AND SODIUM SELENITE DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS WITH RESULTING SERUM LYSOZYME AND COMPLEMENT ACTIVITIES IN SOWS AND PROGENY DURING POST PARTUM PERIODS

The aim of this study was to investigate the potential immunomodulating effects of selenium added to diets in an organic (Sel-plex ® ) or a mineral form (Na selenite) in sows and in their progenies. For that, concentrations of these substances were studied in blood samples from 14 sow dams before and after parturition. The same procedure was done in the progenies, 20-35 days, post-partum. In spite of the large dispersion of lysozyme concentrations, this parameter was markedly depressed at parturition only in untreated sows, whereas in supplemented females, lysozyme concentrations remained close to basal values. By contrast, the alternative pathway of complement activation (APCA) values increased at parturition and immediately after, then slowly decreased in the 3 groups, but in the Sel-plex ® group, these variations were lower than in the 2 other groups. Variations of the classical pathway of complement activation (CPCA) were characterised by gradual decreases and then recovery in all the groups, the lowest decreases being in the Na selenite group. Furthermore, treatment of sow dams by Sel-plex ® promoted