Nicola LACETERA | University of Tuscia (Università degli Studi della Tuscia, Viterbo) (original) (raw)

Papers by Nicola LACETERA

Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology, Dec 1, 2016

Heat stress exerts a direct negative effect on farm animal health, triggering physiological respo... more Heat stress exerts a direct negative effect on farm animal health, triggering physiological responses. Environmental high temperature induces immunosuppression in dairy cows, increasing the risk of mastitis and milk somatic cell counts. The influence of heat stress on leukocytes activities have not been fully elucidated. The present in vitro study was aimed at assessing whether the exposure to temperature simulating conditions of severe whole body hyperthermia affects defensive functions of bovine blood polymorphonuclear cells. Blood was collected from seven clinically healthy, multiparous, late lactating Holstein cows. After isolation, PMN were incubated at either 39 or 41 °C. Phagocytosis, respiratory burst and apoptosis were then investigated. The selected temperatures of 39 °C or 41 °C mimicked conditions of normothermia or severe heat stress, respectively.. Phagocytosis assay was carried out by measuring the fluorescence of phagocyted fluorescein-labelled E. coli bioparticles. The modulation of oxidative burst activity was studied by the cytochrome C reduction method. Apoptosis was determined by measuring the activities of two enzymes that play an effector role in the process, namely Caspase-3 and Caspase-7. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 22.0. A Student t-test for paired samples and a Generalised Estimating Equation were used based on data distribution. , The phagocytosis rate was reduced (-37%, P<0.01) when PMN were incubated for 2 h at 41°C, when compared to phagocytosis rate measured at 39 °C. The oxidative burst, as determined by extracellular production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), was also reduced by the exposure of cells to 41°C compared to 39 °C. Such reduction ranged between-2 and-21% (P<0.05). Apoptosis rate was not affected by different temperatures. The results reported in this study suggest that phagocytosis and ROS production in PMN exposed to severe high temperature are impaired, partially explaining the higher occurrence of infections during periods of hot weather.

Journal of Dairy Research, Apr 30, 2007

The objective of the study was to assess the effects of intravenous infusion of triacylglycerol (... more The objective of the study was to assess the effects of intravenous infusion of triacylglycerol (TAG) emulsions derived from different lipid sources on responses to mitogens of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) isolated from fasted dairy cows. Six multiparous, nonpregnant, non-lactating Holstein cows were used in a replicated 3r3 Latin Square design. For 4 d, cows were fasted and infused intravenously with a 20 % TAG emulsions derived from tallow (TA), linseed oil (LO) or fish oil (FO). Fasting was employed to induce energy deficit and lipid mobilization. Emulsions were administered for 20 to 30 min every 4 h throughout the 4 d fast at a rate of 0. 54 g TAG/kg BW/d. Blood samples were taken before the first infusion, and then every 24 h during the fast. Blood was utilized to assess DNA synthesis, IgM and interferon-gamma (IFN-c) secretion by PBMC stimulated with mitogens. In TA infused cows there was a decline of PBMC ability to respond to mitogens, which was significant 48 h after initiation of the infusion period for DNA synthesis and IFN-c secretion. In LO or FO infused cows, PBMC responses to mitogens were not altered during the infusion period, and in some cases PBMC responses to mitogen was improved at 72 and 96 h after initiation of treatments. Effects of TAG infusion on PBMC responses to mitogens depended on the lipid source suggesting that LO or FO can attenuate the negative effects of fasting on immune functions.

Energy and protein metabolism and nutrition. 3rd EAAP International Symposium on Energy and Protein Metabolism and Nutrition, Parma, Italy, 6-10 September, 2010., 2010

