Metabolism screening of cows and calf according to different feeding regime

• Grant number: 25/14812-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2025
• End date: March 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Reproduction
• Principal Investigator: Nara Regina Brandão Cônsolo
• Grantee: Letícia Santana Pichelli
• Supervisor: Carl Robertson Dahlen
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: North Dakota State University (NDSU), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 25/01124-2 - Metabolomic profile comparison of Nellore cows with high and low blood perfusion of the corpus luteum at Doppler diagnosis, BP.IC

Abstract

Nutritional management of beef cows during gestation can influence the cow's metabolism, fetal development, and postnatal metabolism in the offspring, especially vitamin and mineral supplementation. In temperate regions such as the northern United States, forage quality declines markedly from fall to winter, making supplementation a strategic tool to ensure adequate nutritional supply to both dam and fetus. This proposal aims to provide a valuable opportunity for the student to deepen her knowledge of cow and calf metabolism, which will support her work on her project upon returning to Brazil. During the internship abroad, she will work on two ongoing projects, both related to a study on the metabolism of pregnant beef cows and their offspring. We believe this experience will complement the research she has been developing in Brazil by broadening her knowledge of beef cattle metabolism, regardless of the techniques used to evaluate the metabolites. The knowledge she gains in studying metabolism and metabolic pathways will help her better analyze and discuss the data from her project in Brazil. The BEPE student will be involved in two experiments running in parallel: i) metabolomic study of blood and liver from pregnant cows fed vitamin and mineral supplementation; and ii) Metabolic study of non-castrated male calves from cows fed energy and-protein supplementation during gestation. The dam's blood and liver will be analyzed using HPLC-MS technique and the offspring metabolism will be analyzed through determination of glucose, insulin, IGF-1, T3, T4, testosterone, and NEFA concentrations, as well as an intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) to evaluate insulin sensitivity and glucose clearance dynamics. The results will contribute to a better understanding of the physiological effects of maternal supplementation dam's metabolism and on the metabolic responses of beef cattle.