Plasma osteocalcin, or plasma bone GLA protein (BGP), total plasma alkaline phosphatase activity and urinary hydroxyproline excretion of twenty-four pregnant dairy cows (thirteen in their first or second pregnancy, i.e. low parity, and eleven in their third or more pregnancies, i.e. high parity) were measured from 7 weeks before parturition until 1 week after parturition. Seven weeks before parturition the cows' ration was changed to one containing either 0.22% magnesium (low magnesium, LMg) or 0.82% magnesium (high magnesium, HMg) in the dry matter, and the potassium content of both rations was increased to approximately 4.1% in the dry matter to reduce the absorption of magnesium. Plasma BGP levels decreased significantly (P less than 0.01) as parturition approached while total plasma alkaline phosphatase activity and urinary hydroxyproline excretion did not. Magnesium supply and parity had no significant effect on this decrease. The overall plasma concentration of BGP, total plasma alkaline phosphatase activity and the urinary hydroxyproline/creatinine ratio in the prepartum period were affected by parity (P less than 0.05) with higher values in the lower parity cows. A significant positive correlation (r = 0.58, P less than 0.01) was found in all cows between plasma BGP level at parturition and the percentage of the bone surface covered with osteoblasts; however, plasma BGP was not correlated either with other histomorphometric variables or with total alkaline phosphatase activity during this time.

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