INVITED REVIEW: Linking road transportation with oxidative stress in cattle and other species

Abstract

Purpose: The primary objectives of this review were to describe how transportation stress can contribute to the development of oxidative stress and provide a synopsis of the available literature assessing transit-induced oxidative stress in livestock. Nutritional strategies to combat oxidative stress in cattle are also discussed. Sources: Sources of information for this review included peer-reviewed literature, unpublished data from research conducted by the authors, as well as government and industry reports. Synthesis: Transportation is an unavoidable component of beef production and involves both physical and psychological stressors that predispose cattle to disease and negatively affect growth performance and carcass characteristics. These stressors can also result in oxidative stress, which further depresses animal health, feed conversion efficiency, and meat quality. Conclusions and Applications: Although transit has been shown to alter biomarkers of oxidative stress in various livestock species, substantial variation exists regarding study conditions (species, transit duration, distance) and biomarker assessment (tissue, time of sampling, analytical methods). Future research should focus on determining appropriate oxidative stress biomarkers and establishment of a reference panel for livestock species. Furthermore, a more complete characterization of the oxidative stress response in cattle post-transit will help identify targets for the development of nutritional supplementation strategies (e.g., vitamins, minerals, yeast products) to mitigate the negative effects of transit-induced oxidative stress on cattle health and performance.