Veterinary Andrology and Reproductive Techniques

Nutritional factors

III: NUTRITIONAL FACTORS AFFECTING SPERMATOGENESIS

• Low plane of nutrition: the low plane of nutrition or malnutrition cause a greater stress on pre-pubertal animals than in post- pubertal animals. It causes hypoplasia of the testes and accessory sex glands and delays puberty. Adversely affect gonadotropins secretion i.e FSH and LH and thereby reduces the spermatogenic activity.
• High plane of nutrition: high plane of nutrition is frequently cited as a cause of infertility especially in fatty, overfed and obese animals. It indicated that excessively fatty bulls may have enough fat around the testes in the scrotum, especially the dorsal part to insulate the testes and possibly affect spermatogenesis.

Vitamins deficiencies

• Hypovitaminosis A: germinal and leydig cells are affected by hypovitaminosis A resulting in poor semen quality, testicular atrophy, hypoplasia of accessory sex glands and delayed puberty. Vitamin A is epitheliotrophic and the severe deficiency produce degeneration of seminiferous tubule and interfere with spermatogeneis.
• Hypovitaminosis E: causes testicular damage in rats but in domestic animals the role of vitamin E on spermatogenesis is insignificant.