysis of the experimental data has shown that on the 14-th and 28-th day of the experience the MDA level in blood serum of the cows fed only with thyme, was lower as compared with those in the control group of animals by 17.4% (P<0.05) and 21% (P<0.05), respectively. In parallel with the decrease of MDA, animals treated with grass thyme have an increase in the activity of ceruloplasmin - by 8.9% (P<0.05) and 16.9% (P<0.05).
In the group of animals treated with thyme and Khotynetskiyzeolites, on the 14-th and 28-thexperiment days the value of MDA were lower by 29% (P<0.01) and 42%, and ceruloplasmin by 25.3% (P<0.001), and 27.5% higher.
The indirect indicators of stress reaction are considered to be the content of glucose, urea, creatinine, bilirubin, the level of protein, cholesterol and triglycerides, activity of enzymes ALT (altate amino transferase), AST (aspartate amino transferate), LDG (lactate dehydrogenase), ALP - AMP (alkaline phosphatase), GT (gamma glutamate transferase) in blood serum.At present, when evaluating a stress-reaction the level of creatine phosphokinase (CK) in the blood serum is determined [5,6]. The level of these parameters is presented in Table 1.
Table 1 - The biochemical blood parameters of the cowsafter transportation when usingcommon thyme in animal feeding both in its pure form and in combination with Khotynetskiy zeolites
Parameters Groups of animals Experiment days
Before the beginning The 14-thday The 28-thday
Glucose, mmol/l Control BD 2,45±0,102 2,48±0,088 2,58±0,088
BD+T 2,62±0,088 2,72±0,088
BD+T+KZ 2,77±0,084* 2,83±0,084**
Total protein, g/l Control BD 69,05±0,749 70,84±0,5581 71,02±0,469
BD+T 73,12±0,740* 74,20±1,023**
BD+T+KZ 74,00±1,116** 76,01±1,075**
Urea, mmol/l Control BD 3,83±0,129 3,79±0,127 3,73±0,124
BD+T 3,64±0,123 3,58±0,163
BD+T+KZ 3,53±0,141 3,43±0,173
Creatinine, mmol/l Control BD 83,8±3,767 82,70±3,671 80,30±3,959
BD+T 79,0±4,00 76,50±4,411
BD+T+KZ 74,3±4,380 72,90±4,123
Bilirubin, mmol/l Control BD 5,07±0,058 4,99±0,055 4,79±0,076
BD+T 4,65±0,100** 4,38±0,124**
BD+T+KZ 4,4±0,116*** 4,15±0,145**
ALT, U/l Control BD 49,5±1,995 47,60±1,951 46,30±1,872
BD+T 42,40±1,982 39,20±1,998
BD+T+KZ 42,20±1,608 37,6±1,5571
AST, U/l Control BD 90,6±4,7485 87,60±4,949 84,60±5,033
BD+T 79,30±5,615 74,90±5,869
BD+T+KZ 76,60±5,754 72,40±6,072*
LDH, U/l Control BD 1873,5±34,139 1857,2±44,507 1823,9±47,039
BD+T 1734,7±36,091 1685,4±40,758
BD+T+KZ 1702,2±39,352* 1661,9±40,76*
CK, U/l Control BD 83,5±5,443 82,10±5,348 79,60±5,556
BD+T 77,80±5,638 74,80±5,463
BD+T+KZ 74,70±4,724 70,50±5,058
ALT - AMP, U/l Control BD 97,5±3,274 95,80±3,269 94,30±3,189
BD+T 92,10±3,331 89,8±3,102
BD+T+KZ 89,30±3,261 83,70±2,666**
GTU/l Control BD 17,9±1,201 17,50±1,229 17,10±1,180
BD+T 16,00±1,333 14,70±1,133
BD+T+KZ 15,10±0,922 13,8±0,940*
Cholesterol, mmol/l Control BD 5,2±0,158 5,16±0,144 5,07±0,149
BD+T 4,83±0,138 4,64±0,107
BD+T+KZ 4,67±0,138* 4,38±0,071**
Triglycerides, mmol/l Control BD 0,98±0,058 0,92±0,053 0,85±0,049
BD+T 0,81±0,041 0,75±0,043
BD+T+KZ 0,77±0,042 0,59±0,052**
Note: true changes compared with the control group (gr. №1). * - when P<0.05; ** - P<0,01; ** *- P<0,001.
The data analysis in Table 1 showed that the cows after transportation have changes in the parameters of protein, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, as well as disorders of the oxidant-antioxidant system,relative to the reference values. So, the cows on the 3-rd day after transportation have LDH increased by 1.6 times, cholesterol - by 1.2 times, triglycerides - by 1,6 times compared with the reference values; as for the parameters of bilirubin, glucose, urea, creatinine, ALT, AST, LDH, CK, and ALP - AMP, GT, they were at the upper limit of the normal values.
When analyzing the biochemical blood parameters on the 14-th day, it was determined that the cows in the 2-nd and 3-rd experimental groups showed an increase in glucose by 5.6% and 11.7% (P<0.05) respectively, in total protein by 3.2% (P<0.05) and 4.5%(P<0.01), a decrease in urea by 3.9% and 6.8%, creatinine by 4,5% and 10.2%, bilirubin by 6.8% (P<0.01), and 11.8%(P<0.001), cholesterol by 6.4% and 9.5% (P<0.05), triglycerides by 12% and 16.3% , a decrease in activity of enzymes ALTby 10.9% and 11.3%, AST by 9,5% and 12.6%, LDH by 6.6% and 8.3% (P<0.05), CK by 5.2% and 9.0%, ALP - AMP by 3.9% and 6.7%, GT by 8.6% and 13.7%, relative to the control group.
On the 28-th day the biochemical parameters of the blood serum were the same as on the 14t-h day of the experiment, after using common thyme and its complex with Khotynetskiy zeolites. The cows of the 2-nd and 3-rd experimental groups hadthe increaseof glucose by 7.9% and 12.3% (P<0.01), total protein by 4.5% (p 0,01) and 7% (p 0,01), the decrease ofurea concentration by 4.0% and 8.0%, creatinine by 6.1% and 10.6%, cholesterol by 8.5% and 13.6% (P<0.01), triglycerides by 11.5%and 30.6% (P<0.01)relative to the control group. A decrease in the maintenance of enzymes ALT was determined by 15.3 and 18.8% respectively, AST by 11.5% and 14.4% (p < 0.05), LDH by 7.6% and 8.9% (P< 0.05), CK by 6.0% and 11.4%, ALP - AMP by 4.8% and 11.2% (PD0,01), GT by 14.0% (P<0,05) and by 19,3% (P< 0.05), that may be associated with a decrease in the permeability of the cell membranes due to the anti-free-radical actions of the adaptogens we are studying.
CONCLUSIONS
The analysis of the data obtained showed that after transportation in the groups of cows getting common thyme and its complex with Khotynetskiy zeolites, thevalues of the biochemical blood serumparameters which we studied are most close to the parameters of the healthy animals at the end of the experiment(the 28-th experiment day), that allows to recommend the use of common thyme both in its pure form and in combination with Khotynetskiy zeolitesto correct the adaptation processes that take place in the imported cows especially under the conditions of industrial technology. A more considerable favorable effect is observed when combining thyme withKhotynetskiy natural zeolites as pharmacological adaptogenic preparations.
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