Nutritional evaluation of kale ( Brassica oleracea ) diets:2. Copper deficiency, thyroid function, and selenium status in young cattle and sheep fed kale for prolonged periods

Animals fed sole diets of kale ( Brassica oleracea ) were compared with animals fed ryegrass-clover pasture grown on the same soil type in two experiments. In Expt 1 young cattle grazed the two forages for 24 weeks, with supplementary copper and iodine being administered by injection. In Expt 2 young sheep were individually fed the two forages indoors at equal D.m. intake. Animals grazing kale in Expt 1 showed the characteristic symptoms of haemolytio anaemia from ruminal fermentation of S -methyl cysteine sulphoxide (SMCO) (Smith, 1974). This was most severe over the first 6 weeks, during which live-weight gains were very low (250 g/day). In the absence of copper supplementation animals grazing kale showed symptoms of copper deficiency. This was characterized by live-weight gain remaining low throughout the experiment (mean 280 g/day), rapid depletion of liver copper reserves, progressive reductions in serum copper concentration, reductions in erythrocyte copper and reduced glutathione (GSH) concentrations and a massive hepatic accumulation of iron. Copper deficiency only slightly lowered heart muscle copper concentration in kale-fed cattle, and this was counteracted byheart hypertrophy. The major effects of copper deficiency in kale-fed cattle were in erythrocytes, and a metabolic diagram is presented showing these effects to be biochemically similar to those produced by ruminal fermentation of SMCO. Copper supplementation of animals grazing kale increased live-weight gain (mean 425 g/day), reduced Heinz body formation, allowed the animals to recover gradually from the haemolytic anaemia and prevented other symptoms of copper deficiency. In contrast, animals grazing ryegrass-clover pasture showed only a very mild depletion of copper, there being no response in live-weight gain to copper supplementation. Activity of the enzyme glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in whole blood was dependent upon blood selenium concentration in cattle fed both diets. In cattle fed on kale, bub not on pasture, reductions in erythrocyte GSH due to ruminal fermentation of SMCO and to copper deficiency were also associated with depressed blood selenium status. Glucosinolates were present in the kale (11μM/g D.M.) but absent from the pasture diet. Despite this, neither T 4 production from the thyroid gland nor the conversion of T 4 to T 3 appeared to be impaired by kale feeding in either Expt 1 or Expt 2. In Expt 1 serum T 3 concentration was better relatedto live-weight gain than was serum T 4 concentration, in accord with T 3 being the active form of the thyroid hormone. It is concluded that supplementation with copper but not iodine is essential where growing cattle are fed sole diets of kale for periods in excess of 12 weeks