Table 3.
Effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids on the immune function, health, and performance of calves, dairy cows, and feedlot steers
| Animal | Strain/Type | Dose | Duration/Frequency | Health/Production Status | Outcome | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calf | Fish oil | 1% and 2% DM of the milk replacer | 42 d | High risk | Reduced inflammatory response to LPS challenge, quadratic effect on secondary antibody response, no effect on fecal scores | Ballou et al,56 2008; Ballou & DePeters,57 2008 |
| Calf | Fish oil | 2% of the DM | 14–55 d of life | Low risk | No effect on serum haptoglobin or mitogen-induced IFN-γ secretion, no difference in fecal scores, fish oil decreased starter intake and ADG | McDonnell et al,58 2019 |
| Calf | Coconut oil | Replaced 20 or 40% of the lard in milk replacer | 56 d | Low risk | Quadratic decrease in fecal scores, no difference in starter intake or ADG | Bowen Yoho et al,59 2013 |
| Calf | Linoleic acid | 0.48% or 9.0% of the fatty acids in milk replacer as linoleic acid | 30 d | Low risk | Caused differential expression of many immune-related hepatic genes | Garcia et al,60 2016 |
| Calf | Blend of short- and medium-chain fatty acids and α-linolenic acid | 0.46%, 0.51%, 0.19%, and 0.18% of DM as butyric, lauric, myristic, and linolenic acids, respectively, in milk replacer | 56 d | Low risk | No difference in fecal score or medication, improved DM digestion and ADG | Hill et al,61 2016 |
| Dairy cow | Ca salts of palm oil, safflower oil, or fish oil | n-6 to n-3 ratios of 4, 5, or 6 | 14 d postpartum to 105 d postpartum | Early lactation | Lower n-6 to n-3 decreased plasma IL-6 and haptoglobin concentrations after a moderate intramammary LPS challenge, no effect on neutrophil phagocytosis or oxidative burst, greater DMI and 3.5% FCM in the n-6 to n-3 ratio of 4 | Greco et al,62 2015 |
| Dairy cow | Whole flaxseed | 10.4% of DM | Calving to 105 DIM | Early lactation | Transient reduction in mitogen proliferation of PBMC, no effect on humoral response, decreased prostaglandin E2 | Lessard et al,63 2003 |
| Transition dairy cow | Fish oil | 250 g prepartum and 0.92% DM postpartum | 3 wk prepartum until 10 d postpartum | Apparently healthy, multiparous Holstein cows | No effect on inflammatory response to a high dose of LPS intramammary, no difference in DMI or milk production | Ballou et al,64 2009 |
| Transition dairy cow | Ca salts of palm oil, safflower oil, or fish oil | 1.5% of DM | Safflower oil from 30 d prepartum to 35 d postpartum; fish oil 35–160 d postpartum | Apparently healthy, multiparous Holstein cows | Safflower oil increased plasma acute-phase proteins, neutrophil proinflammatory cytokines, neutrophil L-selectin, and neutrophil phagocytic and oxidative burst activities, fish oil decreased neutrophil proinflammatory cytokine | Silvestre et al,65 2011 |
Abbreviations: DIM, days in milk; DM, dry matter; n-3, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids; n-6, omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid; PBMC, peripheral blood mononuclear cell.