GENETIC DETERMINATION OF COPPER ACCUMULATION IN MYOCARDIUM IN CATTLE OF WESTERN SIBERIA

The purpose of the study is to assess the hereditary nature of copper accumulation in the heart muscle of Holstein bulls bred in the ecological and climatic conditions of Western Siberia. The results of assessing the level of copper in the myocardium of Holstein bulls aged 12–13 months, which are the descendants of 4 sires, are presented. Blood was taken from animals with a live weight of 330–365 kg, bred in a large livestock enterprise located in Western Siberia. The level of copper in the myocardium of bulls was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry with flame and electrothermal atomization. One-way analysis of variance was used to determine differences between groups. η2 was used as a test to assess the effect size, and Tukey’s test was used for post hoc comparisons. It was found that the average copper content in the myocardium of Holstein bulls was 3.24 ± 0.04 mg/kg. Phenotypic variability of copper concentration in the heart muscle was characterized by low values. The established differences (p-value < 0.05) in copper content in the offspring of different sires reflect the genetic determination of the accumulation of this metal in the heart muscle. The strength of influence of the factor of paternal affiliation of bulls on the level of copper content in the myocardium was 35 %. The level of copper in the myocardium was higher by 0.52 mg/kg in the offspring of the bull Fabio compared to the sons of Brio. The reference interval for myocardial copper content based on the central 95 % percentile with 90 % confidence intervals was 2.9 (2.78 – 3.02) – 3.7 (3.57–3.82) mg/kg.