Preparation of selenium/zinc-enriched probiotics and their effect on blood selenium and zinc concentrations, antioxidant capacities, and intestinal microflora in canine.

The aim of this study was to prepare Se/Zn-enriched probiotics and investigate their effect on blood Se and Zn concentrations, blood antioxidant capacities, and intestinal microflora in canine. The preparation was performed in a single-factor experiment. The optimal culture conditions were as follows: the initial concentrations of Se(4+) and Zn(2+) were 5 and 150 µg/ml, respectively; the inoculation volume was 5%; and the liquid volume of the medium was 50 ml in a 250-ml flask. The medium was then cultured at 32°C for 36 h. The biomass of the final product was 26.83 g/l, organic Se concentration was 173.35 µg/g, organic Zn concentration was 4.38 mg/g, Candida utilis biomass was 8.69 lg colony-forming units (CFU)/ml, and Lactobacillus biomass was 9.61 lg CFU/ml. In vivo, 20 indigenous dogs were randomly assigned to two dietary treatment groups for a 35-day study and fed a basal diet or a diet supplemented with 2.0 g of Se/Zn-enriched probiotics. Blood and fecal samples were collected on days 0, 15, and 30 of the experiment. Compared with the control group, the blood Se concentration; the blood Zn concentration; the activities of glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and total antioxidant capacity in the blood; and the amount of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium in the feces increased in the supplemented group during the period of supplementation (P < 0.01), while malondialdehyde level in the blood and the amounts of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus, and Enterococcus in the feces decreased in the supplemented group (P < 0.01).