Association of Oxidative Stress Biomarkers with Metabolic Parameters in Dairy Goats During the Periparturient Period

Objective: This study aimed at detecting changes in redox balance (reactive oxygen species (ROS), serum antioxidant capacity (SAC) and oxidative stress index (OSi)) during the peripartum period in dairy goats and evaluating the relationship between oxidative biomarkers (ROS, SAC and OSi) and selected metabolic biomarkers (total cholesterol, triglycerides, beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs)). Materials and Methods: Blood samples were collected from 32 secondiparous Alpine dairy goats (average daily milk production: 3.93 ± 1.23 L) from the same commercial herd at dry-off, kidding and 30 days in milk (DIM). Results: Fatty acids at dry-off and BHB at kidding (rho: 0.56; p < 0.01) and 30 DIM (rho: 0.54; p < 0.01) were positively correlated, suggesting a potential role of pre-partum NEFA concentrations on the metabolic status of dairy goats during early lactation. Parturition was associated with the highest values of ROS (183.13 ± 6.99 Carr. U; p < 0.05) and OSi (0.50 ± 0.03 Carr. U/umol HCLO/mL; p < 0.05) probably due to the stress typical of this period. As expected, OSi exhibited a positive correlation with ROS (rho: 0.405, p < 0.01) and a negative correlation with SAC (rho: −0.707, p < 0.01). Furthermore, NEFAs showed a tendency to be positively correlated with ROS (rho: 0.191 p < 0.06) and were positively correlated with OSi (rho: 0.219 p < 0.03), suggesting a potential role of this metabolic parameter on oxidant status. Conclusions: The knowledge of the interplay between oxidative stress and metabolic changes during the peripartum period could potentially facilitate the development of strategies for the early detection and management of metabolic disorders in dairy goats.