Category Archives: Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition

Effects of carotenoid supplementation on colour, growth and physiological function of the endemic dwarf chameleon fish (Badis badis)

Posted on by

Abstract

The global ornamental fish trade is expanding in response to increased demand for indigenous fish on the global market, while exogenous carotenoids can improve colouration. The 60-day trial investigated the effect of carotenoid supplementation, via Artemia, on colouration, growth and immunophysiology of Badis badis (dwarf chameleon fish). Carotenoid was enriched at 40 ppm (T1), 80 ppm (T2) and 120 ppm (T3) and compared with controls, C1 (unenriched) and C2 (oil-enriched). Fish larvae (average weight 0.12 g) were fed enriched–unenriched Artemia in triplicates (5 × 3) in aquarium tanks (15 L). C1 and T2 had better skin colour (lightness and whiteness) in the posterolateral and caudal fins respectively. The value of redness (a*) in the anterolateral region was higher in T2 and T3 (p < 0.05). The anterolateral red index was higher (p < 0.05) in T2 and T3, whereas in the posterolateral and caudal fins, T1 and T2 were higher (p < 0.05). Compared to C1 and C2, the hue angle in carotenoid groups was found to be low (p < 0.05). No significant change in the growth performance was noticed (p > 0.05). Immune scores such as lysozyme and alkaline protease were highest in T3 (p < 0.05), whereas protease activity was highest in T2 (80 ppm). Stress biomarkers, viz., superoxide dismutase, catalase and malondialdehyde were low in groups fed enriched Artemia (p < 0.05). The integrated biomarker response means and star plot area were lower in the enriched groups (T1–T3), while T2 was the lowest. Overall findings reveal that dietary carotenoid improves the colouration and immune status, but fail to promote growth. Furthermore, 80 ppm enrichment dose improves the overall performance. The findings can help fish keepers improve fish colour and health status through carotenoid supplementation.

Characteristics of glucolipid metabolism and oxidative stress in breeding pigeons (Columba livia) during lactation

Posted on by

Abstract

Breeding pigeons is a fundamental source of profit in various enterprises but little is known on the metabolic laws governing their lactation. In this study, we analysed the metabolic profile of different sex of breeding pigeons (Columba livia, European pigeons, Mimas) during lactation. We found that male pigeons exhibited catabolism during lactation. Extension of lactation resulted in increased weight loss, then slow recovery of body weight. Conversely, the weight loss in female pigeons peaked on the seventh day of lactation. They then gradually recovered their body weight. Male pigeons showed more duration of combing, while female pigeons showed more duration of resting. In male pigeons, except for triglyceride (TG), which increased, blood lipid indexes barely changed during lactation. Conversely, in females, both TG and total cholesterol increased in middle and late lactation. The level of oxidative stress in female pigeons during lactation was higher than in males, lipid peroxide malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), plasma calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) levels increased in late lactation. Levels of estradiol and progesterone in female pigeons increased during lactation, whereas those of luteotropic hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), prolactin (PRL) and testosterone gradually decreased. As per LC-MS spectra analysis, the differential metabolites in the plasma on the day of hatching and before laying in female pigeons in lactation were enriched in retrograde endocannabinoid signalling, α-linolenic acid, arachidonic acid, choline, glycerophospholipid metabolisms, and valine, leucine, and isoleucine degradations. Levels of fatty acids, amino acids, sphingomyelin and phosphatidylinositol related to the secretion of pigeon milk had reduced, whereas the levels of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and TG, which are all related to egg production, had increased. In conclusion, our study systematically revealed the different metabolic characteristics of male and female breeding pigeons during lactation. This is useful for precision feeding of pigeons and applicable in nutritional interventions for improved production.

