Antioxidant vitamin (retinoids, beta-carotene, tocopherol) and glycated protein (SEFA) levels and ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) in newborncalves in the postpartal hours

In the blood and colostrum of Holstein-Friesian cows (n-15), as well as in the blood of their calves, the level of total protein, albumin, retinoid (r etinol: ROL, retinyl palmitate: RP), beta-carotene (BC), alpha-tocopherol ( AT) and SeFa and ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP), and in the liver of the newborn calves the level of the above mentioned fat-soluble vitamin s were examined. A group of calves (n=5) were exterminated immediately afte r calving, before suckling (Group A) and the other two groups (n=5-5) (Grou ps B and C) in the 4. and 10. hour after taking up the colostrum. There was no significant difference between the retinoid and vitamin-E leve ls of the cows and their calves. A marked ROL increase was observed in the liver samples of the carves. The BC and AT quantities were only a little ab ove the detection limits of analyses in the liver tissues. The plasma BC-le vels of dams and calves differed significantly (p=0.001) from each other. The total protein contents of the cows and their calves showed significant (p=0.001) differences between all sampling times. The plasma albumin level of the calves and cows differed in all cases (p=0.01). The SeFa concentrati ons were lower in the calves than in the cows (p=0.05). The values of FRAP in calves were higher (p=0.001) than in cows. Between the FRAP concentration and albumin level the calculated correlation was r=0.96 (p=0.01), while between FRAP and BC level r=20.72 in calves. In the same time, the FRAP, compared with the AT level showed only low correl ation (r=0.29), and with the ROL levels there was no correlation. The corre lation (r) between the SeFa and albumin concentrations was 0.55 (n.s.) in t he calves, but it was 0.88 (p=0.05) in cows. The similar correlations (r=0. 74; p=0.01) between the SeFa levels and FRAP values refer to a connection b etween the non-enzymatic glycation and the iron reducing ability of the blo od plasma.