Fats and proteins play an important role in animal reproduction. Fats are precursors for reproductive hormones and certain fatty acids can improve fertility by inhibiting prostaglandins. Diets rich in unsaturated fats can increase ovulation and progesterone levels. Proteins are essential for sperm capacitation and early embryonic development but high-protein diets can decrease fertility by increasing blood urea levels. Nutritional deficiencies of minerals, vitamins and macronutrients can negatively impact the reproductive cycle and fertility in animals.

1. ROLE OF FATS AND PROTEIN IN
ANIMAL REPRODUCTION
DR. IMRAN BASHIR AHMED
COLLEGE OF VETERINARY AND ANIMAL
SCIENCES JHANG

2. Nutrition and Reproduction
 In reproducing animals as in growing animals there is
an interaction b/w nutrition and production
 Nutrition requirement of animal for different purposes
i.e lactation, growth/fattening and reproductive
functions
 Nutritional deficiencies less likely to contribute to
decrease in male fertility

3. stages??
 In young animals nutrition can affect the age at which
they reach puberty(period of rapid growth during
puberty)
 In mature animals poor nutrition can reduce the
production of ova & spermatozoa, so that female either
fails to conceive or produce fewer offsprings
 In pregnancy, requires specific nutrients for the
maintenance and growth of fetus
 Peak lactation
 Inter-calving interval

4. What is the role of fats in
reproduction???
 Fats precursors for the synthesis of reproductive
hormones such as steroids and prostaglandins
 Polyunsaturated fatty acids (linolenic acid, lenoleic
acid, eicosapentaenoic acid and decahexaenoic acid)
inhibit pgf2α synthesis by decreasing availability of its
precursor arachidonic acid
 Fatty acid profile of the diet can be used to amplify
suppression of uterine synthesis of pgf2a during early
pregnancy in cattle which contribute to reduction in
EEM

5. Continue
 Diets rich in arachydonic acid lead to a better follicular
development and increase ovulation rate in cow by
stimulating PGF2a synthesis during follicular
developmental period
 Diets rich in linoleic acid should be given to the
animals during post-ovulation period in order to
stimulate progesterone synthesis and thus improves
conception rate by forming bigger CL

6.  Addition of fat supplements (PUFA’s) to diet of cows
will enhance reproduction by reducing anestrus period
after calving
 Unsaturated fatty acids, both mono- and poly-
unsaturated fats, are protective against ovulatory
infertility in females

7. Fats in diet
 Increase size of ovulatory follicle
 Increase no. of ovarian follicles
 Increase plasma conc. of progesterone
 Decrease secretion of PGF2a
 Increase lifespan of CL
 Improved fertility
 Increase insulin and growth hormones level
 Increase LH secretion

8. Fats for male sperm
 Polyunsaturated fats are important components of
sperm cell membranes and may influence the ability of
sperm to fertilize an egg
 Saturated fats may be harming the sperm, they may
be producing fewer and less active sperms.
 PAF’s are positively related to sperm morphology and
sperm concentration
 While saturated FA’s are negatively related to sperm
morphology and sperm concentration

9. Role of proteins in
reproduction???
Proteins are very important in
 Sperm capacitation
 Fertilization
 Early embryonic development
 Normal fetal growth and development
 Onset of puberty
 Increase ovulation rate

10. Adverse effects???
 Diets crude protein content of 17-19%, can cause
decreased fertility; it has been shown that cows fed in
this way have high concentrations of urea and
ammonia in blood and uterine fluids, which affects the
viability of sperm, oocytes and embryos
 In the case of cows, blood urea concentrations greater
than 20 mg /dl are associated with low fertility.

11.  Cows consuming diets high in protein, affecting
embryonic development, which is reflected in a
reduction of the proportion of embryos reaching the
blastocyst stage

12. Urea toxicity as protein
source???
 Increase abortion rates
 Increase incidence of retained placenta
 Increase calving intervals

13. Deficiencies/toxicities??
 Deficiencies / toxicities may primarily affect the anterior
pituitary / hypothalamus thus interfering normal LH and
FSH production
 Some deficiencies affects directly on gonads
 Inadequate intake and utilization of some nutrients
may result in decreased formation of luteal tissue and
thus decrease progesterone level

14. Deficiencies ???
 Inadequate intake of protein and energy during pregnancy
leads to low body condition at calving, this adds the
decrease in food intake during early lactation
(undernourishment)
 Increased glucose requirements for dairy animals, lead to
increase in the percentage of females in anoestrus and
increased calving interval

15. Minerals and vitamins
deficiencies???
 Phosphorus deficiency leads to poor fertility and effect
reproduction through suppressing estrus cycle
 Vit. A deficiency cause keratinization of vagina and
degeneration of testes
 Vit. E deficiency decreases reproductive performance
 Copper deficiency delay the return to estrus and hence
lengthen calving interval in cattle
 Zinc deficiency prevents spermatogenesis in bulls and
also cause increase in embryo mortality

16. References??
 G. Killian (2012) Fertility-associated proteins in male and
female reproductive fluids of cattle G. Killian
 P McDonald, R A Edwards, J F D Greenhalgh and C A
Morgan (Sixth edition) Animal Nutrition Book, Chapter 15
Feeding standards for reproduction
 Alejandro Cordova-Izquierdo (2016) Best Practices in
Animal Reproduction: Impact of Nutrition on Reproductive
Performance Livestock

17. ANY QUERIES/
AMBIGUITIES???
You can ask

18. Thanks