Effect of different levels of serum lead concentrations on weight growth and hematological parameters of aberdeen angus bull calves

Abstract

The studies were performed on physiologically healthy Aberdeen Angus bulls. Animals based on data on the content of lead in blood serum, by percentile method, were divided into three groups: group I – up to the 25th percentile; group II – within the limits of 25-75 percentiles; group III – above the 75th percentile. The estimated parameters are: the elemental composition of blood, morphological and biochemical compositions of blood, the antioxidant status of blood serum. It was found that in terms of the average daily gains over the two-month period preceding sampling, bulls of groups II and III were inferior to individuals from group I by 3.8 and 11.3% (P≤0.05), respectively. The blood serum of group I bulls contained more Ca, Zn, Se, while minimal Cd concentrations were noted. In bulls with a minimum concentration of lead, an increased content of total protein, uric acid, monocytes, erythrocytes, and hemoglobin in the blood was noted. As the concentration of lead increased from minimum to maximum, the activity of the enzymes of primary antioxidant protection – superoxide dismutase and catalase - decreased, against the background of an increase in the level of malonyldialdehyde.