Biofortification of milk with different sources of selenium: Analysis of the integrative metabolome of rumen fluid, blood serum, and milk from lactating cows.

• Grant number: 24/02076-9
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: October 01, 2024
• End date: September 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Nutrition and Feeding
• Principal Investigator: Arlindo Saran Netto
• Grantee: Arlindo Saran Netto
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Pirassununga , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/07131-0 - Biofortification of milk with selenium: effect on nutritional bioavailability and action on human health, AP.TEM
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/17359-6 - Milk biofortification with different sources of selenium: Integrative metabolome of ruminal fluid, blood serum, and milk from lactating cows., BP.JD

Abstract

As soon as selenium (Se) is introduced into an organism through diet, it begins to interact with various biological components, and this depends on its specific form. This interaction results in the distribution of Se among organs, within cellular structures, and in its transformation into various metabolites during metabolic processes. Therefore, the use of metabolomics, along with speciation studies, becomes crucial for understanding the behavior of Se within a biological system as well as for assessing the direct and indirect effects of supplementation of this mineral on the overall metabolism of the animal. Much is recognized about the role of supplementation of different sources of Se on metabolism, bioavailability, and phenotypic outcome in dairy cows; however, to date, there are no studies in the literature showing the impact of such supplementation on the metabolome of different biological systems of dairy cows. This project aims to advance the state of the art in the impact of supra-supplementation of Se for the production of biofortified milk in dairy cows by evaluating the metabolome of rumen fluid, blood serum, and milk in an integrative manner. Thirty-two lactating dairy cows will be used for 12 weeks (2 weeks of diet adaptation and 10 weeks of biological material harvesting and experimental data collection). The animals will be housed in a free-stall facility with sand beds and will be distributed into the following treatments: Control diet (C); Control diet + amino acid selenium (SeAa, Selisseo® 2% selenium); Control diet + yeast selenium (SeLv; Sel Plex® 0.1% Se); Control diet + inorganic selenium (SeIn; Sodium Selenite (Se+4) 45.6% Se). Supplemented diets will receive 2.5 mg Se/kg dry matter. Milking will be performed twice a day. Milk and blood will be collected in week 0 (covariate) and in the 12th experimental week. Rumen fluid will be collected only in the 12th experimental week. Metabolomic analyses by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy will be performed on rumen fluid, blood serum, and milk samples, which will be analyzed integratively. It is expected that this study will advance the field of knowledge on Se supplementation for dairy cows by accessing potential changes in intermediate metabolic pathways that explain the frequently reported phenotypic results. (AU)