Effect of systemic and sperm samples treatment with antioxidants from bulls Bos taurus under heat stress and supplemented with diet rich in poly-unsaturated fatty acids

• Grant number: 09/00608-3
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Duration: October 01, 2009 - March 31, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Reproduction
• Principal Investigator: Valquiria Hyppolito Barnabé
• Grantee: Valquiria Hyppolito Barnabé
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

One of the reasons for the lower fertility in European bulls bred in tropical regions for bulls Bos indicus is a higher rate of oxidative stress caused by increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), not compensated by antioxidant protection. Moreover, it is known that the sperm cell is highly susceptible to oxidative stress due to the high amount of poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in their plasma membrane, which, however, is extremely important for the sperm fertility and the resistance to the cold shock. Thus, treatments that interfere in the oxidative process may be extremely important to increase the productivity of these animals, both, on the field and in artificial insemination centers. This experiment aims to study the interaction between a diet rich in PUFAs and systemic treatment with the antioxidant vitamin E on sperm quality of European bulls undergoing testicular heat stress. Another objective of this experiment is to verify that the samples of these animals ejaculated, as well as samples of the same epididymis, can be protected in vitro by addition of enzymatic or non enzymatic antioxidants in the light of the computerized analysis of sperm. Also it aims to check whether the fatty acids supplied in the diet are incorporated sperm through high performance liquid chromatography. (AU)