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Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Corresponding author: J. T. Schonewille; e-mail: j.schonewille{at}vet.uu.nl.
| ABSTRACT |
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Key Words: magnesium potassium absorption cow
| INTRODUCTION |
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In ruminants, Mg absorption essentially takes place in the rumen (Tomas and Potter, 1976; Greene et al., 1983), and there are many controlled feeding trials showing the negative relationship between K intake and Mg absorption (Newton et al., 1972; Poe et al., 1985; Wylie et al., 1985). However, under in vitro conditions with isolated sheep rumen epithelium, Leonhard-Marek and Martens (1996) have shown that at luminal K concentrations higher than about 80 mM, Mg fluxes across the rumen epithelium become independent from the luminal K concentrations. Thus, it may be hypothesized that the inhibitory effect of supplemental dietary K on absolute Mg absorption (g/d) is not constant but becomes smaller at higher initial K intakes. Furthermore, whether supplemental Mg would effectively counteract the inhibitory effect of supplemental dietary K on Mg absorption was checked.
To test our hypothesis, Mg absorption was measured in 6 nonpregnant, dry cows that were fed rations containing 20, 48, or 76 g of K/kg of DM. Potassium intake was increased by supplementing the basal concentrate with KHCO3, which has been proven to be equally effective to intrinsic K-salts in depressing Mg absorption (Schonewille et al., 1999b). The installed range of dietary K concentrations is beyond the practical range (Schonewille et al., 1997), but it was anticipated that this would enhance the interpretation of the data.
| MATERIALS AND METHODS |
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Animals and Experimental Design
Six nonpregnant, nonlactating, multiparous cows (age 6.3 ± 0.6 yr; mean ± SE) with a mean BW of 792 kg (SE ± 24.6) were used. The cows were fitted with a rumen cannula. Four cows were of a Friesian-Holstein x Holstein-Friesian cross, whereas the 2 remaining cows were of a Meuse-Rhine-IJssel x Holstein-Friesian cross. During the experiment, they were housed indoors in a stanchion barn in tie-up stalls, on a soft rubber mat (1.2 x 1.85 m2), and a layer of sawdust as bedding.
The trial had a 6 x 6 Latin square design with a 2 x 3 factorial arrangement of treatments, and it was preceded by a 14-d preexperimental period that allowed the cows to become adapted to the experimental rations. Rations were based on artificially dried grass and concentrate, with a roughage-to-concentrate ratio of 50/50 (DM). Each experimental period lasted 28 d. The animals were randomly assigned to each sequence of feeding on the 6 experimental rations and had free access to water.
Experimental Rations
Appropriate dietary concentrations of Mg and K were attained by the addition of MgO and KHCO3 to the basal concentrate. The ingredient composition of the experimental concentrates is shown in Table 1
. The ingredient and analyzed compositions of the complete experimental diets are shown in Table 2
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Collection of Samples
The experimental concentrates, artificially dried grass and hay, were sampled from d 19 to 28 of each period, were ground, and were subsequently stored in a sealed jar at room temperature (18°C). On d 19 of each period, blood was taken between 1400 to 1500 h from the coccygeal vein into evacuated heparinized tubes and centrifuged immediately for 10 min at 2700 x g, and the plasma was collected and stored in plastic tubes at -18°C. From d 20 to 27 of each experimental period, urine and feces were collected quantitatively from each cow. Urine was collected by using urine collectors attached to the cows with leather harnesses. Urine coursed down into 2 vessels so that approximately 80% was collected in one vessel. The remaining urine was collected in the other vessel that contained Na-azide as a preservative. Total urine collections from each 24-h interval were weighed, and 0.5% (wt/wt) of the total urine was sampled and stored at -18°C in a plastic bucket that contained 100 ml of 6 M HCl. The daily feces production of each cow was weighed and homogenized thoroughly, and 3% of the wet weight was stored at -18°C. At the end of each collection period, the day samples of feces of each cow were combined, mixed thoroughly, and sampled. The samples were dried for 5 d at 60°C, ground, and stored in a sealed jar at room temperature (18°C) until analysis.
