This study aimed to compare different selenium (Se) sources in the diet on boar's semen quality and fertility. For this, 28 boars aged 8 to 28 months were fed with the following dietary treatments for 95 days: 0.3 mg Se/kg as sodium selenite (SS, n = 14) and 0.3 mg Se/kg as hydroxy-selenomethionine (OH-SeMet, n = 14). During this period, two experiments were carried out. In experiment 1, the semen of all boars was evaluated every 2 weeks. Raw semen was initially evaluated for the processing of seminal doses, which were stored at 17 °C for 72 h, followed by sperm quality assessments. Furthermore, Se concentration and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity were measured in the seminal plasma. In experiment 2, 728 females were inseminated weekly with seminal doses from boars of the different experimental groups to further assess in vivo fertility and litter characteristics. Results demonstrated that boars fed OH-SeMet had more Se in their seminal plasma (p < 0.05), showing the greater bioavailability of the organic source in the male reproductive system. Moreover, boars fed OH-SeMet tended (p < 0.10) towards a higher total sperm count in the ejaculate (66.60 vs. 56.57 × 10 9 sperm), and the number of seminal doses (22.11 vs. 18.86; 3 × 10 9 sperm/dose) when compared to those fed SS. No effect of the dietary treatments was observed on GPx activity in seminal plasma (p > 0.05), as well as on raw and stored semen quality (p > 0.05). Under in vivo conditions, seminal doses from boars fed OH-SeMet tended (p < 0.10) towards a higher pregnancy rate at weeks 3, 5, and 8, and also resulted in a higher (p < 0.05) percentage of pregnant females in the overall period (99.30 vs. 97.00). In conclusion, the replacement of SS with OH-SeMet in boars' diet can improve sperm production and results in better reproductive performance for them, bringing greater productivity and profitability to artificial insemination centers and commercial pig farms.

中文翻译：

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羟基硒代蛋氨酸作为日粮中硒的有机来源，可提高人工授精计划中的公猪繁殖性能

本研究旨在比较日粮中不同硒 (Se) 来源对公猪精液质量和生育能力的影响。为此，对 28 头 8 至 28 个月大的公猪进行了 95 天的以下日粮处理：0.3 mg Se/kg 作为亚硒酸钠（SS，n = 14）和 0.3 mg Se/kg 作为羟基硒代蛋氨酸（OH-SeMet , n = 14)。在此期间，进行了两次实验。在实验 1 中，每 2 周评估一次所有公猪的精液。最初对生精液进行精液处理的评估，将其在 17°C 下储存 72 小时，然后进行精子质量评估。此外，在精浆中测量了硒浓度和谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶 (GPx) 活性。在实验 2 中，每周对 728 头母猪进行授精，使用来自不同实验组的公猪的精液剂量，以进一步评估体内生育力和产仔特性。结果表明，饲喂 OH-SeMet 的公猪精浆中的硒含量更高（p < 0.05），表明雄性生殖系统中有机来源的生物利用度更高。此外，饲喂 OH-SeMet 的公猪倾向于（p < 0.10）射精中的总精子数（66.60 对 56.57 × 10 9 精子）和精液剂量数（22.11 对 18.86；3 × 10 9精子/剂量）与喂食 SS 的相比。没有观察到饮食处理对精浆中 GPx 活性（p > 0.05）以及对生精和储存精液质量（p > 0.05）的影响。在体内条件下，饲喂 OH-SeMet 的公猪的精液剂量趋于 (p < 0. 10) 在第 3 周、第 5 周和第 8 周时妊娠率更高，并且还导致整个期间怀孕女性的百分比更高 (p < 0.05) (99.30 对 97.00)。总之，在公猪的日粮中用 OH-SeMet 替代 SS 可以提高精子的产量并提高公猪的繁殖性能，从而为人工授精中心和商业养猪场带来更高的生产力和盈利能力。