Abstract
Soils with marginal to deficient levels of selenium (Se) are widespread in the northwest, northeast, and southeast US. Supplementation to the diet of forage-grazing beef cattle with a vitamin-mineral mix containing additional Se is recommended in these geographic regions. We have reported that the form of supplemental Se provided to Angus-cross beef cows can affect circulating levels of progesterone (P4) on day 6 of the estrous cycle, a time when increased P4 is known to promote fertility. The objectives of this study were to (1) confirm and expand upon our initial report that the form of Se provided to cows affects early luteal-phase concentrations of systemic P4, (2) determine the effects of the form of Se on concentrations of P4 during gestation, and (3) determine the effects of the form of Se on concentrations of prolactin (PRL) during lactation. Throughout this study, Angus-cross beef cows had ad libitum access to a vitamin-mineral mix containing 35 ppm of Se in either an inorganic form (ISe) or a 1:1 mix of inorganic and organic forms (MIX). We observed a MIX-induced increase (p = 0.006) in systemic concentrations of P4 on day 7 but not on days 4 or 10 of the estrous cycle, consistent with our earlier report. We observed a MIX-induced increase (p = 0.02) in the systemic concentration of P4 at months 1, 3, 5, and 7 of gestation, and a MIX-induced decrease (p < 0.05) in systemic concentrations of PRL at months 5 and 6 of lactation. In summary, the form of Se provided to cows can be manipulated to affect the early luteal phase and gestational concentrations of P4, and postpartum concentrations of PRL.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-3-2020
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10060967
Funding Information
This project was funded by Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grant no. 2018-67015-27613 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (P.B., J.M.), and by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hatch Project No. 1010352 (J.M., P.B.).
Repository Citation
Carr, Sarah; Jia, Yang; Crites, Benjamin R.; Hamilton, Charles; Burris, Walter; Edwards, J. Lannett; Matthews, James C.; and Bridges, Phillip J., "Form of Supplemental Selenium in Vitamin-Mineral Premixes Differentially Affects Early Luteal and Gestational Concentrations of Progesterone, and Postpartum Concentrations of Prolactin in Beef Cows" (2020). Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Publications. 27.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/animalsci_facpub/27
Notes/Citation Information
Published in Animals, v. 10, issue 6, 967, p. 1-11.
© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).