Rumen-protected choline reduces hepatic lipidosis by increasing hepatic triacylglycerol-rich lipoprotein secretion in dairy cows.

Objectives were to determine the effects of supplementing rumen-protected choline (RPC) on hepatic composition and secretion of triacylglycerol-rich lipoprotein when cows were subjected to feed restriction to develop fatty liver. It was hypothesized that RPC reduces hepatic triacylglycerol by enhancing secretion of hepatic lipoprotein. Pregnant, nonlactating parous Holstein cows (n = 33) at mean (± standard deviation) 234 ± 2.2 d of gestation were blocked by body condition (3.79 ± 0.49) and assigned to receive 0 g/d (CON), 25.8 g/d choline ion from a RPC product containing 28.8% choline chloride (CC; treatment L25.8), or 25.8 g/d of choline ion from a RPC product containing 60.0% CC (H25.8). Cows were fed for ad libitum intake for the first 5 d and restricted to 41% of the net energy for lactation required for maintenance and pregnancy from d 6 to 13. Intake of metabolizable methionine was maintained at 18 g/d during feed restriction by supplying rumen-protected methionine. Hepatic tissue was sampled on d 6 and 13 and analyzed for triacylglycerol and glycogen, and mRNA expression of hepatic tissue was investigated. On d 14, cows were not fed and received a 10% solution of tyloxapol intravenously at 120 mg/kg of body weight to block hydrolysis of triacylglycerols in very low density lipoprotein (VLDL). Blood was sampled sequentially for 720 min and analyzed for concentration of triacylglycerol and total cholesterol. Lymph was sampled 6 h after tyloxapol infusion, and analyzed for concentrations of fatty acids, β-hydroxybutyrate, glucose, triacylglycerol, and total cholesterol. A sample of serum collected at 720 min after tyloxapol was assayed for the metabolome composition. The area under the curve (AUC) of serum triacylglycerol, VLDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol were calculated. Orthogonal contrasts evaluated the effect of supplementing RPC (CON vs. [1/2 L25.8 + 1/2 H25.8]) and source of RPC (L25.8 vs. H25.8). Least squares means and standard errors of the means are presented in sequence as CON, L25.8, H25.8. During feed restriction, supplementation of RPC reduced hepatic triacylglycerol (9.0 vs. 4.1 vs. 4.5 ± 0.6%) and increased glycogen contents (1.9 vs. 3.5 vs. 4.1 ± 0.2%). Similarly, supplementation of RPC increased the expression of transcripts involved in the synthesis and assembly of lipoproteins (MTTP), cellular autophagy (ATG3), and inflammation (TNFA), and reduced the expression of transcripts associated with mitochondrial oxidation of fatty acids (HADHA, MLYCD) and stabilization of lipid droplets (PLIN2). After infusion of tyloxapol, RPC increased the AUC for serum triacylglycerol (21,741 vs. 32,323 vs. 28,699 ± 3,706 mg/dL × min) and VLDL cholesterol (4,348 vs. 6,465 vs. 5,740 ± 741 mg/dL × min) but tended to reduce the concentrations of triacylglycerol in lymph (16.7 vs. 13.8 vs. 11.9 ± 1.9 mg/dL). Feeding RPC tended to increase the concentrations of 89 metabolites in serum, after adjusting for false discovery, including 3 acylcarnitines, 1 AA-related metabolite, 11 bile acids, 1 ceramide, 6 diacylglycerols, 2 dihydroceramides, 1 glycerophospholipid, and 64 triacylglycerols compared with CON. Feeding 25.8 g/d of choline ion as RPC mediated increased hepatic triacylglycerol secretion to promote lipotropic effects that reduced hepatic lipidosis in dairy cows.