The effect of β-carotene and vitamin E on metabolic profiles in nutritionally flushed sheep

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effects of β-carotene and vitamin E on serum biochemistry, body condition score, and the number of offspring in sheep during the flushing period. To this purpose, forty Romanov sheep 45 (±1 kg) body weight and 3 years of age were allocated into one of four experimental treatments with 10 replicates for 6 weeks: the control (only flushing), and three treatment groups injected intramuscularly with 1, 2, and 4 ml β-carotene + vitamin E in the third week of flushing, respectively. The 4-ml treatment of β-carotene + vitamin E evidently increased the follicle- stimulating hormone level. The 2-ml treatment of β-carotene + vitamin E increased the triglyceride concentration in the serum. Body condition score, offspring number, and biochemical parameters (cholesterol, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, aspartate aminotransferase, beta hydroxyl butyric acid, total protein, and glucose) were not affected by any levels of β-carotene + vitamin E administration. These findings indicate the positive role of β-carotene + vitamin E administration on pregnancy rate and some blood parameters during flushing.