Short communication: Serum osteoprotegerin concentrations in periparturient dairy cows

Dairy cows experience hypocalcemia at the onset of lactation; however, the contribution of bone metabolism to circulating Ca concentrations during the periparturient period is not well understood. Osteoprotegerin (OPG) protects against loss of skeletal mass by regulating osteoclastogenesis. We previously reported that the bone resorption increased around parturition in dairy cows from the perspective of bone markers in blood. The aim of this study was to explore osteoclastic bone resorption in periparturient dairy cows by measuring changes in serum OPG concentrations around calving. The OPG concentrations were evaluated in primiparous (n = 9) and multiparous (n = 9) cows at 21 d precalving and over 5 d after calving. Based on mixed model analyses, the multiparous cows had a higher serum OPG concentration than primiparous cows at precalving and exhibited a significant decline in serum OPG and Ca concentrations after calving. In contrast to multiparous cows, primiparous cows did not exhibit these changes. Therefore, we hypothesized that multiparous cows preserve their bone mineral content during late pregnancy and activate the osteoclastic bone resorption after calving. Based on our serum OPG data, we identified the different periparturient osteoclastic bone resorption patterns in healthy primiparous and multiparous dairy cows.