FACCE MACSUR Reports, Mar 17, 2014

The aim of this short paper is to describe the activities performed by the LiveM-Task L1.2. group... more The aim of this short paper is to describe the activities performed by the LiveM-Task L1.2. group based at the University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy. Three different pluriannual databases were built to perform retrospective studies aimed at establishing the relationships between temperature humidity index (THI) and parameters of interest for dairy cow farms. The THI combines temperature and humidity in a single value and has been widely used to quantify heat stress in farm animals. The first database was built to assess the relationships between THI and mortality over a 6 yr period (2002-2007); the second one was a 7 yr database (2001-2007) which was built to establish the relationships between THI and milk yield; the last database included THI, milk somatic cell counts (MSCC), total bacterial counts (MTBC), fat and protein percentages (MF and MP%, respectively) data collected over a 7 yr period (2003-2009). The analysis of the three databases provided several equations which demonstrated and quantified an increase of mortality, reduction of milk yield and a worsening of milk quality in hot environment. Results of these analyzes authorized speculations about risks for dairy cows and their productivity in a warming planet. Furthermore, the same results are being utilized by economists also working within MACSUR at the University of Tuscia for an integrated study aimed at establishing the economic impact of climate change in the dairy sector. Combining this information with climate change regional scenarios might permit prediction of the impact of global warming and identification of adaptation measures that are appropriate for specific contexts.

Journal of Dairy Science, Sep 1, 2020

The study was aimed at assessing heat load-related risk of clinical mastitis (CM) in dairy cows. ... more The study was aimed at assessing heat load-related risk of clinical mastitis (CM) in dairy cows. Records of CM for the years 2014 and 2015 were obtained from a large conventional dairy farm milking about 1,200 Holstein cows in central Italy. A case of CM was defined by the presence of clinical signs and veterinary confirmation. Quarter milk samples were collected and bacteriological investigated for each CM. Etiological agents were identified and classified as environmental or contagious pathogens. Hourly weather data from the nearest weather station were used to calculate heat load index (HLI). Upper and lower thresholds of HLI, at which the animal accumulates or dissipates heat, were settled and used to measure heat load balance through the accumulated heat load (AHL) model. Zero and positive values of AHL indicate periods of thermoneutral and heat accumulation, respectively. Each case of CM was associated with HLI-AHL values recorded 5 d before the event. The risk of CM was evaluated using a case-crossover design. A conditional logistic regression model was used to calculate the odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals of CM recorded in thermo-neutral (AHL = 0) or heat load (AHL > 0) days, pooled or stratified for pathogen type (environmental or contagious). Classes of AHL as low (<6.5), medium (6.6-34.9), and high (>35) were included in the model. Other variables included in the model were milk yield as liters (<20, 20-30, and >30), days in milk (<60, 60-150, and >150), and parity (1, 2-3, and >3). A total of 1,086 CM cases were identified from 677 cows. Escherichia coli, Streptococcus spp., and Streptococcus uberis were the environmental pathogens isolated with the highest frequency; Staphylococcus aureus prevailed within contagious species. The analysis of pooled data indicated a significant effect of heat load on the occurrence of CM in the contagious pathogen stratum. Higher milk yield, middle and late stage of lactation, and older parity increased the risk of CM under heat load conditions. However, the association between pathogen type and these factors was not clear because the model provided significant odds ratios within all pathogen categories. The present study provided the first evidence of an association between HLI and CM in dairy cattle and suggested the ability of the AHL model to assess the risk of mastitis associated with heat load.

Journal of Dairy Science, Jun 1, 2017

Heat stress represents a key factor that negatively affects the productive and reproductive perfo... more Heat stress represents a key factor that negatively affects the productive and reproductive performance of farm animals. In the present work, a new measure of tolerance to heat stress for dairy cattle was developed using principal component analysis. Data were from 590,174 test-day records for milk yield, fat and protein percentages, and somatic cell score of 39,261 Italian Holstein cows. Test-day records adjusted for main systematic factors were grouped into 11 temperaturehumidity index (THI) classes. Daughter trait deviations (DTD) were calculated for 1,540 bulls as means of the adjusted test-day records for each THI class. Principal component analysis was performed on the DTD for each bull. The first 2 principal components (PC) explained 42 to 51% of the total variance of the system across the 4 traits. The first PC, a measure of the level at which the curve is located, was interpreted as a measure of the level at which the DTD curve was located. The second PC, which shows the slope of increasing or decreases DTD curves, synthesized the behavior of the DTD pattern. Heritability of the 2 component scores was moderate to high for level across all traits (range = 0.23-0.82) and low to moderate for slope (range = 0.16-0.28). For each trait, phenotypic and genetic correlations between level and slope were equal to zero. A genome-wide association analysis was carried out on a subsample of 423 bulls genotyped with the Illumina 50K bovine bead chip (Illumina, San Diego, CA). Two single nucleotide polymorphisms were significantly associated with slope for milk yield, 4 with level for fat percentage, and 2 with level and slope of protein percentage, respectively. The gene discovery was carried out considering windows of 0.5 Mb surrounding the significant markers and highlighted some interesting candidate genes. Some of them have been already associated with the mechanism of heat tolerance as the heat shock transcription factor (HSF1) and the malonyl-CoA-acyl carrier protein transacylase (MCAT). The 2 PC were able to describe the overall level and the slope of response of milk production traits across increasing levels of THI index. Moreover, they exhibited genetic variability and were genetically uncorrelated. These features suggest their use as measures of thermotolerance in dairy cattle breeding schemes.

