Journal
VETERINARY IMMUNOLOGY AND IMMUNOPATHOLOGY
Volume 145, Issue 1-2, Pages 134-142Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2011.10.020
Keywords
Early-weaned; Calves; Glutamine; Alanyl-glutamine dipeptide; Immune status
Categories
Funding
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [31160645]
- State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition [2004DA125184F1014]
- Ningxia Autonomous Region [NZ0710]
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Glutamine (Gln) is an important substrate for the innate immune cells including lymphocytes and macrophages. In this report, the effects of alanyl-glutamine dipeptide (Ala-Gin) on the naive immune system, intestinal integrity and gain performance of early-weaned calves were investigated. Early-weaned Chinese Holstein calves were intravenously administered different dosages of Ala-Gln. The effects of Ala-Gln administration were ascertained by evaluating the blood for naive T lymphocyte subpopulations, the concentrations of serum IgG, serum IgA and intestinal mucosal secretory IgA (s-IgA), the intestinal integrity, as well as the gain performance. Results demonstrated that intravenous administration of Ala-Gln dipeptide (1.01 g/kg x d(-1)) for 7 days had a positive effect on gain performance, intestinal integrity and the immune system. Calves administered doses of Ala-Gln displayed an improvement in gain performance and health status concurrent with increases in blood CD2(+) and CD4(+) lymphocytes, the ratio of CD4(+)/CD8(+), serum IgA and IgG, intestinal mucosal s-IgA while decreasing the occurrence of diarrhea. Moreover, we found that animals given the effective dose (1.01 g/kg x d(-1)) of Ala-Gln resulted in improved immune status and intestinal integrity relative to those given a lower (0.49 g/kg x d(-1)) or higher dose (1.99 g/kg x d(-1)) of Ala-Gln. These findings suggest that maintaining a certain concentration of plasma and/or tissue glutamine in the early stages of weaning is an effective alternative approach for improvement of growth performance in early-wean calves. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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