Milk biofortification with different sources of selenium: Integrative metabolome of ruminal fluid, blood serum, and milk from lactating cows.

• Grant number: 24/17359-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Support Program for Fixating Young Doctors
• Start date: October 01, 2024
• End date: September 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Nutrition and Feeding
• Principal Investigator: Arlindo Saran Netto
• Grantee: Thiago Henrique da Silva
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Pirassununga , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 24/02076-9 - Biofortification of milk with different sources of selenium: Analysis of the integrative metabolome of rumen fluid, blood serum, and milk from lactating cows., AP.R

Abstract

As soon as selenium (Se) is introduced into an organism through diet, it begins to interact with various biological components, and this interaction depends on its specific form. This interaction results in the distribution of Se across organs, within cellular structures, and its transformation into various metabolites during metabolic processes. Therefore, the use of metabolomics, along with speciation studies, becomes crucial to understanding Se behavior within a biological system, as well as assessing the direct and indirect effects of Se supplementation on the animal's overall metabolism. Much is known about the role of supplementing different Se sources on metabolism, bioavailability, and phenotypic outcomes 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 in dairy cows. The present project aims to advance the state of the art regarding the impact of Se supersupplementation for the production of biofortified milk in dairy cows by evaluating the metabolome of ruminal 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 collection and experimental data gathering). The animals will be housed in a free-stall facility with sand bedding and will be distributed into the following treatments: Control diet (C); Control diet + selenium amino acid (SeAa, Selisseo® 2% selenium); Control diet + selenium yeast (SeY; Sel Plex® 0.1% Se); Control diet + inorganic selenium (SeIn; Sodium Selenite (Se+4) 45.6% Se). The supplemented diets will receive 2.5 mg Se/kg of 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. Ruminal fluid will be collected only in the 12th experimental week. Metabolomics analysis using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy will be carried out on ruminal fluid, blood serum, and milk samples, which will be analyzed integratively. This study is expected to advance knowledge in the field of Se supplementation in dairy cows by accessing potential changes in systemic metabolic pathways that explain the frequently reported phenotypic outcomes.