| A series of experiments in this article were conducted to determine the effects of different product form and administrated routes of vitamin E on plasma and tissue a-tocopherol concentration and development of testis in sheep. In one experiment, 12 lambs were randomly assigned into three groups to test the differences of a-tocopherol concentration when given the following product form of vitamin E: DL-α-tocopheryl acetate (DLTA), D-α-tocopheryl acetate (DTA) and DL-α-tocopherol (DLT). Blood samples were collected via jugular venipuncture at h 0, 4, 24, 48, 72, and plasma was separated to analyze for α-tocopherol content. In another experiment, nine crossbred ram-lambs aged 2.5 months were randomly divided into three groups which were as follows: group 1, control, no VE supplementation, group 2, VE added in ration, 50mg per day(regular supplementation, RS), and group 3, 4500mg VE added in ration at the first feed(supplementation in a lump, SL). Blood samples were collected via jugular venipuncture on h 0, 4, 24 and d 4, 8, 16, 32, 50, 70, 90. All animal were slaughtered by exsanguinations on d 90, and portions of liver, heart, pancreas, gluteal muscle and testis were collected to analyze for α-tocopherol content. The diameter of convoluted seminiferous tubule and numeric density of spermatogonium, spermatocyte, sertoli cell and leydig cell of testis tissue were checked by using of optical microscope. Results show as follows: (1) The bioavailability of DLT was same as DTA, which was higher than DLTA. (2) Vitamin E supplementation by RA can sustain plasma a-tocopherol concentration on lμg/mg, and also result in VE deposition in tissues. Plasma a-tocopherol concentration in SL group was high from beginning to d 16, but much lower than that was in RA from then on. (3) Vitamin E supplementation in RA can promote the development of convoluted seminiferous tubule and spermatogenic cell, but no effects on testis weight. No effects on testis were observed when vitamin E added by SL. |
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