On d 28 of each period, prior to the morning meal, 500 mL of Cr-EDTA solution (100 g of Cr-EDTA/L, pH 6.5 to 6.7) were introduced into the rumen via the cannula as a marker to assess rumen volume and passage rate of the rumen liquid phase. Rumen fluid samples were taken (approximately 30 mL) at 0745, 0900, 1000, 1100, 1300, 1500, and 1700 h. Immediately after collection, pH of ruminal fluid was recorded, the rumen fluid samples were centrifuged at room temperature (18°C) at 2700 x g for 15 min, and the supernatant was stored in plastic tubes at -18°C. An aliquot of the supernatant was centrifuged at 20°C at 30,000 x g for 30 min, and the supernatant was stored in plastic tubes at -18°C; this was not done for the rumen fluid sample taken at 1000 h. Ultracentrifugation is required to isolate free Mg associated with low molecular weight fractions in rumen fluid (Grace et al., 1988).
Chemical Analyses
Nitrogen contents were determined by the macro-Kjeldahl method (International Dairy Federation, 1986); a factor of 6.25 was used to convert nitrogen mass into CP. Ether extracts of the feedstuffs were prepared according to the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) (1984), the solvent was evaporated, and the crude fat residue was weighed. The crude fiber content of feedstuffs was estimated according to the AOAC (1984) method. Prior to the determination of selected minerals in feedstuffs and feces, the samples were ashed at 480°C for 6 h. The ashed samples were dissolved in 15 mL of 4 M HCl, and the acidified solution was analyzed for Mg, Ca, and K by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Total P in feedstuffs was measured using a spectrophotometer following the method of Quinlan and DeSesa (1955). The concentrations of Mg and K in rumen fluid were determined directly by the atomic absorption spectroscopy. Concentration of Cr in rumen fluid was analyzed by atomic emission spectroscopy. Magnesium concentrations in plasma and urine were measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The accuracy of each assay run was found to be within 3% deviation from the target value of a commercial hay powder (CRM 129, Community Bureau of Reference, Brussels, Belgium) and from that of in-house reference samples. The combined within- and between-run precision of the determinations was <3% (coefficient of variation).
Calculations and Statistical Analysis
The calculations of rumen volume and the passage rate of rumen fluid content were described previously by Schonewille et al. (1999b). Prior to statistical analysis, geometrical means of 5 postfeeding values of rumen pH and concentrations of Mg and K, based on samples taken at 0900, 1100, 1300, 1500, and 1700 h, were calculated. The means can be considered as estimates of the areas under the curve (Wolever and Jenkins, 1986). Then, all data were subjected to ANOVA. The total variation was divided into cow, experimental period, dietary treatment, and the interaction of dietary Mg and K (K x Mg). When the influence of the dietary treatments reached statistical significance, Tukeys t test was used to distinguish the dietary treatments that had different effects on the variable involved. For the data from each cow (n = 6) and for each diet (n = 6), linear correlations were calculated between ruminal variables and Mg absorption. The calculations were done under the assumption that the 36 data points could be considered independent. To detect rumen variables that were related to Mg absorption, multiple regression analysis was performed with animal and period as factors. Urinary Mg excretion (g/d) was used as a dependent variable. Rumen fluid concentrations of Mg and K, ruminal pH, rumen volume, passage rate of rumen liquid, and an interaction term of Mg and K concentrations in rumen fluid were used as independent variables. Forward, stepwise regression was performed by incorporating into the model the rumen variable showing the highest significant, partial correlation coefficient for its relation with the residual variance in urinary Mg excretion. Throughout, statistical significance was preset at P < 0.05.
| RESULTS |
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Mg Balance and Plasma Mg
Absolute Mg absorption (g/d) and Mg absorption expressed as a percentage of intake were significantly increased after the intake of supplemental Mg and were significantly decreased after the intake of supplemental K (Table 3
). However, when the dietary K concentration increased from low to medium (from 20.5 to 48.2 g/kg of DM), the depressant effect of additional K on Mg absorption was not observed at Mg intakes of 41 g/d (low-Mg rations). Absolute Mg absorption (g/d) and Mg absorption expressed as a percentage of intake were positively correlated (Pearsons r = 0.827, P < 0.001, n = 36). Urinary Mg excretions were positively related to the absolute amount of Mg absorbed (Pearsons r = 0.817; P < 0.001, n = 36), and a significant K x Mg interaction with regard to the urinary excretion of Mg was not observed. Magnesium balance was positively related to the amount of Mg absorbed (Pearsons r = 0.745; P < 0.001, n = 36) and all values that were within 5% of the intake of Mg.
