title: Effects of selenium supplementation on plasma progesterone concentrations in pregnant heifers.
abstract: It is known that selenium (Se) has various functions in animals. Many investigations on the biochemical and physiological effects of Se have been previously reported; however, the detailed function of Se in reproduction is not yet clear. We proposed the possibility that Se plays a notable role in progesterone production. The aim of this study was to clarify the effects of Se supplementation on progesterone levels of pregnant Holstein heifers. Eight Holstein heifers (-Se) were fed basal diet (containing 0.022 ppm of Se) throughout the experiment. While a 0.3 ppm diet of Se (sodium selenite) was fed to another seven animals (+Se) with basal diet. Blood sampling was carried out every week. Plasma Se concentrations were higher in Se-supplemented cows compared with controls (-Se) (P < 0.01) throughout the experiment. Se supplementation increased plasma progesterone in the 29-39 weeks of pregnancy from 4.98 ± 0.64 to 6.86 ± 0.49 ng/mL on average (P < 0.05). The present findings suggest that Se contributes to maintaining the function of the corpus luteum and/or placenta in the latter period of pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: NARO Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science, Tsukuba, Japan.
authors.forename: Hachiro
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kamada
authors.forename: Itoko
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nonaka
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takenouchi
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amari
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*; D003338:Corpus Luteum / Q000502:physiology; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D011247:Pregnancy; D011374:Progesterone / Q000097:blood*; D012643:Selenium / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D011374:Progesterone; D012643:Selenium
keywords: corpus luteum; heifer; pregnancy; progesterone; selenium