Effect of transport on blood selenium and glutathione status in feeder lambs

Stress from transport may be linked to increased generation of reactive oxygen species, the removal of which requires reduced glutathione and selenium. The aim of this experiment was to examine the effect of transport on glutathione and Se status of feeder lambs. Recently weaned lambs (n = 40) were blocked by gender and BW on d 0 of the experiment and randomly assigned to 2 treatment groups: group 1, no transport and full access to feed and water (control), and group 2, 8-h road transport followed by another 16 h of feed deprivation (transport). After 24 h, both treatment groups were treated the same. All lambs were weighed, and blood samples were collected at 0, 8, 24, and 72 h and analyzed for whole-blood (WB) and serum Se concentrations, serum NEFA concentrations, and erythrocyte concentrations of glutathione. Transport of feeder lambs for 8 h followed by another 16 h of feed deprivation transiently (significant at 24 h but no longer different at 72 h) decreased BW and erythrocyte glutathione concentrations and increased serum NEFA and blood Se concentrations compared with control lambs. Our results suggest that 8 h of transport followed by another 16 h of feed deprivation results in fatty acid and Se mobilization from tissue stores with a coincident decrease in erythrocyte glutathione concentrations.