Metabolism and Inflammation in Dairy Cows

During the transition to calving, dairy ruminants undergo physiological changes affecting several metabolic functions, including feeding behavior, nutrient flux and redistribution, hormonal patterns, and immune responses. Failure in those adaptations often induces a physiological imbalance condition, predisposing animals to developing several metabolic and infectious disorders at the onset of lactation. The immune system exerts a pivotal role in allowing a proper adaptation of dairy ruminants to the transition period, as immune dysfunctions and chronic inflammatory conditions contribute to increasing the development of physiological imbalance condition. Several managerial practices could be adopted to improve dairy ruminants’ adaptation to the transition period through improving the immune system function and mainly mitigating the inflammatory conditions. This chapter is aimed at (1) exploring physiological adaptations affecting metabolic functions of dairy ruminants while approaching calving, (2) understanding metabolic processes that are more likely affected by a physiological imbalance condition, (3) highlighting the role of the immune system in affecting a successful adaptation to the transition period, and (4) listing possible intervention aimed at improving such adaptation, mainly through modulating inflammation.