Effects of Chinese herbal formula Heat-stress-releasing on antioxidant function in dairy cows

In order to investigate the effects of a Chinese herbal formula Heat-stress-releasing on the antioxidant function in dairy cows, ten dairy cows were randomly divided into the control group and the experimental group, with five cows in each group. All the cows were fed with a basal diet. The animals in the experimental group were given with 220 g of herbs per day in addition to the basal diet. The trial was conducted for 14 days. Blood samples were taken from the vena cava at day 0, day 7, and day 15, respectively. The antioxidant statuses were examined. The results are as follows. (1) Heat-Stress-releasing formula can significantly increase the milk yield of dairy cows under heat stress. Compared with the control group, the milk yield of the herb-treated group increased by 14.01% (P<0.05), 14.32% (P<0.05) and 15.01% (P<0.05) in prophase, metaphase and anaphase of the test, respectively. (2) Heat-Stress-releasing formula can increase significantly the antioxidant status of the heat stressed dairy cows. Compared with the control group, the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity increased by 45.93% (P<0.01) at day 7 and by 54.40% (P<0.01) at day 15. The Glutathioneperoxidase (GSH-PX) activity of the test group increased by 17.99% (P<0.05) at day 7 and 25.98% (P<0.01) at day 15. The total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) of the test group increased by 43.64% (P<0.01) at day 7 and 46.35% (P<0.01) at day 15. The malondaldehyd (MDA) content of test group declined by 23.88% (P<0.01) at day 7 and 25.32% (P<0.01) at day 15.