Organic zinc supplementation and its association with sodium butyrate and its effects on performance, tissue gene expression, epigenome and health of pre-weaning calves

• Grant number: 23/18102-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: November 01, 2024
• End date: October 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Nutrition and Feeding
• Principal Investigator: Márcia Saladini Vieira Salles
• Grantee: Larissa Schneider Gheller
• Host Institution: Instituto de Zootecnia. Agência Paulista de Tecnologia dos Agronegócios (APTA). Secretaria de Agricultura e Abastecimento (São Paulo - Estado). Nova Odessa , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The objective of this study is to evaluate organic zinc supplementation and its association with sodium butyrate on performance, tissue gene expression, epigenome and health of suckling calves. The experiment will be conducted at the experimental farm of the Instituto de Zootecnia in Ribeirão Preto/SP. 48 male Holstein calves will be used, from newborn to 64 days of the experiment, assigned in a randomized block design (weight and birth), subjected to the following treatments C) control (no supplementation); ZnS) supplementation with 130 mg/kg dry matter (DM) of organic zinc in the replacer; BC) supplementation with 3 g/kg DM of sodium butyrate in the concentrate in the basal diet; and ZnBC) supplementation with 130 mg/kg DM of organic zinc in the replacer and 3 g/kg DM of sodium butyrate in the concentrate. Animal performance was evaluated and blood was analyzed for ²-hydroxybutyrate, blood count, lactate, lactate dehydrogenase, zinc and copper, as well as eating behavior and incidence of infection. During weaning, the inflammatory profile will be measured using acute phase proteins and oxidative stress parameters. After weaning, 24 animals will be slaughtered and morphometric studies of the intestine and rumen, rumen fermentation parameters, gene expression and epigenome of the liver, jejunum and rumen, as well as zinc and copper levels in the liver will be performed. Organic zinc and sodium butyrate supplements have different effects on the animal organism, with zinc supporting the immune system and butyrate supporting the digestive system. It is hoped that the combination of these supplements can result in a series of actions in the metabolism of calves, improving the productivity of suckling calves.