Changes in salivary analytes in cows due to the in vitro presence of feed

Background The effect in a sialochemistry profile of the presence of usually available feed in dairy cows was evaluated by an in vitro experiment. For this purpose, a pooled clean saliva from five healthy dairy cows was incubated five times with a standard feed based on a total mixed ration (F), wheat hay (H), and grass (G). The salivary panel was integrated by biomarkers of stress (cortisol -sCor-, salivary alpha-amylase -sAA-, butyrylcholinesterase -BChE-, total esterase -TEA-, and lipase -Lip-), immunity (adenosine deaminase -ADA-), oxidative status (Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity -TEAC-, the ferric reducing ability of saliva -FRAS-, the cupric reducing antioxidant capacity -CUPRAC-, uric acid, and advanced oxidation protein products -AOPP-), and enzymes, proteins, and minerals of general metabolism and markers of liver, muscle, and renal damage (aspartate aminotransferase -AST-, alanine aminotransferase -ALP-, γ-glutamyl transferase -gGT-, lactate dehydrogenase -LDH-, creatine kinase -CK-, creatinine, urea, triglycerides, glucose, lactate, total protein, phosphorus, and total calcium). Results Most of the evaluated analytes showed a coefficient of variations (CV) higher than 15% and/or significant changes compared with the clean saliva when feed was present. Some analytes, such as the oxidative status biomarkers (CV > 80%), AST (CV > 60%), or glucose (CV > 100%), showed significant changes with all the feed types tested. Others showed significant differences only with certain types of feed, such as LDH with F (CV > 60%) or triglycerides with F (CV > 100%) and H (CV > 95%). However, sCor or gGT remained unchanged (CV < 15%, P > 0.05) in all the treatments. Conclusions The presence of feed can produce changes in most of the analytes measured in cows’ saliva, being of high importance to consider this factor when saliva is used as a sample to avoid errors in the interpretation of the results.