Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dzt6s Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-29T12:32:08.186Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The effect of a diet containing cyanogenetic glycosides on the selenium status and the thyroid function of sheep

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 May 2016

A. Gutzwiller
A. Gutzwiller
Affiliation:
Swiss Federal Research Station for Animal Production, 1725 Posieux, Switzerland
Get access

Abstract

Six ewes were given a white clover/grass silage with a high content of cyanogenetic glycosides during the last 69 to 97 days of pregnancy (group CN+), while the five ewes of the control group (group CN−) received a white clover/grass silage with a low content of cyanogenetic glycosides during the last 67 to 92 days of pregnancy. Uniodized salt was the only mineral supplement offered. The daily intake of cyanide (in the form of cyanogenetic glycosides) and of selenium per animal was 1000 and 60 mg of cyanide and 30 and 23 μg of selenium in group CN+ and CN− respectively. Initial erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase activity (GPx) was identical in both groups. Two weeks before parturition GPx activity was significantly lower in the ewes of group CN+ than in the ewes of group CN−. The newborn lambs of the group CN+ had significantly lower erythrocyte GPx activities (P < 0·01) and tended to have higher plasma creatine kinase activities (P = 0·07) than the lambs of the group CN−. The results show that the intake of cyanogenetic glycosides affects the selenium status of sheep and increases the susceptibility of lambs to nutritional myopathy if the selenium content of the ration is marginal.

Plasma thyroxine concentrations in the ewes in group CN+ were not reduced but their lambs tended to have slightly lower levels immediately after birth than the lambs of group CN− (P = 0·25). The intake of cyanogenetic glycosides presumably had no or at most only a slight effect on thyroid function, presumably because the body iodine reserves of the ewes were sufficient to offset the goitrogenic effect of thiocyanate.

Keywords

cyanogenetic glycosidesiodineseleniumsheep
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 57 , Issue 3 , December 1993 , pp. 415 - 419
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1993

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Andrewartha, K. A., Caple, I. W., Davies, W. D. and McDonald, J. W. 1980. Observation on serum thyroxine concentrations in lambs and ewes to assess iodine nutrition. Australian Veterinary Journal 56:18–21.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Arthur, J. R., Morris, P. C. and Beckett, G. J. 1988. Thyroid hormone concentrations in selenium deficient and selenium sufficient cattle. Research in Veterinary Science 45:122–123.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Asmus, E. and Garschagen, H. 1953. Ueber die Verwendung der Barbitursaeure fuer die photometrische Bestimmung von Cyanid und Rhodanid. Zeitschrift fuer analytische Chemie 138:414–422.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Association of Official Analytical Chemists. 1990. Official methods of analysis. 15th ed. Association of Official Analytical Chemists, Arlington, Virginia, USA.Google Scholar
Beilstein, M. A. and Whanger, P. D. 1984. Effects of cyanide on selenium metabolism in rats. Journal of Nutrition 114: 929–937.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bowler, R. G. 1944. The determination of thiocyanate in blood serum. Biochemical Journal 38: 385–388.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ellis, J. K. 1980. Variations in plasma thyroxine concentrations in sheep and the effects of iodine supplementation by an intraruminal device. Proceedings of the Australian Society for Animal Production 13: 209–212.Google Scholar
Ellis, N., Lloyd, B., Lloyd, R. S. and Clayton, B. E. 1984. Selenium and vitamin E in relation to risk factors for coronary heart disease. Journal of Clinical Pathology 37: 200–206.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Elzubeir, E. A. and Davis, R. H. 1988. Effect of dietary sodium nitroprusside as a source of cyanide on the selenium status of chicks given diets of varying selenium concentration. British Poultry Science 29: 769–777.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ermans, A. M. 1986. Endemic goiter. In Werner's the thyroid 5th ed. (ed. Ingbar, S. and Braverman, L.), pp. 705–721. Lippincott, Philadelphia.Google Scholar
Guenzler, W., Kremers, H. and Flohé, L. 1974. An improved coupled test procedure for glutathione peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.9) in blood. Zeitschrift fuer klinische Chemie und klinische Biochemie 12: 444–448.Google Scholar
Kaneko, J. J. 1989. Thyroid function. In Clinical biochemistry of domestic animals 4th ed. (ed. Kaneko, J.), pp. 630–649. Academic Press, San Diego.Google Scholar
Onwuka, C. F. I., Akinsoyinu, A. O. and Tewe, O. O. 1992. Role of sulphur in cyanide detoxification in ruminants. Small Ruminant Research 8: 277–284.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pettigrew, A. R. and Fell, G. S. 1972. Simplified colorimetric determination of thiocyanate in biological fluids, and its application to investigation of the toxic amblyopias. Clinical Chemistry 18: 996–1000.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rudert, C. P. and Lewis, A. R. 1978. The effect of potassium cyanide on the occurrence of nutritional myopathy in lambs. Rhodesian Journal of Agricultural Research 16:109–116.Google Scholar
Rudert, C. P. and Oliver, J. 1976. The effect of thiocyanate on the occurrence of goitre in new-born lambs. Rhodesian Journal of Agricultural Research 14: 67–72.Google Scholar
Schneeberger, H. and Landis, J. 1984. Fuetterungsnormen und Naehrwerttabellen fuer Wiederkaeuer. Landwirtschaftliche Lehrmittelzentrale, Zollikofen, Schweiz.Google Scholar
Vadhanavikit, S., Kraus, R. J. and Ganther, H. E. 1987. Metabolism of selenocyanate in the rat. Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics 258:1–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vanderpas, J. B., Contempré, B., Duale, N. L., Deckx, H., Bebe, N., Longombé, A. O., Thilly, C. H., Diplock, A. T. and Dumont, J. E. 1993. Selenium deficiency mitigates hypothyroxinemia in iodine-deficient subjects. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 57: 271–275.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Whitman, R. J. 1973. Herbivore feeding and cyanogenesis in Trifolium repens. Heredity 30: 241–245.CrossRefGoogle Scholar