Effects of Vitamin D۳ Supplementation during Mating or Gestation on Antioxidant Status and Reproductive Parameters in Gray Shirazi Ewes

Recent studies suggest that vitamin D۳ may have preventive and therapeutic effects on autoimmune disease, cancer, and type ۱ and ۲ diabetes beyond the skeletal condition and calcium metabolism. To demonstrate the effects of a single ۱۰,۰۰۰ IU/kg vitamin D۳ IM injection during mating and pregnancy on reproductive and antioxidant factors, ۲۱ Gray Shirazi ewes with a parity of ۱ to ۳, which were kept under industrial conditions, were used for this research. All ewes underwent estrus synchronization by placing a sponge containing Flurogestone acetate for ۱۳ days, followed by an injection of ۴۰۰ units of Pregnant Mare Serum Gonadotropin hormone on the ۱۳th day. Then, ewes were divided into three groups: the first group served as control (without any supplementation), the second group, called pre-pregnancy, received vitamin D۳ ۱۰ days before laparoscopic insemination, and the third group, which received the supplement in mid-pregnancy (at the ۱۵th week of pregnancy). Blood samples were collected from the ewes at four different stages: the first stage was ۱۰ days after vitamin D۳ injection (at the time of insemination), the second stage occurred about ۱۵ weeks after insemination (about ۱۰ days after vitamin D۳ injection), the third stage was ۲ weeks before lambing, and the fourth stage took place ۲ weeks after lambing. The study's findings indicated that vitamin D۳ supplementation has no significant effect on reproductive factors in Gray Shirazi ewes (p≥۰.۰۵). However, a significant decrease in blood cortisol levels was observed during both pre-pregnancy and mid-pregnancy. Additionally, there was a significant increase in antioxidant factors, such as superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase, during mid-pregnancy. This conclusion can be related to the racial differences in sheep, the supplement's dose, and the timing and frequency of injections.­

کلیدواژه ها:

Vitamin D۳ ، Gray Shirazi Ewes ، Reproductive Parameters ، Gestation ، Antioxidant Status