Effect of dietary zinc and selenium supplementation on antioxidative enzyme profile of barbari goats

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of zinc (Zn) and selenium (Se) supplementation on antioxidative enzyme profile in Barbari goats. Twelve goats (6 males and 6 females) aged between 2 and 4 years and weighing between 25 to 35 kg were selected and divided into control and treated groups of 3 males and 3 females each. The goats of control group were not supplemented whereas goats of treated group were supplemented Zn and Se in inorganic form with 150 ppm zinc sulfate and 0.50 ppm sodium selenite, respectively for a period of two months. Blood samples were collected at fortnightly intervals and the serum was used for estimating the level of antioxidative enzymes. It was found that lipid peroxide level was lower in the treated group as compared to the control whereas glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), glutathione reductase (GSH-R), glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and super-oxide dismutase (SOD) activities were significantly higher (P<0.01) in the treated group as compared to the control, indicating that Zn and Se supplementation decreased the oxidative stress. It can be concluded that Zn and Se in the diet of goats stimulate the antioxidative enzyme activity and provide antioxidant function to animal body by different mechanisms.