Chinese Veterinary Science, 2010

... WU Hua1,Alessandro Nardone2,Nicola Lacetera2 (1.College of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry,Q... more ... WU Hua1,Alessandro Nardone2,Nicola Lacetera2 (1.College of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry,Qinghai University ... 2, Wang Hong, Hou Jianzhong, Cheng Shizhong, et al (school of Pharmaceutical Sciences,Beijing ... WANG Bin 1, QIAO Liang 2, AI Tie min 1, ZHAO Yu ying 1 ( ...

Animal, 2014

A retrospective study on seasonal variations in the characteristics of cow's milk and temperature... more A retrospective study on seasonal variations in the characteristics of cow's milk and temperature-humidity index (THI) relationship was conducted on bulk milk data collected from 2003 to 2009. The THI relationship study was carried out on 508 613 bulk milk data items recorded in 3328 dairy farms form the Lombardy region, Italy. Temperature and relative humidity data from 40 weather stations were used to calculate THI. Milk characteristics data referred to somatic cell count (SCC), total bacterial count (TBC), fat percentage (FA%) and protein percentage (PR%). Annual, seasonal and monthly variations in milk composition were evaluated on 656 064 data items recorded in 3727 dairy farms. The model highlighted a significant association between the year, season and month, and the parameters analysed (SCC, TBC, FA%, PR%). The summer season emerged as the most critical season. Of the summer months, July presented the most critical conditions for TBC, FA% and PR%, (52 054 ± 183 655, 3.73% ± 0.35% and 3.30% ± 0.15%, respectively), and August presented higher values of SCC (369 503 ± 228 377). Each milk record was linked to THI data calculated at the nearest weather station. The analysis demonstrated a positive correlation between THI and SCC and TBC, and indicated a significant change in the slope at 57.3 and 72.8 maximum THI, respectively. The model demonstrated a negative correlation between THI and FA% and PR% and provided breakpoints in the pattern at 50.2 and 65.2 maximum THI, respectively. The results of this study indicate the presence of critical climatic thresholds for bulk tank milk composition in dairy cows. Such indications could facilitate the adoption of heat management strategies, which may ensure the health and production of dairy cows and limit related economic losses.

