ANTIOXIDANT EFFECT OF VITAMIN-E AND GLUTATHIONE ON LIPID-PEROXIDATIONIN BOAR SEMEN PLASMA

The protective effect of vitamin E and reduced glutathione (GSH) again st lipid peroxidation in boar semen plasma was studied. The lipid pero xidation, measured by the test for thiobarbituric acid reactive substa nces (TBARS), doubled in the presence of the lipid peroxidation Fe2+-s odium ascorbate-inducing system. The ascorbate-induced TBARS were inhi bited by about 62% through the water-soluble vitamin E analog (TROLOX) and about 57% by GSH. In the in vivo experiments, 7 wk of oral DL-alp ha-tocopherol acetate (1000 IU/d/animal) administration caused a signi ficant fall in the level of the semen plasma TBARS, from 2.2 +/- 0.09 to 1.2 +/- 0.13 nmol MDA/mL. The semen plasma superoxide dismutase (SO D) and GSSG tended to increase with the time of vitamin E administrati on, but the increment did not reach a significant level by the seventh week. The vitamin E supplementation significantly increased the numbe r of spermatozoa per 1 cm(3) of ejaculate. The protective role of vita min E and GSH with respect to boar semen against fatty acid peroxidati on and a positive influence of vitamin E supplementation on semen qual ity have been evidenced.