1Department of Life Science and Bioinformatics, Assam University, Silchar-788011
2Division of Animal Production, ICAR RC for NEH Region, Meghalaya-793103
*email: shubhadeep1@gmail.com
Online published on 2 January, 2017.
The present study was conducted to assess the level of selected metals (Cd, Pb, Ni, Zn, Cu and Mo) in seminal plasma and blood serum of three livestock species viz. boar, goat and rabbit. A total of 18 semen ejaculates and nine blood serum samples were collected twice weekly from each animal species. The concentration of metals in seminal plasma and blood serum was measured using Analytik Jena Vario-6 Graphite Furnace-Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (GF-AAS). We recorded significantly higher concentration of zinc in boar seminal plasma in comparison to goat and rabbit while rabbit seminal plasma was found to be specific for high concentration of copper. In conclusion, the concentration of metals in seminal plasma and blood serum is variable among species and hence further studies are required to emphasize the level and effect of these metals on the fertility and semen quality of farm animals.
metals, livestock species, seminal plasma, blood serum, fertility, semen quality