American Journal of Veterinary Research, Oct 1, 2004

Animal, 2019

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the major phenolic compound of green tea, and hydroxytyrosol (... more Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the major phenolic compound of green tea, and hydroxytyrosol (HTyr), a phenol found in olive oil, have received attention due to their wide-ranging health benefits. To date, there are no studies that report their effect in bovine mammary gland. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects of EGCG and HTyr in bovine mammary epithelial cell line (BME-UV1) and to compare their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory in vitro efficacy. Sample of EGCG was obtained from a commercially available green tea extract while pure HTyr was synthetized in our laboratories. The mammary oxidative stress and inflammatory responses were assessed by measuring the oxidative stress biomarkers and the gene expression of inflammatory cytokines. To evaluate the cellular antioxidant response, glutathione (GSH/ GSSH), γ-glutamylcysteine ligase activity, reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde (MDA) production were measured after 48-h incubation of 50 μM EGCG or 50 μM of HTyr. Reactive oxygen species production after 3 h of hydrogen peroxide (50 μM H 2 O 2) or lipopolysaccharide (20 μM LPS) exposure was quantified to evaluate and to compare the potential protection of EGCG and HTyr against H 2 O 2-induced oxidative stress and LPS-induced inflammation. The anti-inflammatory activity of EGCG and HTyr was investigated by the evaluation of pro and anti-inflammatory interleukins (tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and IL-10) messenger RNA abundance after treatment of cells for 3 h with 20 μM of LPS. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA. (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate or HTyr treatments induced higher concentrations of intracellular GSH compared to control cells, matched by an increase of γ-glutamylcysteine ligase activity mainly in cells treated with HTyr. Interestingly, EGCG and HTyr prevented oxidative lipid damage in the BME-UV1 cells by a reduction of intracellular MDA levels. (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate and HTyr were able to enhance cell resistance against H 2 O 2-induced oxidative stress. It was found that EGCG and HTyr elicited a reduction of the three inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and an increase of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. Hydroxytyrosol has proved to be a strong antioxidant compound, and EGCG has shown mainly an anti-inflammatory profile. These results indicated that EGCG and HTyr may provide dual protection because they were able to attenuate oxidative stress and inflammatory responses, suggesting that these phenolic compounds are potential natural alternatives to be used in dairy cattle as feed supplement for reducing the development of oxidative and inflammatory processes related to parturition or as topical treatments for the control of bovine intramammary inflammation.

$Research paper thumbnail of Effects of the hot season on milk protein fractions in Holstein cows$

Animal Research, 2002

Effects of the hot season on milk protein fractions were studied in 40 mid-lactating Holstein cow... more Effects of the hot season on milk protein fractions were studied in 40 mid-lactating Holstein cows (141 ± 67 days in milk). The trial was carried out on a commercial dairy herd located in Central Italy (42 o 15' North, 12 o 21' East, 227 m of altitude). Twenty cows were monitored for six weeks from March to April; the other 20 cows were monitored for six weeks from June to August. The two groups were balanced for parity, days in milk (DIM), genetic index for milk production, and frequency of κ-casein B and β-lactoglobulin B variants. The diet for the two groups was a base-ration fed as a total mixed ration, plus concentrate given by self-feeders. During the two experimental periods, values of air temperatures and relative humidity were recorded daily and were used to calculate the temperature-humidity index; average feed intake was recorded daily, and rectal temperatures were measured weekly. Milk yield was recorded at both morning (06:00 h) and evening (18:00 h) milkings. Individual milk samples were taken weekly and analysed for concentration of crude protein content, casein number, and protein fractions. During the summer, cows had higher rectal temperatures but lower DMI and milk yield. Moreover, milk from cows in the summer had lower contents of crude proteins and caseins, lower casein number, and higher milk serum proteins. Among caseins, the κ-casein fraction did not differ between the two groups. Conversely, milk from summer cows showed lower contents of α s-casein and β-casein. The results from the present study indicate that the reduction of milk protein content observed in the summer was due to the reduction in the casein content, which was in turn caused by a reduction in α s-casein and β-casein contents. These changes might explain the alteration in cheesemaking properties of milk commonly observed during the summer. summer / dairy cows / milk protein fractions / casein Résumé-Effets de la saison chaude sur les fractions protéiques du lait de vaches laitières Holstein. Les effets de la saison chaude sur les fractions protéiques du lait ont été étudiés chez quarante vaches Holstein en pleine lactation (141 ± 67 jours de lactation). L'expérience a été réalisée sur 25

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EAAP technical series, Apr 2, 2003

... Interactions between climate and animal production Bioclimatology and adaptation of farm anim... more ... Interactions between climate and animal production Bioclimatology and adaptation of farm animals in a changing climate HH Khalifa Al-Azhar University, Faculty of Agriculture, Animal production Department, 11884, Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt, e-mail: khalifahhk@usa.net Summary ...

