Abstract
H. Hryshchuk*, I. Chala, L. Yevtukh, O. Pinsky, A. Revunets, Yu. Kovalchuk, V. Karpiuk, P. Kovalov, L. Kovalova, V. Zakharin, Ya. Veremchuk and M. Pobirskyi
The paper presents the study of morphological and biochemical parameters of blood and the state of peroxidation in female water buffaloes during the transition period in the conditions of Western Ukraine. Ten pregnant buffalo cows aged 2–2.5 years with a live weight of 480–530 kg, kept in the subsidiary "Play", Klymets Village, Lviv region, have been selected for the research. At the beginning of the study, the gestation period was 8–8.5 months, and milk productivity at the beginning of lactation made up 12–18 L per day. The analysis of the morphological parameters of the cows' blood showed that all indicators were within the reference range. After calving, the number of erythrocytes and leukocytes decreased significantly, while the number of platelets increased. The changes in the leukogram indicate the development of an inflammatory post-calving process. Calving itself led to a rise in the intensity of catabolic processes in the cows' bodies, but these changes were within physiological limits, which justifies the high adaptability of buffaloes. A significant increase in lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase activity alongside a decreased activity of other indicator enzymes has been established. An essential area of the research conducted was the identification of the interrelation between metabolites. In the dry spell, the highest degree (r˃0.9) of the correlation was found between glucose and bilirubin. Also, a relatively high negative correlation was registered between the concentration rates of total protein. A high level of positive correlation was observed between Potassium concentration and creatine kinase (CK) activity. After calving, the relationships between the metabolites changed significantly; thus, Potassium and urea's highest degree of negative correlation was found. A high degree of positive correlation was found between the concentration rates of cholesterol and urea. A study of the lipid peroxidation intensity in the buffaloes' blood during the transition period showed that the concentration of both metabolites under research increased in the postpartum period: lipid hydroperoxides content by 80%, whereas malonic dialdehyde, increased by 2.2 times. Since there was a progressive accumulation of malonic dialdehyde in the blood, these changes may indicate a certain intensity of the enzymatic reserves of the antioxidant system in cow-buffaloes in the postpartum period.