Evaluation of antioxidant status in crossbred cow calves exposed to subchronic molybdenum toxicosis

The present investigation reports the effect of sodium molybdate-induced sub-chronic toxicity in crossbred cow calves on various antioxidant enzymes. Sodium molybdate (3mg/kg/day for 90 days) produced mild to moderate signs of molybdenosis in the treated animals. The sodium molybdate treatment resulted in negligible effects on the extent of lipid peroxidation; however, there was a significant decline in the blood glutathione levels (25.0–66.0%). In addition, sodium molybdate also resulted in a significant decrease in the activities of various enzymes viz. glutathione peroxidase (36.3–68.8%), glutathione-S-transferase (33.2–41.6%), glutathione reductase (29.7–52.6%), superoxide dismutase (19.364.1%) and catalase (34.0–60.9%). These findings support the hypothesis that molybdenosis significantly alters the antioxidant profile of cow calves.