# The pathology of vitamin D3 deficiency in the growing Najdi lambs

## TL;DR

This study examines how vitamin D3 deficiency affects the health of Najdi lambs in Iraq, linking it to musculoskeletal issues and other health problems.

## Contribution

The study identifies a strong link between vitamin D3 deficiency and metabolic biomarkers in Najdi lambs, suggesting a role in immune suppression.

## Key findings

- Deficient lambs had significantly lower vitamin D3 levels (17.7 ± 1.07 ng/mL) compared to healthy lambs (89.75 ± 7.06 ng/mL).
- Dark coat color lambs had higher vitamin D3 levels than light coat color lambs.
- Low vitamin D3 correlated with lower calcium/phosphorus and higher PTH, ALP, and ALT levels.

## Abstract

The current study was aimed at assessing the status of vitamin D3 in growing Najdi lambs in Basra province, Iraq. By using a model of musculoskeletal illness, “Najdi lambs”, sera were examined for determining the levels of the total serum vitamin D3, Ca (calcium), P (phosphorus), PTH (parathyroid hormone), ALP (alkaline phosphatase), and ALT (Alanine aminotransferase).The results showed that there was a sharp down-regulation (17.7 ± 1.07 Ng/ML) of total serum vitamin D3 in Najdi lambs that had signs of musculoskeletal disorders, poor body and hair condition scores, decrease appetite, and poor growth when compared to high levels (89.75 ± 7.06 Ng/ML) in control healthy Najdi lambs. However, dark coat color Najdi lambs had higher serum levels (P<0.05) of vitamin D3 than light coat color Najdi lambs in both deficient to vitamin D3 and control healthy lambs. Interestingly, a correlation between the total serum vitamin D3 concentration and the serum level of Ca/P ratio, PTH, ALP and ALT was observed. Thus in lambs with low vitamin D3 concentration, Ca and P concentrations were lower while PTH, ALP and ALT were higher than in lambs with higher concentrations of vitamin D3. In the final consideration, deficiency of vitamin D3 in local Najdi lambs potentially threatens their health and has an important role in suppressing their immunity. Our study provides evidence for association of the pigmentation and the metabolism of vitamin D3. Evaluation the serum levels of reliable minerals, hormones and enzymes as biomarkers can support the early diagnosis of metabolic diseases included vitamin D3 in domestic animals.