Effect of selenium supplementation and plane of nutrition on mares and their foals: selenium concentrations and glutathione peroxidase.

To investigate the maternal plane of nutrition and role of Se yeast on muscle Se concentration, plasma glutathione peroxidase (Gsh-Px) activity, and colostrum Se concentration in mares and their foals, 28 Quarter Horse mares (465 to 612 kg of BW, and 6 to 19 yr of age) were used in a study with a randomized complete block design. Mares were blocked by expected foaling date and randomly assigned to dietary treatments within blocks. Dietary treatments were arranged as a 2 x 2 factorial with 2 planes of nutrition, pasture or pasture + grain mix (fed at 0.75% of BW on an as-fed basis) and 2 concentrations of Se yeast supplementation (0 or 0.3 mg/kg of DMI), resulting in 4 treatments: pasture, pasture + grain mix, pasture + grain mix + Se, or pasture + Se. Mares fed diets of pasture and pasture + Se received approximately 100% of the calculated NRC (2007) DE requirements, whereas mares fed diets of pasture + grain mix and pasture + grain mix + Se received 120%. Selenium supplementation began 110 d before the estimated foaling date and treatments were terminated at parturition. Blood and muscle (biopsy) samples were collected on d 0 and then every 14 or 28 d, respectively, thereafter until parturition. Additionally, BW, BCS, and rump fat (RF) were recorded every 14 d. At parturition, colostrum, foal plasma, and foal muscle samples were collected and sampling continued every 14 d for plasma and every 28 d for muscle until d 56. Mare BW, BCS, and RF were affected by plane of nutrition (P <or= 0.02), but not by Se supplementation. Mares fed the grain mix had greater (P < 0.05) BW, BCS, and RF measurements throughout the experiment. Mare plasma, muscle, and colostrum Se concentrations were greater (P < 0.01) in mares fed Se. Mares fed the grain mix had greater plasma Se (P = 0.02) than mares on pasture alone. Mare and foal plasma Gsh-Px concentrations were not affected by treatment. Foal plasma and muscle Se concentrations were greater when dams were fed the supplemental grain mix (P = 0.04 and 0.02, respectively) and supplemental Se (P < 0.001). Results indicated that maternal plane of nutrition and Se supplementation affected mare and foal plasma, muscle, and colostrum Se concentrations, but not Gsh-Px activity.