Erythrogram and oxidative stress in confined cattle fed with Brachiaria sp hay and supplemented with antioxidants

Abstract Brachiaria sp contains sporidesmin that can be oxidized by lipoperoxidation and cause oxidative stress. In the present study we evaluated the effects of different antioxidants on lipoperoxidation of erythrocytes from Nelore cattle fed with Brachiaria sp hay. The experimental design was entirely randomized, in which 40 whole male cattle were divided into five treatments (G1: control - no supplementation; G2: selenium and vitamin E supplementation; G3: zinc supplementation; G4: selenium supplementation and G5: vitamin E supplementation) and allocated in feedlot pens for 105 days. The samples heparinized and withethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) were obtained every 28 days for hematological and oxidative stress evaluation (0, 28 56, 84 and 105 days). In the erythrogram total erythrocyte count, hemoglobin, and hematocrit (Ht) were measured. For the evaluation of oxidative stress, in order to analyze the characteristics of the erythrocyte membrane, the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), total glutathione (GSH-T), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were determined. The results showed that regardless of the treatment there was no oxidative stress during the experimental confinement period and that the joint association of selenium and vitamin E in the bovine diet provided a lower incidence of deleterious alterations on erythrocytes.