Comparing levels of certain heavy metals and minerals and antioxidative metabolism in cows raised near and away from highways

Abstract

The scope of this study was to investigate the concentrations of certain heavy metals, mineral levels, and antioxidative metabolism in cows raised near (300 m) and away from highways (2.5 km) in Cankiri Province. For this purpose, blood samples were collected from 100 cows (aged 3-5 years) raised near and away from highways in this province. Concentrations of certain heavy metals and minerals in the serum were analyzed on an ICP-MS device. Additionally, lipid peroxidation product malondialdehyde (MDA) in the plasma and antioxidative defense system indicators, erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities, were measured with a spectrophotometer. As a result, levels of certain heavy metals and minerals and antioxidative status were determined in cows raised near and away from highways. Aluminum, iron, nickel, and zinc levels in the cows raised near highways were significantly different from those of the cows raised away from highways. Furthermore, MDA concentrations and SOD activities were significantly different between the two groups. It is concluded that monitoring the concentration of these heavy metals periodically may be useful to increase the productivity of cows.