Oxidative metabolism and biochemistry profile of santa ines sheep in periparturition: effect of parenteral vitamin E

Abstract

Fourteen healthy Santa Inês sheep, in the last month of pregnancy, were used. They were divided into two groups who received or two injections of saline solution (control group – CG), or 200 mg of ?-tocopherol acetate (vitamin E) (treated group – TG) with range of 14 days at 21 and 1 to 7 days before delivery, respectively, to the first and second doses. Blood samples were collected prior to the first application (T0) two weeks after the first application (M1), at delivery (M2), one week (M3), two weeks (M4) and four weeks after birth (M5). We analyzed the concentrations of total protein, albumin, globulin, urea, creatinine, uric acid, cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), non esterified fatty acids (NEFA), and the activities of serum creatine kinase (CK), aspartate (AST) and gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT). Oxidative metabolism were valued by activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), reduced glutathione (GSH) and ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP). No differences were observed between TG and CG in the concentrations of total protein, globulin, CK, uric acid, glucose, triglycerides, BHB, NEFA, SOD, GSH-Px and GSH. However, higher concentrations were observed in M0 for albumin (P = 0.039); urea at M1 (P = 0.018), M2 (P = 0.005) and M3 (P = 0.040), creatinine at M2 (P = 0.030) and M3 (P = 0.047), GGT at M1 (P = 0.01) and M2 (P = 0.024), cholesterol in M2 (P = 0.041) and FRAP in M3 (P = 0.022) for TG compared to CG. AST was higher for CG compared to TG in M2 (P = 0.030). The application of vitamin E (200 IU, IM) increased postpartum FRAP.