Administration of antioxidants at parturition in Italian Mediterranean lactating buffaloes: findings in the postpartum

The transition period is an extremely critical phase for the Mediterranean lactating buffaloes, characterized by a state of oxidative stress. Oral administration of antioxidants is common. However, the aim of this study was to evaluate whether the intramuscular administration of a vitamin combination, containing α-tocopherol and β-carotene, could improve both milk quality and reproductive performance. The animals were divided into two groups: a group treated, at 24 h postpartum, with a vitamin combination (group D) and a control group (C). For milk quality, concentrations of retinol, α-tocopherol, fat, protein, lactose, Somatic Cell Count (SCC), non-fat dry matter (NFDM), casein, urea, pH, satured fatty acids (SFA), unsaturated fatty acids (UFA), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and poliunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in milk were assessed at 7 and 30 days post-treatment. Reproductive performance was evaluated using two parameters: pregnancy rate and the calving-conception interval. Retinol concentrations did not differ significantly between groups or across time points. α-tocopherol levels were significantly higher in group D compared to group C at T30 (0.35 ± 0.016 vs. 0.27 ± 0.015 mg/100 g; p < 0.05), whereas in group C exhibited a significant decrease over time. Fat, SFA, UFA, MUFA, and PUFA levels were significantly elevated in group D relative to group C (p < 0.05), while SCC showed a significant reduction in the treated group than the control one (104.4 ± 20.12 vs. 136.6 ± 32.24 × 10³ cells/mL; p < 0.05). No significant differences were observed in pregnancy rates; however, the calving-conception interval was significantly shortened in group D (62.23 ± 6.17 vs. 72.88 ± 5.49 days; p < 0.01). The obtained results indicate that the parenteral administration of the vitamin combination was associated with changes in selected milk quality parameters and with a shorter calving-conception interval.