Stimulatory effect of dietary alpha‐lipoic acid on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, liver enzymes, immunity and protection of African catfish, Clarias gariepinus (B.), Edwardsiella tarda infection

Posted on by

Abstract

Edwardsiella tarda is one of the most common causes of fish diseases that hinder aquaculture. Oxidative stress in farm animals can induce a number of pathological disorders, production and general animal welfare. The use of exogenous dietary nonenzymatic antioxidants such as alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) can stop a pro-oxidant state and thus appears to have the potential to modulate the immune system and protect fish from bacterial infection. Thus, this study investigates the stimulatory effect of dietary ALA on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, liver enzymes, immunity and protection of African catfish, Clarias gariepinus (B.), against an infection with E. tarda. Five isonitrogenous and isocaloric diets (400 g/kg of crude protein) containing ALA at doses of 0.0 (control), 500, 1000, 1500 or 2000 mg/kg diet were served to 300 juveniles of African catfish (mean weight = 8.2 ± 0.2 g) adequately thrice per day for 12 weeks. Thereafter, 0.1 mL of E. tarda (ATCC 15947; 1.0 × 108 CFU/mL) was intraperitoneally injected into 10 fish from each tank and was monitored for 14 days. The results showed that ALA-fortified diets significantly boosted the fish growth, feed consumption and utilization and feed conversion ratio but no did not affect fish survival rate. The highest final fish weight (g), weight growth (g) and weight gain (%) were all considerably higher in fish fed with ALA-fortified diets (p < 0.05), especially from 1000 to 200 mg/kg ALA than the control group. Also, an enhanced hemato-biochemical, antioxidant and immune indices were noticed in African catfish-fed ALA-enriched diets. In a dose-dependent order, the levels of haematological indices such Ht, Hb, RBCs, WBCs and platelets were markedly increased (p < 0.05). Additionally, fish fed with ALA-based diets showed substantial (p < 0.05) declines in aspartate and alanine aminotransferase values, with the lowest values being found in the 2000 mg/kg diet while control group had highest values. Further, African catfish fed the feed fortified with 2000 mg ALA/kg diet showed the highest levels of lysozyme, respiratory burst, proteases and esterase activities (p < 0.05). Following exposure of fish to E. tarda infection, a significant reduction in the mortality was obtained in African catfish fed with ALA-based diets, especially from 1500 to 2000 mg ALA/kg diet (3.3%); while fish fed with the control diet had highest mortality (86.7%). Therefore, diets supplemented with ALA evoked fish growth performance, antioxidants and nonspecific immunity of African catfish. Also, resistance of African catfish to E. Tarda infection were raised when fed ALA-fortified diets at optimum inclusion rate of 1300 mg ALA/kg diet.

Autumn grass treated with a hydrolysable tannin extract versus lactic acid bacteria inoculant: Effects on silage fermentation characteristics and nutritional value and on performance of lactating dairy cows

Posted on by

Abstract

Hydrolysable tannins (HT) show potential as silage additive for autumn herbage silages, high in (rumen degradable) protein, as they may reduce proteolysis. Additionally, they have abilities to form pH-reversible tannin–protein complexes, non-degradable in the rumen but degradable in the abomasum and intestines of ruminants. Therefore they can improve milk N efficiency and shift N excretions from urine to faeces, possibly mitigating the environmental impact of ruminants. In this study, two small bunker silos were filled with autumn grass. One was treated with 20 g/kg DM HT extract (TAN) (TannoSan-L), the other with 8 mg/kg DM inoculant containing lactic acid bacteria (INO) (Bonsilage Fit G). Secondly, micro-silos (2.75 L) were filled with four treatments; (1) grass without additive (CON) (n = 5); (2) TAN (n = 5); (3) INO (n = 5); and (4) TAN + INO (n = 5). The bunker silos were used in a cross-over feeding experiment with periods of 4 weeks involving 22 lactating Holstein cows (average ± SD: 183 ± 36.3 days in milk, 665 ± 71.0 kg body weight, and 33.8 ± 3.91 kg/day milk yield). The HT dose was insufficient to reduce proteolysis or alter chemical composition and nutritional value in the micro- and bunker silages. Including grass silage added with TAN (3.2 g HT/kg DM) in the diet, did not affect feed intake nor fat and protein corrected milk yield in comparison to feeding the grass silage added with INO in a similar diet. The TAN-fed cows had an increased faecal N excretion and decreased apparent total-tract N and organic matter digestibility, but no improvement in the cows’ N utilization could be confirmed in milk and blood urea levels. Overall, feeding an autumn grass silage treated with 20 g/kg chestnut HT extract did not affect the performance of dairy cows in comparison to feeding an autumn grass silage treated with a lactic acid bacteria inoculant.

