Heat stress abatement during the postpartum period: effects on whole lactation milk yield, indicators of metabolic status, inflammatory cytokines, and biomarkers of the oxidative stress

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of cooling upon calving in alleviating the adverse effects of heat stress in Holstein lactating cows. Production performance, indicators of metabolic status, immune response, and biomarkers of oxidative stress were measured. Based on mature equivalent milk production, parity, and calving date, 46 multiparous lactating cows were allotted to groups of equal sizes (n = 23); heat stressed (HS; BW = 658 ± 28 kg [mean ± SD]; BCS = 2.7 ± 0.18; parity = 3 ± 0.12) and cooled (CL; BW = 668 ± 23 kg; BCS = 2.8 ± 0.14; parity = 3 ± 0.25). Cows were housed in sand-bedded individual stalls equipped with misters and fans which were on from 1000 to 1800 hours for CL group. DMI and milk yield were measured from calving for 7 wk. Body condition score and BW were recorded weekly. Blood samples were collected weekly to measure the metabolic and antioxidant status, inflammatory cytokines, and immunoglobulins. Rectal temperature was measured daily at 1400 hour. Mean daily maximum temperature, minimum relative humidity, and maximum temperature–humidity index was 37.0 °C, 31.9%, and 83.4 for HS and 27.3 °C, 44.9%, and 75.7 for CL, respectively. Heat-stressed cows exhibited greater rectal temperature (39.8 vs. 39.1 °C) and lower feed intake (19.8 vs. 21.3 kg/d) relative to CL cows. Milk yield, including raw (31.2 vs. 38.6 kg/d) and fat- and protein-corrected (32.1 vs. 35.7 kg/d) milk, was lower in HS vs. CL cows, respectively. The percentages of milk protein (3.25 vs. 3.06), lactose (4.73 vs. 4.58), and solids-not-fat (8.63 vs. 8.38) but not milk fat (4.31 vs. 3.59) were higher in HS cows than in CL cows, respectively. Somatic cell score was greater in HS cows as compared with CL cows. Cooled cows lost less body condition as compared with HS cows. Blood plasma concentrations of glucose, non-esterified fatty acids, and β-hydroxybutyric acid were lower in HS cows. Blood plasma concentrations of malondialdehyde (2.13 vs. 1.84 nmol/mL), reactive oxygen species (579 vs. 561 U/mL), and total antioxidant capacity (4.49 vs. 4.06 U/mL) were greater in HS cows than in CL cows. Blood plasma concentrations of the inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1α, and interleukin-2) and immunoglobulins (IgA, IgM, and IgG) were lower in HS cows than in CL cows. These findings demonstrated that cooling dairy cows during the early postpartum improved the production performance, indicators of metabolic status, immune response, and antioxidant capacity.