Abstract
Background. Oxidative stress is associated with infertility. This study was conducted to determine the effects of glutamate and aspartate on serum antioxidative enzymes, sex hormones, and genital inflammation in boars suffering from oxidative stress. Methods. Boars were randomly divided into 4 groups: the nonchallenged control (CON) and H2O2-challenged control (BD) groups were fed a basal diet supplemented with 2% alanine; the other two groups were fed the basal diet supplemented with 2% glutamate (GLU) or 2% aspartate (ASP). The BD, GLU, and ASP groups were injected with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) on day 15. The CON group was injected with 0.9% sodium chloride solution on the same day. Results. Dietary aspartate decreased the malondialdehyde (MDA) level in serum (P < 0.05) compared with the BD group. Additionally, aspartate maintained serum luteinizing hormone (LH) at a relatively stable level. Moreover, glutamate and aspartate increased transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) levels in the epididymis and testis (P < 0.05) compared with the BD group. Conclusion. Both glutamate and aspartate promoted genital mRNA expressions of anti-inflammatory factors after oxidative stress. Aspartate more effectively decreased serum MDA and prevented fluctuations in serum sex hormones after H2O2 challenge than did glutamate.
Highlights
Artificial insemination has been shown to be a successful reproductive management approach to improve livestock production efficiency
All groups were treated with a single intraperitoneal injection (i.p.) of 10% H2O2 (1 mL/kg body weight) on day 15, except for the CON group, which was injected with the same volume of 0.9% sodium chloride solution
The MDA concentration in serum significantly increased after H2O2 challenge compared with the CON group (P < 0.05)
Summary
Artificial insemination has been shown to be a successful reproductive management approach to improve livestock production efficiency. Many risk factors can cause reproductive dysfunction in boars, such as harsh environments and mental stress and disease [3,4,5,6]. A sustained inflammatory/oxidative environment can damage healthy cells, which may lead to infertility and cause economic losses. In light of these factors, a strategy to minimize oxidative stress and genital inflammation in boars is required. This study was conducted to determine the effects of glutamate and aspartate on serum antioxidative enzymes, sex hormones, and genital inflammation in boars suffering from oxidative stress. Both glutamate and aspartate promoted genital mRNA expressions of anti-inflammatory factors after oxidative stress. Aspartate more effectively decreased serum MDA and prevented fluctuations in serum sex hormones after H2O2 challenge than did glutamate
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