Vitamin A deficiency in Bos indicus heifers fed a wheat straw diet cannot be corrected with algae lick blocks or intramuscular injectable retinyl palmitate treatments
A. J. Parker A E , J. P. Goopy B , M. J. Callaghan C , J. J. Vermunt D and R. de Nys BA Department of Animal Science, The Ohio State University, Wooster, OH 44691, USA.
B MACRO – Centre for Macroalgal Resources and Biotechnology, and College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld 4811, Australia.
C Ridley AgriProducts Pty Ltd, PO Box 905, Toowong, Qld 4066, Australia.
D College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld 4811, Australia.
E Corresponding author. Email: parker.1203@osu.edu
Animal Production Science 57(6) 1079-1084 https://doi.org/10.1071/AN15860
Submitted: 9 December 2015 Accepted: 3 March 2016 Published: 20 June 2016
Abstract
Serum and liver retinol concentrations and blood β-carotene concentrations were studied in 30 Bos indicus heifers rendered deficient of vitamin A over 180 days and then given treatments of access to algae-based lick blocks (n = 10), injectable retinyl palmitate and molasses-based lick blocks (n = 10), or a negative control given access to molasses-based lick blocks only (n = 10). All heifers became deficient in blood and liver vitamin A, as well as blood β-carotene by 180 days. There was no treatment effect on bodyweight (P = 0.347). However, a highly significant effect of time (P = 0.001) was detected where all heifers achieved an average daily gain of 0.74 kg/day throughout the depletion phase of the study but lost 0.150 kg/day during the repletion phase. The concentrations of serum and liver retinol and blood β-carotene were not different between treatment groups (P = 0.362, P = 0.535 and P = 0.839) during the depletion or repletion phases of the study. All heifers continued to be rendered deficient in the concentrations of serum and liver retinol and blood β-carotene throughout the experiment demonstrating a highly significant effect of time (P = 0.001). Injectable retinyl palmitate (818 100 IU retinol) or access to algal lick blocks (4180 IU retinol) did not elevate blood or liver retinol concentrations in heifers rendered deficient of vitamin A. It is speculated that the protein-deficient diet fed to the heifers had an adverse effect on the blood retinol transport proteins.
Additional keywords: β-carotene, cattle, depletion, liver, repletion, retinol.
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