Effect of Vitamin E supplementation on semen and blood profile of vaccinated crossbred bulls

Abstract

Vaccination is one of the major stress factors that affects the semen productivity of the breeding bulls who showed consistent higher body temperature for several days. Therefore, a study was planned to assess the ameliorative strategy of vaccination stress by Vitamin E supplementation on twelve Holstein-Friesian crossbred bulls (432 ejaculates) maintained at Artificial Breeding Research Centre, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal. The bulls were vaccinated for FMD @ 3 ml by SC injections. In treatment group (6 bulls), Vitamin E was supplemented @ 4000 I.U./bull/day, ten weeks before and nine weeks after vaccination and another group without Vitamin E supplementation served as control. Vitamin E supplementation resulted in significantly reduced sperm abnormalities and improved sperm concentration, total motile spermatozoa (106), total live spermatozoa per ml (106), total sperm (106), live sperm/ml and total dose harvested in treated group as compared to control. Individual motility (%), mass motility, NEC (%), HOST (%) and IA (%) were higher in the treatment group, but it was not significant. Better blood biochemical profile of bull was evident in Vitamin E supplemented group though it was not significant statistically. It can be concluded that Vitamin E supplementation in vaccinated bulls was effective in ameliorating vaccination stress to some extent.