Effect of Dietary Selenium Supplementation on the Plasma Progesterone Concentration in Cows.

Abstract

The effect of selenium (Se) supplementation to the diet on the plasma progesterone concentration was investigated in non-lactating and non-pregnant cows. Italian ryegrass wafers and concentrates, with or without 0.5 ppm of Se, were fed to cows at a maintenance level. The plasma Se concentrations in the each treatment were 0.047 ppm (-Se) and 0.081 ppm (+Se), respectively. Se supplementation did not affect the length of the estrous cycle, but it did increase the concentration of plasma progesterone in the estrous cycle (P<0.001). These results suggest the possibility that Se contributes to the progesterone production of corpus luteum.