Effect of high and low FGF21 expression on metabolic, inflammatory and antioxidative stress-related parameters in early lactating dairy cows

Studies in rodent models have shown that fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a liver-derived metabolic regulator that is induced in response to different stress conditions, such as energy and nutrient deprivation, inflammation and metabolic disorders. Recently, it has been shown that FGF21 expression in liver is dramatically induced in dairy cows during early lactation. However, the physiologically role of FGF21 in dairy cows has not been established so far. Therefore, the aim of this study was to gain knowledge about the physiological role of FGF21 in cows during this period. For this end, out of 30 cows, 8 cows with the highest FGF21 expression in the liver were compared to 8 cows with the lowest FGF21 expression. 16 liver total RNA samples were included in the microarray analysis. 8 cows with the highest FGF21 expression in the liver at wk 1 pp were compared to 8 cows with the lowest FGF21 expression out of 30 cows.