researcher

1. ROLE OF FATS AND PROTEIN IN
ANIMAL REPRODUCTION
DR. IMRAN BASHIR AHMED
COLLEGE OF VETERINARY AND ANIMAL
SCIENCES JHANG

2. Nutrition and Reproduction
 In reproducing animals as in growing animals there is
an interaction b/w nutrition and production
 Nutrition requirement of animal for different purposes
i.e lactation, growth/fattening and reproductive
functions
 Nutritional deficiencies less likely to contribute to
decrease in male fertility

3. stages??
 In young animals nutrition can affect the age at which
they reach puberty(period of rapid growth during
puberty)
 In mature animals poor nutrition can reduce the
production of ova & spermatozoa, so that female either
fails to conceive or produce fewer offsprings
 In pregnancy, requires specific nutrients for the
maintenance and growth of fetus
 Peak lactation
 Inter-calving interval

4. What is the role of fats in
reproduction???
 Fats precursors for the synthesis of reproductive
hormones such as steroids and prostaglandins
 Polyunsaturated fatty acids (linolenic acid, lenoleic
acid, eicosapentaenoic acid and decahexaenoic acid)
inhibit pgf2α synthesis by decreasing availability of its
precursor arachidonic acid
 Fatty acid profile of the diet can be used to amplify
suppression of uterine synthesis of pgf2a during early
pregnancy in cattle which contribute to reduction in
EEM

5. Continue
 Diets rich in arachydonic acid lead to a better follicular
development and increase ovulation rate in cow by
stimulating PGF2a synthesis during follicular
developmental period
 Diets rich in linoleic acid should be given to the
animals during post-ovulation period in order to
stimulate progesterone synthesis and thus improves
conception rate by forming bigger CL

6.  Addition of fat supplements (PUFA’s) to diet of cows
will enhance reproduction by reducing anestrus period
after calving
 Unsaturated fatty acids, both mono- and poly-
unsaturated fats, are protective against ovulatory
infertility in females

7. Fats in diet
 Increase size of ovulatory follicle
 Increase no. of ovarian follicles
 Increase plasma conc. of progesterone
 Decrease secretion of PGF2a
 Increase lifespan of CL
 Improved fertility
 Increase insulin and growth hormones level
 Increase LH secretion

8. Fats for male sperm
 Polyunsaturated fats are important components of
sperm cell membranes and may influence the ability of
sperm to fertilize an egg
 Saturated fats may be harming the sperm, they may
be producing fewer and less active sperms.
 PAF’s are positively related to sperm morphology and
sperm concentration
 While saturated FA’s are negatively related to sperm
morphology and sperm concentration

9. Role of proteins in
reproduction???
Proteins are very important in
 Sperm capacitation
 Fertilization
 Early embryonic development
 Normal fetal growth and development
 Onset of puberty
 Increase ovulation rate

10. Adverse effects???
 Diets crude protein content of 17-19%, can cause
decreased fertility; it has been shown that cows fed in
this way have high concentrations of urea and
ammonia in blood and uterine fluids, which affects the
viability of sperm, oocytes and embryos
 In the case of cows, blood urea concentrations greater
than 20 mg /dl are associated with low fertility.

11.  Cows consuming diets high in protein, affecting
embryonic development, which is reflected in a
reduction of the proportion of embryos reaching the
blastocyst stage

12. Urea toxicity as protein
source???
 Increase abortion rates
 Increase incidence of retained placenta
 Increase calving intervals

13. Deficiencies/toxicities??
 Deficiencies / toxicities may primarily affect the anterior
pituitary / hypothalamus thus interfering normal LH and
FSH production
 Some deficiencies affects directly on gonads
 Inadequate intake and utilization of some nutrients
may result in decreased formation of luteal tissue and
thus decrease progesterone level

14. Deficiencies ???
 Inadequate intake of protein and energy during pregnancy
leads to low body condition at calving, this adds the
decrease in food intake during early lactation
(undernourishment)
 Increased glucose requirements for dairy animals, lead to
increase in the percentage of females in anoestrus and
increased calving interval

15. Minerals and vitamins
deficiencies???
 Phosphorus deficiency leads to poor fertility and effect
reproduction through suppressing estrus cycle
 Vit. A deficiency cause keratinization of vagina and
degeneration of testes
 Vit. E deficiency decreases reproductive performance
 Copper deficiency delay the return to estrus and hence
lengthen calving interval in cattle
 Zinc deficiency prevents spermatogenesis in bulls and
also cause increase in embryo mortality

16. References??
 G. Killian (2012) Fertility-associated proteins in male and
female reproductive fluids of cattle G. Killian
 P McDonald, R A Edwards, J F D Greenhalgh and C A
Morgan (Sixth edition) Animal Nutrition Book, Chapter 15
Feeding standards for reproduction
 Alejandro Cordova-Izquierdo (2016) Best Practices in
Animal Reproduction: Impact of Nutrition on Reproductive
Performance Livestock

17. ANY QUERIES/
AMBIGUITIES???
You can ask

18. Thanks