Effects of fermented Chinese herbal medicines on milk performance and immune function in late-lactation cows under heat stress conditions

Journal of Animal Science
Chun-Hua ShanJuan Juan Zhao

Abstract

Heat stress (HS) causes significant economic losses and has become a continual challenge in the dairy industry worldwide. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a dietary supplement on milk performance and immune function in late-lactation cows under HS conditions. The supplement was a fermented Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) mixture consisting of 18 herbs. Forty lactating Holstein cows (560 ± 51.0 kg of initial BW, 230 ± 10.0 DIM, 16 ± 3.0 kg of milk per day) were randomly assigned into 4 treatment groups (10 cows per group). Each group was fed a dietary supplemented with 0, 25, 50, or 100 g CHMs per cow per day. Cows were housed at high ambient temperature-humidity index (average 74.5) for an experimental period of 42 d during the summer months. Milk yield, composition, immune responses involving blood lymphocyte apoptosis rate, serum biochemical parameters, and genes expression in lymphocytes were evaluated on days 14, 28, and 42, respectively. Results showed that milk yield, milk fat, and protein content were greater (all P < 0.05) for 50 or 100 g/d CHMs compared with the group without CHMs supplements throughout the experimental period. On the other hand, increasing CHMs dose demonstrated a greater lym...Continue Reading

Citations

Jun 21, 2019·International Journal of Biometeorology·Li MinGang Wang
Jul 2, 2020·Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture·Haiyan WeiAbraham Allan Degen
Jul 17, 2020·The Journal of Veterinary Medical Science·Jinxiu TangXingxiao Zhang
Apr 3, 2020·Animals : an Open Access Journal From MDPI·Hanfang ZengZhaoyu Han
May 1, 2021·Animals : an Open Access Journal From MDPI·Baishuang YinXuezhao Sun

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