Hematological and biochemical parameters in Edilbai lambs subjected to pharmacological correction of hypomicroelementosis due to biogeochemical conditions of the Lower Volga region

In recent years, latent hypomicroelementoses are increasingly diagnosed in a variety of farm animals, including sheep, in Russia, EU, India and other countries (V.T. Samokhin, 2008). The deficit of selenium, iodine and other vital elements leads to a decrease in hematological parameters and a change in the activity of free radical oxidation and oxidant protection which is a fundamental molecular and cellular mechanism of pathogenesis at various hypomicroelementoses (T.N. Rodionova et al., 2010). The aim of the paper was to comprehensively survey the biogeochemical situation in the Lower Volga region and to evaluate the influence of Se and I deficiency on the physiological status of Edilbai lamb not subjected to pharmacological correction of hypomicroelementoses and after administration of Sedimine® (Russia), a metabolism-regulating organic composition containing Se, I and Fe (III)-dextran stabilizing complex. The probes of soil and water, plants, sheep organs and tissues were sampled according to V.V. Kowalski (1974). Trace elements were detected using atomic absorption spectrometry (M.E. Britske, 1982), selenium was assayed fluorimetrically according to V.V. Yermakov (1975), and iodine was analyzed in thiocyanate-nitrate test. To quantitate the products of lipid peroxidation in lamb blood, we estimated diene conjugates by UV absorption spectra at 233 nm (Z. Platzer, 1970), malondialdehyde - according to V.S. Buzlama et al. (1997), catalase activity - as per M.L. Korolyuk (1980) and glutathione peroxidase - as described by R. Paglia et al. (1967). Hematological parameters were evaluated according to I.P. Kondrakhin et al. (2004). It was shown that the basic components of terrestrial ecosystems in the Lower Volga region are low in selenium, iodine and cobalt relative to the Black Earth region (V. Kowalski, 1974). In the intact lambs, negative balances of iodine and selenium were found during the observation. Also, hematological parameters and antioxidant defense were low. Blood and metabolic parameters together with the balance of studied microelements indicated a development of latent combined selenium and iodine hypomicroelementosis in the lambs. The use of organic product Sedimine resulted in a significant (Р < 0.05) correction of the syndrome of selenium and iodine deficiency in Edilbai lambs. Indeed, the blood levels of selenium increased by 84.0 % and iodine - by 92.7 %, the number of erythrocytes was 15.6 % higher, hemoglobin was 7.8 % higher, Se, I, globulins were 8.76 % higher, while the amount of glucose reduced by 33.9 %. The diene conjugates diminished by 28 %, the malonaldehyde - by 8.2 %, the catalase activity increased by 43.3 %, and glutathione peroxidase activity was 39.4 % higher. The four month-aged lambs which received Sedimine showed the improvement in all the studied metabolic parameters and the weight gain which exceeded that in the control by 14.4 % (Р < 0.05). Additionally, after the Sedimine application the lamb meat was superior to that of the control animals in accumulation of physiologically important I, Se, Mn, Cu, and Co.