The effect of a single dose of selenium with vitamin E on oxidative stress and fertilization indicators of ram sperm over the course of spermatogenesis

Dolník, Michal; Mudroňová, Dagmar; Lazar, Gabriel; Kadaši, Marián; Horňáková, Ľubica; Mudroň, Pavol

doi:10.2754/avb202392030259

Acta Veterinaria > Archive > 2023, Vol. 92 > Issue 3 > The effect of a single dose of selenium…

Acta Vet. Brno 2023, 92: 259-265

https://doi.org/10.2754/avb202392030259

The effect of a single dose of selenium with vitamin E on oxidative stress and fertilization indicators of ram sperm over the course of spermatogenesis

Michal Dolník¹, Dagmar Mudroňová², Gabriel Lazar¹, Marián Kadaši¹, Ľubica Horňáková³, Pavol Mudroň¹

¹University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Clinic of Ruminants, Košice, Slovakia
²University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Košice, Slovakia
³University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Small Animal Clinic, Košice, Slovakia

Received May 15, 2021
Accepted July 11, 2023

The aim of the experiment was to determine the effect of a single subcutaneous administration of selenium (Se) + vitamin E on the ejaculate volume, sperm count and viability, level of apoptosis and oxidative stress (OS) and Se concentration in ejaculates and blood of rams with respect to the time course of the spermatogenic cycle. The experimental group (EG; n = 6) was treated with a single injection of Selevit at a dose of 5 ml per animal (11 mg of sodium selenite and 125 mg of vitamin E/per animal). The control group (CG; n = 4) was treated in the same way, only with saline. Samples of blood and ejaculates were collected from each ram prior to application of Se and on the 1^st, 14^th, 26^th, 38^th, 50^th and 62^nd day after injection. Results showed that the Se concentration in the blood of EG was significantly higher only 24 h after application. Selenium concentration in the ejaculates of the EG was higher during the whole duration of the experiment (62 days), but significantly so only until day 14. The level of OS was significantly reduced on day 1, 14, and 62 after application of Selevit. There were no significant differences in the other analysed indicators. The results showed that one subcutaneous injection of Selevit had a positive effect on Se concentration and OS level in ejaculates, but was not sufficient to improve other monitored sperm quality indicators.

Keywords

Spermatozoa, sperm quality, sodium selenite, rams, flow cytometry.

Funding

This study was supported by the EU Structural Fund ITMS 26220220185 (MediPark) and by the Slovak Research and Development Agency under the contract APVV-19-0462.