Antioxidants to Enhance Fertility in Dairy Cattle

It is one of the paradoxes of biology that oxygen, which is required for energy production in aerobic organisms, is also very toxic. Many biological reactions generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) that strip electrons from biological molecules such as fatty acids, proteins and DNA. Exposure of cells to ROS can lead to disruptions in membrane structure, reduced activity of enzymes and other proteins, and genetic mutations. Given their potential harm, it is no surprise that a variety of systems exist to limit the consequences of ROS production. Antioxidants eliminate ROS through direct or enzymatically-catalyzed reactions while other molecules reverse oxidative damage caused by ROS. The magnitude of adverse changes in physiology caused by an increase in ROS generation depend not simply on the amount of ROS produced but rather on the balance between concentrations of ROS and antioxidant systems.