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Ruminal Mg and K Concentrations and pH
The ruminal concentrations of Mg and K, both before and mean postfeeding values, were significantly increased after the intake of supplemental Mg and K, respectively (Table 4
). There was no significant effect of Mg intake on the ruminal concentrations of K, and K intake did not influence ruminal Mg concentrations either.
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Rumen Volume and Passage Rate
Rumen volume (L), absolute (L/h), and fractional outflow (%/h) of liquid phase were not affected (P
0.152) by dietary treatment, the mean values for the combined treatments (n = 6) being 53.3 L (SE ± 0.84), 5.2 L/h (SE ± 0.27), and 9.9%/h (SE ± 0.46), respectively.
Multiple Regression Analysis
After forward, stepwise regression, it appeared that the factors, animal, and experimental period, and the ruminal Mg and K concentrations contributed significantly to the explained variance in urinary Mg excretion (Table 5
). Furthermore, the interaction term of rumen fluid Mg and K concentrations did not significantly contribute to the explained variance in urinary Mg excretion (g/d); the partial correlation (Rpartial) with the residual variance in urinary Mg excretion was 0.252 (P = 0.235) when rumen fluid Mg and K concentrations were already incorporated into the regression model.
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| DISCUSSION |
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The inhibitory action of K on Mg absorption can be explained by the depolarizing action of high luminal K concentrations on the apical membrane potential of rumen epithelial cells, F1 which reduces the driving force for Mg uptake by these cells (Martens et al., 1987). Furthermore, in vitro studies with isolated sheep rumen epithelium (Leonhard-Marek and Martens, 1996) have demonstrated that Mg absorption became independent from the luminal K concentration at levels higher than 80 mM. In this study, it was found that the mean postfeeding ruminal K concentrations responded in linear, dose-dependent fashion to the level of K intake, whereas Mg intake had no effect on the ruminal K concentrations (Table 4
). Figure 1
shows the relationships between the mean postfeeding ruminal K concentrations and the urinary Mg excretion at the 2 levels of Mg intake. It is difficult to see that the urinary Mg excretion becomes marginally depressed when the dietary K content is increased from medium to high level (from 48.0 to 75.5 g K/kg of DM). Apparently, such an effect, if any, may occur under feeding conditions only when ruminal K concentrations are higher than those in this study.
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In addition to the electrogenic component of Mg uptake by rumen epithelial cells, the chemical gradient of soluble Mg between the lumen and cell content is also of importance. From in vitro studies by Dalley et al., 1997b), it follows that the solubility of Mg in ruminal fluid decreases abruptly when rumen pH is > 6.0. Thus, at higher pH values, the soluble Mg concentration becomes unrelated to the pH. In our study, ruminal pH was significantly influenced by the additional intake of K and Mg (Table 4
). However, mean postfeeding Mg concentrations in ultracentrifuged rumen fluid were not correlated with mean postfeeding pH values (Pearsons r = 0.047, P = 0.785). Probably, the impact of ingested KHCO3 and MgO on ruminal pH was not sufficient to substantially decrease the solubility of Mg in rumen fluid and thereby affect Mg uptake by rumen epithelial cells. Indeed, rumen Mg concentrations were not significantly influenced by the additional intake of K (Table 4
). Rumen Mg concentration can be affected by rumen volume and passage rate of rumen fluid (Vant Klooster, 1967). However, based on stepwise regression, the variance in rumen and passage rate of rumen fluid did not significantly contribute to the explained variance in Mg absorption. Thus, in this study rumen pH, rumen volume, and fractional outflow were not related to Mg absorption.
| CONCLUSIONS |
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| ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS |
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| FOOTNOTES |
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Received for publication May 27, 2003. Accepted for publication July 16, 2003.
| REFERENCES |
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