Avaliação testicular e seminal de caprinos alimentados com feno de Cenostigma pyramidale (tul.) E. Gagnon & g. P. Lewis
To assess the possible occurrence of reproductive changes in male goats associated with the feeding of Cenostigma pyramidale, 16 animals were used, divided into two experimental groups, G1 and G2 (control group). Animals from G1 received 2% of forage based on body weight (BW), composed by 100% of C. pyramidale, and G2 received 2% of Panicum maximum hay, based on BW. All groups received 1% of concentrated feeds supplementation, based on BW, along with mineralized salt and water ad libitum. The animals were subjected to weighing, testicular biometry, semen collection and blood collection every 30 days. After 120 days the animals were castrated and the testicles were collected. Testicular measurements were performed and fragments were collected for histological processing, to determine the gonadosomatic index, the diameter of the seminiferous tubules, the height of the germinal epithelium, volumetric proportion and volume of the testicular parenchyma components; total length of the seminiferous tubules, seminiferous tubule length per gram of testis, leydigosomatic and tubulosomatic indexes. The data were evaluated as for normality using Student's t-test, data with normal distribution were analyzed using the analysis of variance with 5% probability, and the non-parametric data using Kruskal-Wallis test with 5% probability. There was a significant difference (P <0,05) for gonadosomatic index (G1= 0,48±0,08 and G2= 0,34±0,09) and height of the germinal epithelium (G1= 52,95±2,99 and G2= 47,63±2,67) between treatments. It was concluded that the consumption of C. pyramidale has no toxic effect on testicular, seminal and histological parameters of the testicle of goats, and the plant, due to its nutritional characteristics, has caused an improvement in the animals body development, and, being a plant adapted to semi-arid climate regions, can be an alternative source of feed for this animal category during periods of food shortages.
Planta tóxica, Macho, Reprodução animal, Testículo
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