Comparison of serum biochemical parameters in healthy Sangsari sheep based on age and sex

Blood clinical chemistry is essential for determining the physical health, diagnosis and prognosis of the disease. However, they may be influenced by race, nutrition, age, sex, stress and disease. There is no published data about the reference range of serum biochemical parameters of breed-specific for Sangsari sheep, therefore The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of sex and age on serum clinical chemistry in Sangsari sheep. Forty-two healthy Sangsari sheep were chosen from the breeding station of Sangsari sheep in Damghan, Semnan, Iran. Sheep were divided into 2 groups depending on age; Group 1 was the sheep less than 3 years old (n=15) and Group II was the sheep older than 3 years (n=27). Sheep were divided into 2 groups based on sex: male (n=21) and female (n=21). Serum biochemical parameters including total protein (TP), albumin (Alb), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), ᵞ-Glutamyl transferase (GGT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were compared between groups. The results revealed that the value of TP, BUN and GGT significantly (P˂0.05) were different between the two age groups. Whereas, in addition to the parameters affected by age, Alb value significantly (P˂0.05) was different between males and females. From the results, it seems that most biochemical parameters in this study have been affected significantly by age and sex, and this should be taken into account when interpreting the laboratory results should be considered by practitioners to correctly interpret.