Nutrimetabolômica: efeitos da suplementação materna com minerais orgânicos ou metionina no metabolismo e programação imunometabólica de neonatos bovinos

Abstract

Understanding how markers of hepatic and immune metabolism are regulated during the neonatal period and how they could be affected by pre-partum maternal nutrition contributes to the development of nutritional strategies that could ameliorate the initial stress of birth. Transcriptomics is a tool that has been recently applied aiming to better understand the molecular mechanisms during stressful periods. Although the neonatal calf physiology has been well-studied, the mechanisms which pre-partum nutrition can affect the hepatic and immune metabolism of the neonatal calf still warrant further investigations. The aim of this thesis was to evaluate the effect of pre-partum maternal supplementation with organic trace minerals or methionine on neonatal calf metabolism and immune function. Maternal supplementation with organic trace minerals during the last 30 days of pregnancy enhanced neonatal immune function, reducing the pro-inflammatory state and regulating the oxidative stress, during the first 3 weeks of life. However, maternal supplementation with methionine during the last 24 days of pregnancy did not affect calves immune metabolism, from birth through 50 days of age. Regarding hepatic metabolism, maternal supplementation with methionine during the last 24 days of pregnancy improved calves hepatic metabolism, having greater maturation of the metabolic pathways and also higher efficiency in glucose uptake and endogenous production, from birth through 50 days of age. According to the currently available literature, these are the first studies demonstrating how maternal supplementation with organic trace minerals or methionine acts regulating the immune system and hepatic metabolism of neonatal calves, focusing on gene expression and blood biomarkers. In conclusion, the results indicate that materal prepartum supplementation with organic trace minerals or methionine elicts some beneficial adaptations in the immune and hepatic metabolism of neonatal calves, contributing to a better adaptation to the extra-uterine environment.