First report about the mode of action of combined butafosfan and cyanocobalamin on hepatic metabolism in nonketotic early lactating cows

The primary aim was to investigate the effect of combined butafosfan and cyanocobalamin on liver metabolism in early lactating cows through mRNA expression measurements of genes encoding 31 enzymes and transport proteins of major metabolic processes in the liver using 16 multiparous early lactating dairy cows. The treatments included i.v. injection of 10 mL/100 kg of body weight combined butafosfan and cyanocobalamin (TG, n = 8) on 3 d consecutively at 25 ± 3 d in milk or injection with physiological saline solution similarly applied (CG, n = 8). Results include a higher daily milk production for TG cows (41.1 ± 0.9 kg, mean ± SEM) compared with CG cows (39.5 ± 0.7 kg). In plasma, the concentration of inorganic phosphorus was lower in the TG cows (1.25 ± 0.08 mmol/L) after the treatment than in the CG cows (1.33 ± 0.07 mmol/L). The plasma β-hydroxybutyrate concentration was 0.65 ± 0.13 mmol/L for all cows before the treatment, and remained unaffected post treatment. The unique result was that in the liver, the mRNA abundance of acyl-coenzyme A synthetase long-chain family member 1, involved in fatty acid oxidation and biosynthesis, was lower across time points after the treatment for TG compared with CG cows (17.5 ± 0.15 versus 18.1 ± 0.24 cycle threshold, log2, respectively). In conclusion, certain effects of combined butafosfan and cyanocobalamin were observed on mRNA abundance of a gene in the liver of nonketotic early lactating cows.