Impacts of Oxidative Stress on Cattle Physiology

Dear Colleagues,

The field of oxidative stress in ruminant medicine is still in its early developmental stages. Although oxidative stress has been linked to various conditions, much remains to be uncovered about its role in ruminant health and production. Determining whether oxidative stress is a primary cause of pathologic changes or a consequence of disease processes is still a matter of investigation. Dairy cattle undergo significant physiological changes during their one-year life cycle after reaching adulthood. Various stages, including breeding, pregnancy, fetal growth and development, parturition, and lactation, expose dairy animals to substantial influences of metabolic changes. The considerable oxygen requirements during periods of increased metabolic demand lead to an augmented production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). An imbalance between increased ROS production and the availability of antioxidant defenses may expose cows to heightened oxidative stress.

The goal of this Special Issue is to provide new advances connecting alterations in the pattern of antioxidants and scavenger compounds, mitochondrial dysfunction, imbalance of energy metabolism, and oxidative stress with onset and/or progression of cattle production systems, also taking into consideration the impact of environmental conditions on cattle welfare in the context of a changing climate.

There is a link between oxidative stress and the epigenetic landscape of the cell due to the consequences of ROS accumulation on the methylome, so globally oxidative stress can influence the cell even on DNA or histone levels. The mitochondria, the main intracellular source of ROS through ATP production, can be affected by epigenetic modification, the so called mitoepigenetic modifications having a connection between oxidative stress and the mitochondrial function on somatic cells and on germinative cells.

Papers reporting data on metabolic changes interconnected with the oxidative process in critical life-stage periods (sexual maturity/cyclicity, pregnancy, parturition, puerperal period, lactation, service period), in vitro fertilization as well as thermal stress are highly welcome.

Prof. Dr. Camelia Tulcan
Prof. Dr. Adela Pintea
Prof. Dr. Sanda Andrei
Guest Editors

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• cattle
• oxidative stress
• ROS
• epigenetics
• dairy production
• reproduction
• heat stress