Responses of North American and New Zealand strains of Holstein–Friesian dairy cattle to homeostatic challenges during early and mid-lactation

Abstract

This study investigated the physiological basis of differences in nutrient partitioning between the North American (NA) and New Zealand (NZ) strains of Holstein Friesian cattle by determining the responses to homeostatic challenges at two stages of lactation. Glucose tolerance tests, epinephrine challenges, and insulin challenges were carried out on consecutive days commencing on day 32 ± 0.48 (mean ± s.e.m) of lactation (T1) and again commencing on day 137 ± 2.44 of lactation (T2). The insulin and non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) responses to glucose infusion did not differ between the strains. The NZ strain had a greater clearance rate (CR) of glucose (2.04 vs. 1.66 % / min) and tended to have a shorter (34.4 vs. 41.1 min) glucose half-life (t½) at T2 when infused with glucose. The NA cows had a greater glucose response to epinephrine infusion across T1 and T2, and tended to have a greater insulin response to epinephrine infusion. Plasma NEFA concentration declined to similar nadir concentrations for both strains at T1 in response to insulin, though from a higher basal concentration in NA cows, resulting in a greater (-2.29 vs. -1.38) NEFA area under the response curve (AUC) for NA cows. Glucose response to insulin varied with time, tending to be greater for NA at T1, but tending to be lower for NA at T2. The results indicated that NA cows had a greater glycogenolytic response to epinephrine, but both strains had similar lipolytic responses. The results also imply that higher basal circulating NEFA concentrations in the NA strain in early lactation were not due to diminished adipose tissue responsiveness to insulin. There were indications that glucose clearance rate was greater in NZ cows in mid-lactation, and may form the basis of increased body tissue accretion during mid- to late-lactation in this strain.