Effect of Dietary Exposure to Ergot Alkaloids on Contractility of Bovine Mesenteric Vasculature and Rumen Motility
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University of Kentucky UKnowledge Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences Animal and Food Sciences 2014 EFFECT OF DIETARY EXPOSURE TO ERGOT ALKALOIDS ON CONTRACTILITY OF BOVINE MESENTERIC VASCULATURE AND RUMEN MOTILITY Amanda M. Egert University of Kentucky, [email protected] Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Egert, Amanda M., "EFFECT OF DIETARY EXPOSURE TO ERGOT ALKALOIDS ON CONTRACTILITY OF BOVINE MESENTERIC VASCULATURE AND RUMEN MOTILITY" (2014). Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences. 40. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/animalsci_etds/40 This Master's Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Animal and Food Sciences at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STUDENT AGREEMENT: I represent that my thesis or dissertation and abstract are my original work. Proper attribution has been given to all outside sources. I understand that I am solely responsible for obtaining any needed copyright permissions. I have obtained needed written permission statement(s) from the owner(s) of each third-party copyrighted matter to be included in my work, allowing electronic distribution (if such use is not permitted by the fair use doctrine) which will be submitted to UKnowledge as Additional File. I hereby grant to The University of Kentucky and its agents the irrevocable, non-exclusive, and royalty-free license to archive and make accessible my work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I agree that the document mentioned above may be made available immediately for worldwide access unless an embargo applies. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of my work. I understand that I am free to register the copyright to my work. REVIEW, APPROVAL AND ACCEPTANCE The document mentioned above has been reviewed and accepted by the student’s advisor, on behalf of the advisory committee, and by the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS), on behalf of the program; we verify that this is the final, approved version of the student’s thesis including all changes required by the advisory committee. The undersigned agree to abide by the statements above. Amanda M. Egert, Student Dr. David L. Harmon, Major Professor Dr. David L. Harmon, Director of Graduate Studies EFFECT OF DIETARY EXPOSURE TO ERGOT ALKALOIDS ON CONTRACTILITY OF BOVINE MESENTERIC VASCULATURE AND RUMEN MOTILITY THESIS A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in the College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment at the University of Kentucky By Amanda M. Egert Lexington, Kentucky Director: Dr. David L. Harmon, Professor of Animal Science Lexington, Kentucky 2014 Copyright © Amanda M. Egert 2014 ABSTRACT OF THESIS EFFECT OF DIETARY EXPOSURE TO ERGOT ALKALOIDS ON CONTRACTILITY OF BOVINE MESENTERIC VASCULATURE AND RUMEN MOTILITY Endophyte-infected (E+) tall fescue grass has been associated with fescue toxicosis, a costly syndrome characterized by poor cattle performance and health resulting in significant production losses. The fungal endophyte produces ergot alkaloids, which help the grass thrive in poor conditions but are toxic to mammals. A number of symptoms of fescue toxicosis can be related to vasoconstriction of bovine core, peripheral, and foregut vasculature. The first part of this series of experiments demonstrated ergot alkaloids were also vasoactive in midgut vasculature, with the exception of lysergic acid. Additionally, prior dietary exposure to ergot alkaloids decreased the contractile response of mesenteric vasculature to many of the ergot alkaloids tested. In the second part of this series, a non-invasive method was developed for measuring rumen motility in cannulated cattle. Using this technology without different dietary treatments, it was determined that 8 to 16 h after feeding was the least variable between animals and would provide the best opportunity to measure differences in motility. Application of this technique in the third part of this series investigated the effect of ruminally dosed ergot alkaloids on rumen motility. Treatments were not effective at inducing fescue toxicosis, and no differences in rumen motility variables were detected. KEYWORDS: tall fescue, fescue toxicosis, vasoconstriction, contractions, rumen pressure Amanda M. Egert Student’s Signature December 8th, 2014 Date EFFECT OF DIETARY EXPOSURE TO ERGOT ALKALOIDS ON CONTRACTILITY OF BOVINE MESENTERIC VASCULATURE AND RUMEN MOTILITY By Amanda M. Egert Dr. David L. Harmon Director of Thesis Dr. David L. Harmon Director of Graduate Studies December 8th, 2014 Date ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Firstly, I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. David Harmon, for providing me with this opportunity, supporting and directing my academic and research programs, and always pushing me to write and publish. I am extremely grateful for all of the helpful advice, encouragement, and knowledge that he provided while working towards my degree. A great deal of appreciation is also expressed towards committee members Dr. James Klotz, who has played an integral part of my research, and Dr. Kyle McLeod. The completion of my graduate program and thesis would not have been possible without their guidance, and I would like to thank them for their time. I am grateful to Do Hyung Kim, Adam Barnes, and Winston Lin, as well as the entire University of Kentucky, C. Oran Little Research Center, Beef Unit farm staff for their aid in conducting these experiments. Specifically, Lauren Clark provided an immense amount of assistance caring for the animals, troubleshooting, and collecting data. Additionally, I would like to thank Ryan Chaplin and Dr. Gregg Rentfrow of the University of Kentucky Meats Lab. Appreciation is also expressed to the graduate students who were not afraid to get their hands dirty and help with rumen evacuations. Thank you to the animals (particularly those that I cared for extensively: Baby, Whitey, Frankie, Buddy, Tiny, Pops, Burt, and Ernie) that were used in these experiments for cooperating, even though sometimes not initially. Furthermore, I wish to extend an enormous thank you to my family and, most importantly, my parents, Kay and Dave. You were always there for me, listened, and offered words of inspiration when I needed them most. Words cannot describe the extent of my gratitude. Without your love and support, I would not be the woman I am today. iii Finally, I would like to thank my friends, my cat, Hank, and my horse, Trip, for keeping me sane, reminding me that it is OK to have a life outside of graduate school, and understanding when I was too busy with experiments to spend time with them. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iii LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... ix FREQUENTLY USED ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................ x Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2: Literature Review .......................................................................................... 4 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 4 Tall Fescue ................................................................................................................. 4 Endophytic Symbiont ............................................................................................... 5 Agronomic Qualities ................................................................................................ 7 Fescue Toxicosis in Beef Cattle .................................................................................10 Disorders and Animal Performance ........................................................................10 Economic Impact ....................................................................................................15 Management Strategies .........................................................................................15 What Causes Fescue Toxicosis?............................................................................18 Ergot Alkaloids ...........................................................................................................21 Structure, Synthesis, and Modes of Action .............................................................22 Metabolism and Absorption ....................................................................................24 Vasoactivity and Associated Mechanisms ..............................................................26 Effect on the Gastrointestinal Tract .........................................................................29 Ruminant Forestomach Motility ..................................................................................31 Movement Patterns of the Reticulorumen ...............................................................32 Factors that Affect