Short communication: Amino acid supplementation and stage of lactation alter apparent utilization of nutrients by blood neutrophils from lactating dairy cows in vitro

Glutamine is the preferred AA used by polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) during the inflammatory response. However, the effect of other AA on bovine PMN response during inflammation and how this is altered by stage of lactation has not been fully elucidated. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of additional AA supplementation (pool of AA excluding Gln) on AA profiles, gene expression, and inflammatory function of PMN from dairy cows in early and mid lactation in vitro. We used 18 Holstein cows for this study. Polymorphonuclear leukocytes were isolated. Working solutions of AA (0 or 4 mM) and LPS (0 or 50 μg/mL) were added to cell populations suspended in RPMI and incubated for 2 h at 37°C. We used a subset of samples for gene and protein expression. Concentrations of AA in medium were determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with norleucine as an internal standard. Apparent AA and glucose utilization were calculated by subtracting the concentration after from that of before incubation. Data were analyzed as a randomized block design. Challenge with LPS increased the expression of proinflammatory genes and AA supplementation decreased both the expression of some proinflammatory genes and the media concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-α. Neither stage of lactation, LPS challenge, nor AA supplementation altered the chemotactic or phagocytic abilities of PMN in vitro. Polymorphonuclear leukocytes supplemented with AA had greater concentrations and apparent utilization of most of the supplemented AA, whereas the unsupplemented group had greater apparent utilization of glucose. Alanine was not provided in the media but was present in spent media, and Ile, Gly, and Pro were greater in spent media than in media before incubation indicating synthesis of these AA. Regarding expression of genes involved in nutrient metabolism, the expression of G6PD, coding for the enzyme glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, was increased and that of PDHA1, coding for the enzyme pyruvate dehydrogenase α 1, tended to increase with AA supplementation. Due to the lower concentration of tumor necrosis factor-α in media coupled with a downregulation of several proinflammatory genes, we concluded that AA, rather than Gln, alter the inflammatory response of bovine blood PMN. Independent from Gln, blood PMN from cows in early lactation may use certain AA as their primary carbon source for energy than cows in later lactation. Evaluating cows during the early postpartum period will provide additional information on the effect of stage of lactation and nutrient supplementation on PMN function.