Amir Mousaie

The impact of dietary supplementation of 1.5 mg of Selenium/kg of diet as Selenium-methionine (Se-Met) and 0.8 mg of Chromium/kg of diet as Chromium-methionine (Cr-Met) and their combination (Se-Cr-Met) on glucose and insulin responses during intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) was examined on 24 Baluchi ewe lambs (18-20 weeks of age) with 6 replicates per treatment. Blood samples were collected before (time 0) and 2, 10, 20, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120 and 180 min after IVGTT. The supplementation of Se- and/or Cr-Met resulted in a lower peak glucose concentration at 2 minutes and a diminished concentration at 180 minutes following the infusion (P<0.05). Additionally, lambs receiving Cr-Met and Se-Cr-Met exhibited lower serum glucose levels at 120 minutes in comparison to the control group (P≤ 0.05). Furthermore, animals consuming diets supplemented with Se-Met and/or Cr-Met showed a reduced area under the curve (AUC) for glucose and insulin at 180 minutes following the IVGTT (P<0.05). The quantity of circulating malondialdehyde, which serves as an indicator of oxidative stress, was reduced in lambs supplemented with Se-Met and/or Cr-Met (P<0.05). It can be concluded that the supplementation of organic Se-Met and/or Cr-Met enhanced glucose clearance and insulin sensitivity in growing Baluchi ewe lambs, with these effects possibly mediated by a decrease in systemic oxidative stress.