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2026 Vol.53, Issue 1 Preview Page

Animal

Effects of a combined nutritional and cooling strategy on productivity and immune responses in heat-stressed Holstein dairy cows
Byeongcheol Ban1†
,
Jaesung Lee2†
,
Sungyong Joo1
,
Jihoo Park4
,
Seonho Kim5
,
Mooyoung Jung4
,
Sangsuk Lee5
,
Myunghoo Kim23*
1Department of Animal Science, College of Natural Resources & Life Science, Pusan National University, Miryang 50463, Korea
2Department of Agricultural Biotechnology and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
3The Institute of Animal Science and Technology, Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
4National Institute of Animal Science, Rural Development Administration, Cheonan 31000, Korea
5Ruminant Nutrition and Anaerobe Laboratory, Department of Animal Science and Technology, Sunchon National University, Suncheon 57922, Korea
*Corresponding Author
†These authors equally contributed to this study as first author.
1 March 2026. pp. 21-33
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Abstract

This study investigated the heat stress mitigation effects of combining nutritional (heat-treated fermented soybean meal, HFSBM) and cooling interventions in dairy cows. Twelve Holstein cows were assigned to a control (CON; n = 6) or heat stress-mitigating treatment (HSMT; n = 6) group for 2 weeks under heat stress condition (temperature humidity index [THI] = 80.60). CON received a standard total mixed ration (TMR), while HSMT received TMR with 0.1% HFSBM and was exposed to a cooling system (fans and misting). Productivity, physiological parameters, and gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were evaluated. No significant differences were observed in milk yield, milk composition, respiration rate, or rectal temperature. However, HSMT significantly reduced mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β (p = 0.038) and IFN-γ (p = 0.021) in PBMCs. mRNA expression of the cellular stress marker HSP90 (p = 0.028) also significantly decreased in the HSMT group. Furthermore, HSMT significantly increased mRNA expression of antioxidant enzymes SOD1 (p = 0.003) and CAT (p = 0.002). Although the 2-week combined treatment did not affect production or physiological indices, it effectively alleviated stress responses at the cellular and molecular levels. These findings suggest that combining cooling and HFSBM supplementation effectively enhances immune stability and health by reducing inflammation and cellular stress in heat-stressed dairy cows.

Keywords
cooling system
heat stress
heat-treated fermented soybean meal
Holstein cow
immune response
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Information
  • Publisher :Institute of Agricultural Science, Chungnam National University
  • Publisher(Ko) :충남대학교 농업과학연구소
  • Journal Title :Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
  • Journal Title(Ko) :농업과학연구
  • Volume : 53
  • No :1
  • Pages :21-33
  • Received Date : 2025-11-20
  • Revised Date : 2026-01-25
  • Accepted Date : 2026-01-30
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.7744/kjoas.530103
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