Abstract
ABSTRACTThis study was conducted to determine the effect of dietary supplementation of organic zinc (Availa®Zn100) and selenium (Availa®Se1000) on semen characteristics, testes measures and serum testosterone concentration. Twenty Sanjabi rams (50.01 ± 5.6 kg) were randomly divided into four equal groups, given the basal diet as control (C) or supplemented with 0.3 mg/kg Se (SE) or 40 mg/kg Zn (ZN) or 40 mg/kg Zn plus 0.3 mg/kg Se (ZS) for 120 days experiment (from July to November). The semen samples and blood samples were collected every 3 weeks and scrotal circumference was measured every 15 days. The results indicated that scrotal circumference and testosterone concentrations did not differ due to treatment (P > .05). In contrast, semen characteristics were affected by ZS supplementation. The sperm density and total sperm number increased (P < .05) in ZS group. In addition, the progressive sperm motility was higher in ZS (P < .05) than those of SE and C groups. It is concluded that ZS treatment can improve semen characteristics, which may result in overall improvement in reproductive performance of treated Sanjabi rams during the breeding season.
Highlights
Selenium (Se) and Zinc (Zn) are trace elements known to be important for normal reproductive function in males (Kendall et al 2000; Villaverde et al 2014)
It is concluded that ZS treatment can improve semen characteristics, which may result in overall improvement in reproductive performance of treated Sanjabi rams during the breeding season
There was a significant improvement in sperm concentration in ZS group when compared with other groups on days 43 and 85 (P < .05), the ZN group sperm concentration was significantly higher on day 64 than the control (Figure 1)
Summary
Selenium (Se) and Zinc (Zn) are trace elements known to be important for normal reproductive function in males (Kendall et al 2000; Villaverde et al 2014). Improving the antioxidant system has led to significant improvement in reproductive performance in different animals (Kendall et al 2000; Marin-Guzman et al 2000; Lei et al 2010). As Lei et al (2010) reported that short-term dietary supplementation of Se-enriched yeast in adult Taihang black goats improved semen parameters (volume, motility, viability and concentration), seminal plasma antioxidant status and decreased abnormality rate. Se supplementation increased testicular Se level, semen GSH-px and ATP-ase activities but had no significant effect on semen quality, such as volume, density, motility and semen pH was observed in male bucks (Shi et al 2010)
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