Postdoc Fellow: Se-form Changes in Lipids, Metabolites, and Antioxidant Capacity Improve Beef Cow Fertility

PROJECT SUMMARY Instructions: The summary is limited to 250 words. The names and affiliated organizations of all Project Directors/Principal Investigators (PD/PI) should be listed in addition to the title of the project. The summary should be a self-contained, specific description of the activity to be undertaken and should focus on: overall project goal(s) and supporting objectives; plans to accomplish project goal(s); and relevance of the project to the goals of the program. The importance of a concise, informative Project Summary cannot be overemphasized. Title: Se-Form Changes In Lipids, Metabolites, And Antioxidant Capacity Improve Beef Cow Fertility PD: Carr, Sarah, N Institution: University Of Kentucky CO-PD: Institution: CO-PD: Institution: CO-PD: Institution: CO-PD: Institution: CO-PD: Institution: CO-PD: Institution: In beef cattle, supplementing selenium (Se) as a 1:1 blend of organic (OSe) and inorganic (ISe) forms (MIX), versus the industry standard of ISe alone increases development of the conceptus at maternal recognition of pregnancy (MRP). Preliminarily, I obtained funding to investigate Se-form induced changes in serum analytes at MRP and the results indicated a necessity to study the liver’s contribution to Se-induced redox if the mechanism of form of Se-induced increases in fertility were going to be elucidated. Therefore, the project objectives are to investigate the mechanism of how MIX-form Se versus ISe alone 1) mitigates the effects of oxidative stress leading to altered production of metabolites in the liver and endometrium at MRP and 2) determine the relationship among form of Se, cholesterol, glucose, and lipids in the liver and endometrium. This work differentiates from the mentor’s (Dr. Phillip Bridges) by focusing on the nutrition-reproduction interaction considering physiological health and nutrient availability at MRP. This 24-month postdoctoral fellowship (A7201) aligns with the AFRI Education and Workforce Development Grant’s overarching goal of advancing science and addresses the AFRI Farm Bill priority area “Animal health and production and animal products (AHPAP).” Specifically, this research project focuses on “Animal Reproduction” (A1211), which supports research that improves reproductive efficiency and management in livestock by investigating the mechanisms by which the MIX-form of Se alters the lipids, metabolites, and antioxidant capabilities that can contribute to the increased conceptus size at MRP. Manipulation of the form of Se is an easily adoptable method to improve fertility in beef cows and addresses the specific program priority focusing on the uterine environment during early embryonic development. This file MUST be converted to PDF prior to attachment in the electronic application package.