Effect of endo‐1,4‐beta‐xylanase supplementation to low‐energy diets on performance, blood constituents, nutrient digestibility, and gene expressions related growth of broiler chickens

Posted on by

Abstract

The presence of soluble and insoluble non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) was reported to reduce nutrient utilisation, and adversely impact the broilers’ growth performance; accordingly, NSP-degrading enzymes are essential supplements to cereal-based diets. Therefore, the current trial was conducted to characterise the impacts of supplemental xylanase (Xyl) to diets with low-ME levels on performance, carcass traits, blood parameters, nutrient digestibility and some genes expressions in broiler chickens. A total of 600 1-day-old Ross 308 male broiler chicks were randomly assigned to 6 treatments with 10 replications of 10 birds each per group in a completely randomised design. The 6 treatments were as follow: (1) basal diets with balanced ME content served as control (positive control, PC), (2) low-energy diet (negative control 1 [NC1]; ME content reduced by 70 kcal/kg compared with PC), (3) low-energy diet (negative control 2 [NC2]; ME content reduced by 140 kcal/kg compared with PC), (4) NC1 + 100 g/ton xylanase (NC1 + 100Xyl), (5) NC2 + 100 g/ton xylanase (NC2 + 100Xyl), and (6) NC1 + 50 g/ton xylanase (NC1 + 50Xyl). At the end of the experiment (35 days of age), the reduction of energy in the NC diets yielded lower live body weight (BW) and total body weight gain (BWG) (p ˂ 0.001); however, it significantly increased feed intake (p ˂ 0.05), leading to worst feed conversion ratio (FCR) and European production efficiency factor (EPEF) (p ˂ 0.01) than PC. There was non-significant variation in final BW, BWG, FCR, or EPEF between the PC group and the NC groups supplemented with Xyl. Carcass yield, gizzard, liver and, muscle relative weights were not influenced by dietary treatments; while broilers fed diet with low-energy diets with or without Xyl addition had lower abdominal fat (p ˂ 0.01) than PC. Furthermore, broilers fed on low-ME diets supplemented with Xyl showed a reduction in plasma total cholesterol (p ˂ 0.05) and low density lipoprotein (p ˂ 0.01) levels. Greater antibody titre against Newcastle disease (p ˂ 0.05) was recorded in the NC1 + 100Xyl and NC2 + 100Xyl groups. The addition of Xyl to low-energy diets significantly improved (p ˂ 0.05) fibre digestibility compared to the PC group. Moreover, enzyme supplementation increased muscle total lipids content and decreased muscle thiobarbituric acid retroactive substance content. In addition, enzyme supplementation increased gene expression related to growth and gene expression related to fatty acid synthesis. It was concluded that a low-ME diet might diminish broiler performance, whereas Xyl supplementation to low-ME diets beneficially affected growth performance, abdominal fat percentage, nutrient digestibility and immunity for broilers, and gene expressions related to growth and fatty acid synthesis in broiler chickens fed low-energy diets.

The role of phytogenic feed additives in stress mitigation in broiler chickens

Posted on by

Abstract

The increase in global temperature and consumers' welfare has increased the use of phytogenic feed additives (PFA) to mitigate the negative effects of heat stress on chickens in recent years. Various bioactive compounds capable of improving the thermotolerance of broiler chickens during exposure to thermal challenges have been identified in different plant species and parts. This review is an overview of the roles of bioactive compounds of different PFA, such as polyphenols and flavonoids, antioxidants, growth-promoting and immune-modulating agents, in heat stress management in broiler chickens. Common PFA in use, particularly in tropical environments, are also discussed. An understanding of the roles of the PFA in chickens' thermotolerance could further stimulate interest in their use, thereby improving the birds' productivity and addressing consumers' concerns. This review collates the existing data on the roles of herbs in mitigating heat stress on chickens and highlights future research perspectives.

