Effect of selenium supplementation and plane of nutrition on mares and their foals: selenium concentrations and glutathione peroxidase.
Abstract: To investigate the maternal plane of nutrition and role of Se yeast on muscle Se concentration, plasma glutathione peroxidase (Gsh-Px) activity, and colostrum Se concentration in mares and their foals, 28 Quarter Horse mares (465 to 612 kg of BW, and 6 to 19 yr of age) were used in a study with a randomized complete block design. Mares were blocked by expected foaling date and randomly assigned to dietary treatments within blocks. Dietary treatments were arranged as a 2 x 2 factorial with 2 planes of nutrition, pasture or pasture + grain mix (fed at 0.75% of BW on an as-fed basis) and 2 concentrations of Se yeast supplementation (0 or 0.3 mg/kg of DMI), resulting in 4 treatments: pasture, pasture + grain mix, pasture + grain mix + Se, or pasture + Se. Mares fed diets of pasture and pasture + Se received approximately 100% of the calculated NRC (2007) DE requirements, whereas mares fed diets of pasture + grain mix and pasture + grain mix + Se received 120%. Selenium supplementation began 110 d before the estimated foaling date and treatments were terminated at parturition. Blood and muscle (biopsy) samples were collected on d 0 and then every 14 or 28 d, respectively, thereafter until parturition. Additionally, BW, BCS, and rump fat (RF) were recorded every 14 d. At parturition, colostrum, foal plasma, and foal muscle samples were collected and sampling continued every 14 d for plasma and every 28 d for muscle until d 56. Mare BW, BCS, and RF were affected by plane of nutrition (P <or= 0.02), but not by Se supplementation. Mares fed the grain mix had greater (P < 0.05) BW, BCS, and RF measurements throughout the experiment. Mare plasma, muscle, and colostrum Se concentrations were greater (P < 0.01) in mares fed Se. Mares fed the grain mix had greater plasma Se (P = 0.02) than mares on pasture alone. Mare and foal plasma Gsh-Px concentrations were not affected by treatment. Foal plasma and muscle Se concentrations were greater when dams were fed the supplemental grain mix (P = 0.04 and 0.02, respectively) and supplemental Se (P < 0.001). Results indicated that maternal plane of nutrition and Se supplementation affected mare and foal plasma, muscle, and colostrum Se concentrations, but not Gsh-Px activity.
Publication Date: 2009-11-06 PubMed ID: 19897622DOI: 10.2527/jas.2008-1743Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This study explores the impact of selenium supplementation and nutrition level on mares and their foals, specifically regarding selenium concentrations and the activity of the enzyme glutathione peroxidase. The research suggests that the diet of the mare can affect the selenium levels in the mare and her foal, but not the activity of the enzyme glutathione peroxidase.
Objective and Methodology
- The research aimed to understand the effects of selenium yeast supplementation and different nutrition levels on the selenium concentrations and activity of glutathione peroxidase in the plasma of mares and their offspring.
- 28 Quarter Horse mares of different weights and ages were part of the investigation.
- The mares were divided into blocks based on their expected foaling dates and were randomly assigned different diet treatments within these blocks.
- These nutritional treatments comprised of two planes of nutrition and two levels of selenium yeast supplementation. The treatments involved diets of pasture alone, pasture with a grain mix, pasture and grain mix with selenium, or pasture with selenium.
- The investigation started 110 days before the estimated foaling date and continued till foaling. During this time, blood and muscle samples from the mares were monitored every 14 and 28 days, respectively. Other variables including mare body weight, body condition score, and rump fat were also recorded.
- After foaling, samples from the foals and colostrum were collected and tested.
Findings
- The body weight, body condition score, and rump fat of the mares were influenced by their nutritional intake, but not by selenium supplementation.
- Mares on the grain mix diet displayed higher body weight, body condition score, and rump fat measurements throughout the investigation.
- Higher selenium concentrations in the mare’s plasma, muscle, and colostrum were observed in mares that were fed selenium.
- Plasma selenium was higher in mares who were fed a grain mix rather than just pasture.
- Levels of glutathione peroxidase, an enzyme that helps prevent damage to cells, were not affected by either nutrition or selenium supplementation.
- Foal plasma and muscle selenium concentrations were higher when the mother mares were given a grain mix diet and selenium supplementation.
Conclusion
- The research concluded that the nutritional intake of the mare and selenium supplementation can influence selenium concentrations in both the mare and the foal.
- However, neither the plane of nutrition nor the selenium supplementation had an effect on the activity of glutathione peroxidase.
Cite This Article
APA
Karren BJ, Thorson JF, Cavinder CA, Hammer CJ, Coverdale JA.
(2009).
Effect of selenium supplementation and plane of nutrition on mares and their foals: selenium concentrations and glutathione peroxidase.
J Anim Sci, 88(3), 991-997.
https://doi.org/10.2527/jas.2008-1743 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station 77843, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animal Feed
- Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / physiology
- Animals
- Animals, Newborn / metabolism
- Colostrum / chemistry
- Dietary Supplements
- Female
- Glutathione Peroxidase / blood
- Horses / physiology
- Muscle, Skeletal / chemistry
- Pregnancy
- Selenium / analysis
- Selenium / blood
- Selenium / pharmacology
Citations
This article has been cited 6 times.- Novoselec J, Klir Šalavardić Ž, Đidara M, Novoselec M, Vuković R, Ćavar S, Antunović Z. The Effect of Maternal Dietary Selenium Supplementation on Blood Antioxidant and Metabolic Status of Ewes and Their Lambs. Antioxidants (Basel) 2022 Aug 26;11(9).
- Owen RN, Semanchik PL, Latham CM, Brennan KM, White-Springer SH. Elevated dietary selenium rescues mitochondrial capacity impairment induced by decreased vitamin E intake in young exercising horses. J Anim Sci 2022 Aug 1;100(8).
- Quaresma M, Marín C, Bacellar D, Nóvoa M, Navas FJ, McLean A. Selenium and Vitamin E Concentrations in Miranda Jennies and Foals (Equus asinus) in Northeast Portugal. Animals (Basel) 2021 Jun 14;11(6).
- Yaghmaie P, Ramin A, Asri-Rezaei S, Zamani A. Evaluation of glutathion peroxidase activity, trace minerals and weight gain following administration of selenium compounds in lambs. Vet Res Forum 2017 Spring;8(2):133-137.
- Delesalle C, de Bruijn M, Wilmink S, Vandendriessche H, Mol G, Boshuizen B, Plancke L, Grinwis G. White muscle disease in foals: focus on selenium soil content. A case series. BMC Vet Res 2017 May 3;13(1):121.
- Baird JD, Arroyo LG, Lumsden JH. Whole blood glutathione peroxidase activity in Standardbred broodmares supplemented with vitamin E and selenium. Can J Vet Res 2026 Jan;90(1):25-29.
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