Vitamin E Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Vitamin E, including details on benefits, dosage, supplements, antioxidants.

Vitamin E biochemistry and function: a case study in male rabbit.

Castellini C, Mourvaki E, Dal Bosco A, Galli F

Department of Biologia Vegetale, Biotecnologie Agroambientali e Zootecniche, Borgo XX Giugno 74-06100 Perugia, Italy. cesare@unipg.it

Vitamin E supplementation has become a common procedure to promote growth and health and improve the qualitative characteristics of farm animals. It has been demonstrated to be an efficient strategy for improving their reproductive function. Germ cells are particularly vulnerable to oxidative damage and may thus require additional antioxidant protection. The aim of this review is to give a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge of the biochemistry and physiology of vitamin E; successively, the effect of this compound on the reproductive activity of rabbit buck is accurately described. In particular, this review examines studies on the effects of animal age, dose and duration of vitamin E supplementation, as well as the co-supplementation with selenium, vitamin C and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Several investigations have shown beneficial effects in bucks supplemented with vitamin E levels higher than the standard dietary requirement (50 mg/kg) particularly when the semen is stored. However, the exact dietary intake of vitamin E should be decided according to specific tissue needs for the individual vitamin E forms and the specific saturation markers.

Published 17 May 2007 in Reprod Domest Anim, 42(3): 248-56.
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