Glutathione peroxidase in bovine semen

Abstract

The roles of selenium (Se) and glutathione peroxidase in reproductive function are poorly understood, but it is possible that they may be important for normal reproduction in the male. In rats fed a Se-deficient diet, the testes accumulated and retained more 75Se than did other tissues 1 week after injection (Brown & Burk, 1972; Burk, Brown, Seely & Scaief, 1972). Autoradiographic studies (Brown & Burk, 1972) of spermatozoa recovered from rat epididymides have shown that 75Se is associated with the midpiece of the spermatozoon. Gould (1970) has suggested that 75Se is probably incorporated into late spermatocytes or early spermatids in the rat. Rotruck et al. (1973) demonstrated that Se is a component of glutathione peroxidase, an enzyme which has been reported to exist in dog, goat, ram and human semen (Li, 1975). The objectives of the present study were to determine whether glutathione peroxidase is present in ejaculated bovine semen and the relationship of the enzyme levels to sperm concentration and ejaculate volume.