Journal of Dairy Science, Jul 1, 2016

The data set consisted of 1,016,856 inseminations of 191,012 first, second, and third parity Hols... more The data set consisted of 1,016,856 inseminations of 191,012 first, second, and third parity Holstein cows from 484 farms. Data were collected from year 2001 through 2007 and included meteorological data from 35 weather stations. Nonreturn rate at 56 d after first insemination (NR56) was considered. A logit model was used to estimate the effect of temperature-humidity index (THI) on reproduction across parities. Then, least squares means were used to detect the THI breakpoints using a 2-phase linear regression procedure. Finally, a multiple-trait threshold model was used to estimate variance components for NR56 in first and second parity cows. A dummy regression variable (t) was used to estimate NR56 decline due to heat stress. The NR56, both for first and second parity cows, was significantly (unfavorable) affected by THI from 4 d before 5 d after the insemination date. Additive genetic variances for NR56 increased from first to second parity both for general and heat stress effect. Genetic correlations between general and heat stress effects were −0.31 for first parity and −0.45 for second parity cows.

Natural Product Research, Aug 3, 2022

In this in vitro study, we evaluated for the first time the antioxidant and antiinflammatory effe... more In this in vitro study, we evaluated for the first time the antioxidant and antiinflammatory effect of an oleuropein-enriched extract (OleE) on bovine mammary epithelial cell line (BME-UV1). OleE was obtained from olives leaves and characterized by HPLC and NMR analysis. Cell viability test indicated that OleE at concentrations of 7.8 up to 250 μg/mL did not exert cytotoxic effect. At concentration of 31.2 up to 250 μg/mL, a dose dependent reduction of ROS production induced by hydrogen peroxide was observed. In addition, OleE at 62.5, 125 and 250 μg/mL showed a dose-dependent reduction in gene expression of TNF, IL1B, and IL10 after exposure to LPS. The downregulation of ROS production and cytokines expression in BME-UV1 by OleE confirmed the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In vivo experiments are necessary for future applications of OleE as natural feed supplement in dairy cattle to reduce incidence of oxidative stress in peripartal period.

Frontiers in Environmental Science

Natural parks (NPs) have a primary role in supporting people’s welfare by maintaining natural and... more Natural parks (NPs) have a primary role in supporting people’s welfare by maintaining natural and cultural resources. Various activities, such as those related to conservation of flora and fauna, forestry, agriculture and livestock, residential, and tourism, coexist within the boundaries of NPs. All these activities may contribute as a source or sink of carbon dioxide and, despite some NPs having started to promote their environmental services, there is currently a lack of information on their carbon footprint (CF). Although various international standards have provided guidelines to assess the CF of organizations, a lack of explicit formulation and procedure in these standards makes them difficult to apply, especially when the organizations to be evaluated embed a wide range of biological and anthropogenic activities. The framework proposed in this paper provides for the first time a holistic methodological approach to quantitatively and qualitatively estimate the annual greenhouse...

Agriculture

Modern agriculture is an extremely energy-intensive process [...]

Introduction: The common molecular basis of the responses to infectious and non-infectious stress... more Introduction: The common molecular basis of the responses to infectious and non-infectious stressors is mainly represented by the accumulation of products related to tissue damage (DAMPs), such as salts, ATP, ROMs, uric acid, mitochondrial DNA. This can be also induced by the metabolic and psychotic stressors, underlying innate immune responses to a novel environment. Material and Methods: 26 Friesian young bulls were investigated after truck transportation from 10 different dairy farms to a breeding center. Bulls were clinically inspected, and selected parameters of innate immunity (serum bactericidal activity, hemolytic complement, serum albumin, \u3b1, \u3b2, and \u3b3-globulins, interleukin-6, TNF-\u3b1) were investigated at days -4/0/4/15/30 with respect to shipment in different seasons. Results: Significant differences of IL-6 and TNF-\u3b1 mean protein levels were shown at destination in December (94 pg/ml) and June (788 pg/ml), respectively. Moreover, the serum levels of these cytokines increased between days 0 and 15 after the arrival, the modulation of IL-6 being in agreement with established models of physical and/or psychological stress. Concerning the modulation of albumin, alpha and beta-globulins, the highest levels were detected in April, whereas a significant decrease was observed between day 15 and 30 after arrival; on the contrary, \u3b3-globulin levels significantly increased after day 15. Conclusion: The results of this study highlight the occurrence of innate immune responses of young bulls to the combined effects of climate (season) and novel farming conditions