Table 3. Effects of subcutaneous injection of melatonin on white and red blood cell counts of Holstein cows.
| Group | Index | Before injection | 1 d after injection | 3 d after injection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MT (SCC:3 × 105–1 × 106 cells/mL) | WBC (*109 cells/L) | 13.74 ± 2.63Aa | 16.58 ± 3.95Ba | 10.93 ± 2.35Ca |
| NON-MT (SCC:3 × 105–1 × 106 cells/mL) | 13.98 ± 6.29Aa | 14.96 ± 7.50Aa | 16.35 ± 5.44Aa | |
| Healthy control (SCC < 1 × 105 cells/mL) | 8.86 ± 1.18b | — | — | |
| MT (SCC:3 × 105–1 × 106 cells/mL) | LYM (*109 cells/L) | 7.93 ± 4.43Aa | 13.63 ± 5.92Aa | 6.14 ± 1.48Ba |
| NON-MT (SCC:3 × 105–1 × 106 cells/mL) | 8.62 ± 3.68Aa | 8.79 ± 2.59Ab | 12.98 ± 5.40Ba | |
| Healthy control (SCC < 1 × 105 cells/mL) | 4.75 ± 1.49b | — | — | |
| MT (SCC:3 × 105–1 × 106 cells/mL) | GRN (*109 cells/L) | 4.35 ± 0.79Aa | 4.33 ± 0.93Aa | 3.68 ± 0.83Aa |
| NON-MT (SCC:3 × 105–1 × 106 cells/mL) | 4.29 ± 0.65Aa | 4.64 ± 0.39Ab | 4.28 ± 0.94Aa | |
| Healthy control (SCC < 1 × 105 cells/mL) | 3.04 ± 0.51b | — | — | |
| MT (SCC:3 × 105–1 × 106 cells/mL) | RBC (*1012 cells/L) | 5.69 ± 0.40Aa | 5.61 ± 0.37Aa | 5.73 ± 0.54Aa |
| NON-MT (SCC:3 × 105–1 × 106 cells/mL) | 6.04 ± 0.47Aa | 5.96 ± 0.50Aa | 5.86 ± 0.43Aa | |
| Healthy control (SCC < 1 × 105 cells/mL) | 5.65 ± 0.54a | — | — |
MT (melatonin-treated cows); NON-MT (non-melatonin-treated cows); WBC: white blood cells; LYM: lymphocytes; GRN: granulocyte neutrophil; RBC: red blood cells. Data expressed as the means ± SEM (n = 10). Values with different superscript letters, such as abrepresent a significant difference within the same group, (P < 0.05); values with different superscript letters ABrepresent a significant difference between different groups, (P < 0.05); the same letters represent no significant difference (P > 0.05).