Effect of dietary extruded linseed, verbascoside and vitamin E supplements on selected serum biochemical parameters and plasma oxidative status in Lacaune ewes

Selected serum biochemical parameters and plasma oxidative status were evaluated in Lacaune ewes on a diet supplemented with extruded linseed, verbascoside and vitamin E. A 98 day-trial was conducted on 44 ewes and started 40 ± 2 days post partum. The animals were divided into four homogeneous groups of eleven animals each; one control group (CON) with a basal diet, and the other three experimental groups supplemented with extruded linseed (L group), extruded linseedverbascoside (LVB group) and extruded linseed-verbascoside-vitamin E (LVBE group). All animals individually received an isoproteic and isoenergetic diet, consisting of 700g of concentrated feed and meadow hay ad libitum. Blood sampling of the ewes was performed three times: at the beginning (0 d), midway (49 d) and end of the trial (98 d). The following parameters were determined: triglycerides, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, bilirubin, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), reactive oxygen metabolites (ROMs), vitamin A and vitamin E. Dietary integration in the LVB and LVBE groups resulted in an improvement in the blood profile, characterized by a significant (P=0.001) increase in HDL cholesterol and a marked decrease in triglycerides (P=0.001), total cholesterol (P=0.017), LDL cholesterol (P=0.001) and bilirubin (P=0.035), due to the verbascoside supplementation. In the same groups, there was an increase in blood vitamin A (P=0.002) and vitamin E (P=0.001), and a reduction (P=0.001) in ROMs and TBARS, with an improved plasma oxidative status. The dietary vitamin E integration did not produce a significant improvement in the parameters studied, with no statistical differences between LVB and LVBE groups. Animal feed containing extruded flaxseed, might therefore benefit from the addition of a verbascoside supplement, because of the positive effect showed by this molecule on the blood parameters.