Cortisol Levels and Milk Yield as Affected Injection of Vitamin E, hCG, and their Combination in Pregnant and non-pregnant Milking Cows Under the Cold Weather (Winter)

Salem, Anas A.; Soliman, Mohamed M.; Ragab, Sohair M.M.; Nasr, Asmaa A.E.; Mahmoud, Gamal B.; Soliman, Ibrahim A.

doi:10.21608/ajas.2024.291444.1362

	Cortisol Levels and Milk Yield as Affected Injection of Vitamin E, hCG, and their Combination in Pregnant and non-pregnant Milking Cows Under the Cold Weather (Winter)
Assiut Journal of Agricultural Sciences
Volume 55, Issue 3, July 2024, Page 43-58 PDF (540.87 K)
Document Type: Original Article
DOI: 10.21608/ajas.2024.291444.1362
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Authors
Anas A. Salem ¹; Mohamed M. Soliman²; Sohair M.M. Ragab³; Asmaa A.E. Nasr⁴; Gamal B. Mahmoud¹; Ibrahim A. Soliman¹
¹Animal Production Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Assiut University, Egypt
²Alumonium Company Farm, Nagie Hammad, Quina, Egypt
³Laboratory of Physiology, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Assiut University, Egypt
⁴Poultry diseases Department, Institute of Veterinary and Animal Health, Assiut, Egypt
Abstract
To investigate the impact of VitE, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), and VitE+hCG on milk yield and blood cortisol concentrations in pregnancy and non-pregnancy under cold months. Thirty-four Holstein healthy milking cows were assigned randomly into four groups (control, VitE alone, hCG alone, and VitE+hCG). These groups were injected IM with 1.0 ml propylene glycol/animal, 1.39 ml α-tocopherol/animal three times before mating for ten days, 2000 IU hCG/animal once post-mating for one week, and 1.39 ml+ 2000 IU/animal as the same doses and dates as in VitE and hCG groups, respectively. Results revealed that treatments did not influence cortisol concentrations during mating in pregnancy and non-pregnancy. The combination group affected significantly the cortisol than other treatments in pregnant and (P> 0.05) in non-pregnant cows. The total cortisol concentrations decreased (P< 0.05) in the combination of pregnant and non-pregnant cows. Temperature-Humidity index (THI) was ≥ 46. Milk yield increased significantly in VitE and combination groups during mating and pregnancy phases (not non-pregnancy). The total milk yield was significantly greater in VitE and VitE+HCG of pregnant cows in non-pregnant cows. Conclusively, the cold weather didn't affect cortisol concentrations in mating, pregnancy, and non-pregnancy, and the combination group resulted in low cortisol in pregnancy, probably due to the THI comfortable index ≥ 46 or VitE as a potential antioxidant, leading to high milk yield and low cortisol in pregnancy and non-pregnancy. In conclusion, the treatments by VitE and combination (VitE+hCG) enhanced the milk yield and reduced the cortisol level under the cold weather.
Keywords
Human chorionic gonadotropin; Milk; Cortisol; Cows; Temperature-Humidity Index


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