In calves, selenium and vitamin E deficiency leads to a disease known as nutritional muscular dystrophy (NMD), which involves hyaline degeneration of muscle fibers and contributes to mobility disorders. The aim of this study was to describe morphological changes in the biceps femoris muscle and to analyse changes in the selenium and vitamin E levels and glutathione peroxidase activity in calves with nutritional muscular dystrophy. The study was conducted on 20 Holstein Friesian calves of both sexes, aged approximately 1 month, divided into two groups: a control group of 10 healthy animals and an experimental group of 10 calves with symptoms of nutritional muscular dystrophy. Calves of the control group were administered a single injection of a selenium (0.5 mg of sodium selenite per ml) and vitamin E (50 mg of tocopherol acetate per ml) preparation at 8 ml per animal on the second day after birth.  Blood samples were collected from all animals to determine selenium and vitamin E concentrations, and the activity of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px). Sections of the biceps femoris muscle were collected from all calves for histopathological analyses (staining with hematoxylin and eosin-HE and hematoxylin-basic fuchsin-picric acid - HBFP). Hyposelenemia (p≤0.05), acute vitamin E deficiency (p≤0.05) and a decrease in glutathione peroxidase activity (p≤0.01) were observed in the blood of calves with nutritional muscular dystrophy. Changes characteristic of Zenker’s degeneration were observed in numerous muscle fibers in the analyzed sections of the biceps femoris muscle of calves with symptoms of nutritional muscular dystrophy. I

24.4.2019