Castellini C, Lattaioli P, Bosco AD, Beghelli D<\/p>\n
Department of Animal Science, Borgo 20 Giugno, 74-06100 Perugia, Italy<\/em><\/p>\n This research examined the effects of dietary alpha-tocopheryl acetate (50 or 200 mg\/kg diet) and selenium (Se, 0 or 0.5 ppm) supplementation on motion characteristics, oxidative stability and fertilizing ability of rabbit spermatozoa, fresh and stored for 24 h at 5 degrees C. The higher amount of dietary alpha-tocopheryl acetate increased the level of Vitamin E in the fresh semen (1.75 mmol\/l versus 0.95 mmol\/l) and its oxidative stability (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances-TBARS 12.44 nmol malondialdehyde\/10(8) sperm versus 21.4 nmol malondialdehyde\/10(8) sperm). Dietary Se increased gluthatione peroxidase activity (GPx) in erythrocytes (285 U\/g Hb versus 207 U\/g Hb), seminal plasma (270 U\/l versus 190 U\/l) and spermatozoa (1338 mU\/10(9) sperm versus 1103 mU\/10(9) sperm), whereas it did not show any effect on alpha-tocopherol level and TBARS. No synergy between Vitamin E and Se was shown. Storage for 24 h at 5 degrees C increased the TBARS level in all the experimental groups. Neither live and acrosome reacted spermatozoa, nor kinetic parameters, nor fertility rate were modified by dietary supplementation.<\/p>\n doi: 10.1016\/S0093-691X(02)01083-X<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"