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eISSN: 2083-5906
ISSN: 1230-1485
ISSN: 1230-1485
ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Effects of Combined Supplementation
of Germanium and Selenium on the Antioxidant
Function of Przewalski’s Gazelles
1
College of Life Science and Agri-forestry, Southwest University of Science and Technology 621010, Mianyang, China
Submission date: 2025-03-02
Final revision date: 2025-07-22
Acceptance date: 2025-08-03
Online publication date: 2025-10-02
Corresponding author
Xiaoyun Shen
Guizhou Normal University, School of Karst Science, No. 116 Baoshan Road (N), 550001, Guiyang, China
Guizhou Normal University, School of Karst Science, No. 116 Baoshan Road (N), 550001, Guiyang, China
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
The Przewalski's gazelle (P. przewalskii) is a rare and endangered species endemic to China,
primarily distributed in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region. Due to the unique characteristics of the plateau
environment, P. przewalskii often faces issues such as nutritional deficiencies and oxidative stress.
This study focused on the differences between P. przewalskii in different areas of Qinghai Lake,
revealing that P. przewalskii in the Hudong region exhibited symptoms of emaciation, sluggish
movement, and lethargy, with distinct differences in body size and shape compared to those in the
Bird Island region. Serum parameter analysis showed that the antioxidant function of P. przewalskii
in the Bird Island region was significantly higher than that in the Hudong region (p < 0.05). The levels
of germanium (Ge) and selenium (Se) in the soil, forage, and serum of P. przewalskii in the Hudong
region were significantly lower than those in the Bird Island region (p < 0.05). To further evaluate the
therapeutic effects of combined Ge and Se supplementation, this study designated P. przewalskii in
the Bird Island region as the control group and those in the Hudong region as the experimental group.
The experimental group was orally administered 5 mg/kg·BW·day of Ge-132 and 1 mg/kg·BW·day of
Na2SeO3. The results showed significant improvements in antioxidant indicators (T-AOC +36.3%, MDA
-50.6%) and immune indicators (IgG +29.8%, IgM +17.1%), and inflammatory factors (IL-6 -31.2%,
TNF-α -26.5%) were significantly reduced (p<0.05). The combined Ge-Se supplementation enhanced
antioxidant function (T-AOC +5.5%, MDA -9.3%) and immunity (IgG +11.0%, IgM +9.8%) significantly
more than the best individual supplement (p<0.05). After 30 days of supplementation, antioxidant
indices showed no significant differences between groups (p>0.05). In conclusion, the combined
application of Ge and Se demonstrated the best therapeutic effect on the antioxidant capacity of P. przewalskii. This discovery not only provided new insights for improving the habitat of P. przewalskii
but also represented a significant breakthrough in the conservation efforts for rare species.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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