Effects of supplementation of lysophospholipid in milk on growth performance and antioxidant defense capacity of suckling Holestein calves

ABSTRACT
Background & Objective: Lysophospholipids are an essential component of the cells as well as their major role in meeting the energy needs of the epithelial cells of the intestine. The dairy calves do not achieve maximum benefit from fat due to the lack of bile salts, so adding fat emulsions to the diet is very necessary to fill those Nutritional needs. Lysophospholipid is an antiinflammatory emulsifier as sociated with improved apparent digestibility of total dietary fat and improved feed efficiency in dairy cattle. However, it is unknown if Lysophospholipid improves performance in calves. Moreover, since many conven tional milk replacers use vegetable-sourced fat (e.g., palm oil), nutrient absorption and fecal score may be affected in neonatal calves. The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effects of using lysophospholipid supplement in milk on growth performance, antioxidant defense capacity and fecal score of dairy calves
Materials and methods: In the present experiment, 30 Holstein calves were randomly divided into 3 experimental groups 3 days after birth and were examined for 75 days. After birth, the calves were fed with colostrum for 3 consecutive days and then until the end of the lactation period, they were fed the same amount of milk twice a day (4 liters until 7d, 6 liters until 14d, 8 liters until 50d, 6 liters up to 60d, 4 liters up to 70d and 3 liters up to 75d). Experimental treatments include the first group (control, starter diet and milk without lysophospholipid), the second group (starter diet and milk containing 2 grams of lysophospholipid per day) and the third group (starter diet and milk containing 4 grams of lysophospholipid per day) for 75 days. were used Feed intake was measured daily and changes in live weight were measured every two weeks. The feces of the calves were evaluated and scored on the 1st, 30th, and 60th days of the experiment. Blood samples were taken on days 1 and 75 experiment from the vedaj vein. 9 ml of fresh blood was sent to the laboratory in venoject tubes near ice. In the laboratory, the blood samples were centrifuged for 15 minutes at a speed of 2500 rpm and their plasma and serum were separated. Plasma and serum samples were kept at -20°C until the desired parameters were measured. After the end of experiment, blood metabolites were measured by an autoanalyzer.
Results: The results showed that the use of 4 grams of lysophospholipid increased the live weight without affecting the amount of feed intake (P<0.05). Supplementation of 4 g of lysophospholipid increased the activity of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase in plasma compared to the control treatment. The fecal score of calves fed with milk containing 2 g of lysophospholipid supplement at the age of 30 days and calves fed with milk containing 4 g of lysophospholipid supplement at the age of 60 days was significantly higher than other experimental groups.
Conclusion: In general, the obtained results showed that the use of lysophospholipid supplement in milk can improve growth performance, fecal health, and antioxidant defense capacity in dairy calves.