Plasma Metabolic Characterisation of Dairy Cows with Inactive Ovaries and Oestrus During the Peak of Lactation

INTRODUCTION: Differential metabolites (DMs) between cows with inactive ovaries (IO) and oestrous (E) cows were screened and metabolic pathways of DMs associated with IO were determined. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Cows at 50 to 60 days (d) postpartum from an intensive dairy farm were randomly selected and allocated into an E group (n = 16) or an IO group (n = 16) according to a pedometer and rectal examinations. Their plasma samples were analysed by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) to compare plasma metabolic changes between the E and IO groups. Multivariate pattern recognition was used to screen the DMs in the plasma of IO cows. RESULTS: Compared with normal E cows, there were abnormalities in 20 metabolites in IO cows, including a significantly decreased content (VIP > 1, P < 0.05) of cholic acid, p-chlorophenylalanine, and arachidonic acid, and a significantly increased content (VIP > 1, P < 0.05) of tyramine, betaine, L-phenylalanine, L-glutamate, D-proline, L-alanine, and L-pyrophosphate. Five DMs (cholic acid, D-proline, L-glutamate, L-alanine, and L-pyroglutamic acid) with higher variable importance in projection (VIP) values between groups were validated by ELISA with blind samples of re-selected cows (IO, 50 to 60 d postpartum) and the validated results were consistent with the LC–MS results. CONCLUSION: The 20 DMs in IO cows during the peak of lactation indicated that the pathogenesis of IO was involved in complex metabolic networks and signal transduction pathways. This study provides a basis for further exploration of the pathogenesis and prevention of IO in cows in the future.