Counteracting the hematological toxicity of gossypol by using selenium supplementation in rams

This study was conducted to evaluate the hematological toxicity of natural gossypol in ration and the ability of selenium supplementation to alleviate this toxicity in rams. Twenty-five mature crossbred (Barki × Rahmani) rams were randomly divided into five equal groups. The first group served as a control (received ration contained 0 gossypol). The second and third groups received rations containing 9 and 14 mg of free gossypol/kg Bw/day (low level and high level of gossypol), respectively. The fourth and fifth groups received the same rations given to the second and third groups, respectively, and an oral administration of 1 mg selenium (as sodium selenite) per day for each animal. Results showed that both levels of gossypol reduced (P < 0.05) hemoglobin concentration, packed cell volume, mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular hemoglobin compared to control. On the other hand, selenium supplementation showed improvements (P < 0.05) in hemoglobin concentration, red blood cells counts and packed cell volume compared to absence of selenium. Furthermore, selenium supplementation in ration containing low level of gossypol failed to alleviate the hematological toxicity of gossypol, but selenium supplementation in ration containing high level of gossypol successfully improved most of hematological parameters. In conclusion, natural gossypol in ration induced hematological toxicity in rams and this toxicity could be successfully alleviated by selenium supplementation.