Improvement of weanling pigs immune status and metabolic condition using ultraweak light

Posted on by

Abstract

Weaning stress is the most common issue in swine farms, which increases mortality and morbidity. The use of artificial light is an option for modifying the immune system and metabolic pathways. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of ultraweak light (Photonia) on growth performance, immune system and metabolism of weanling pigs, and the carry-over effect on the growth performance in postweanling growing stages. A total of 30 weaned pigs with an average initial body weight of 7.06 ± 0.11 kg (age: 21 days) were allotted two treatments (Control and Photonia) with 15 replicates. The pelleted form diets were prepared for pigs in three phases including phase 1 (Days 0–14), phase 2 (Days 15–28) and phase 3 (Days 29–48). The gain-to-feed ratio (G:F) of pigs was significantly greater in the Photonia treatment. On Day 28, a higher concentration of immunoglobin A (IgA) (p < 0.01) and IgG (p < 0.01) was observed in the Photonia pigs. On Day 48, the Photonia treatment showed a greater serum IgA (p < 0.01) and IgG (p < 0.05). The concentration of interleukin (IL)-6 was decreased (p < 0.05) in the Photonia treatment. At Day 48, the concentrations of tumour necrotic factor-α, IL-1β and IL-6 in serum were decreased (p < 0.05) in pigs in the Photonia treatment. Metabolic pathways analysis showed that the Photonia treatment increased the d-glutamine, d-glutamate, alanine, aspartate, glutamate and phenylalanine compared with the control treatment. In conclusion, the use of Photonia for weanling pigs is recommended due to improved G:F, immune status and activation of amino acids metabolic pathways including d-glutamine, d-glutamate, alanine, aspartate, glutamate and phenylalanine.

Influences of flavonoid (quercetin) inclusion to corn‐soybean‐gluten meal‐based diet on broiler performance

Posted on by

Abstract

Quercetin (a predominant flavonoid) is considered to have antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. This trial was conducted to evaluate the impact of graded doses of quercetin (QS) on growth efficiency, nutrient retention, faecal score, footpad lesion score, tibia ash and meat quality. In a 32-day feeding test, a total of 576 1-day-old Ross 308 broilers (male) were allocated arbitrarily with an average body weight of 41 ± 0.5 g. The trial had four dietary treatments with eight repetitions of 18 birds per pen and a basal diet incorporating 0%, 0.02%, 0.04% and 0.06% of QS. As the QS dosage increased, body weight gain tended to increase linearly on Days 9–21 (p = 0.069) and overall period (p = 0.079). Similarly, feed intake increased (p = 0.009) linearly with the increasing doses of QS on Days 9–21. Likewise, there was a linear improvement in dry matter (p = 0.002) and energy (p = 0.016) digestibility after QS administration. Moreover, the inclusion of QS supplement (0%–0.06%) linearly increased (p = 0.012) tibia ash in broilers. However, the faecal score and footpad lesion score showed no significant outcome (p > 0.05). By giving broilers a graded amount of QS, the relative organ weights of breast muscle (p = 0.009) and spleen (p = 0.006) improved linearly, meat colour lightness increased (p = 0.015), redness tended to improve (p = 0.065) linearly and drip loss decreased (p = 0.015) linearly. The inclusion of QS in the graded-level diet led to improvements in growth efficiency, nutrient absorption, meat quality and tibia ash, which recommended it as a beneficial feed additive for the broiler.

Effects of mixed fibres and essential oils blend on growth performance and intestinal barrier function of piglets challenged with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli K88

Posted on by

Abstract

This study was to evaluate the effects of supplementing mixed dietary fibres (MDF) and essential oils blend (EOB) either alone or in combination on growth performance and intestinal barrier function in weaned piglets challenged with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli K88 (ETEC). Forty-two piglets (28 days old) were randomly allocated into six treatments in a 25-day experiment, and fed the basal diet (CON or ETEC) either with antibiotics (AT), MDF, EOB or MDF + EOB. On Day 22 of the experiment, pigs in CON and challenged groups (ETEC, AT, MDF, EOB and MDF + EOB) were orally administered sterile saline and ETEC containing 6 × 1010 CFU/kg body weight respectively. On Day 26, all pigs were euthanized to collect samples. Before ETEC challenge, piglets in MDF and EOB had lower diarrhoea incidence (p < 0.01) than others. After ETEC challenge, piglets in ETEC had lower average daily gain and higher diarrhoea incidence (p < 0.05) than those of CON. Furthermore, compared to CON, ETEC group increased the serum lipopolysaccharide concentration and diamine oxidase activity, and decreased mRNA levels of genes relating to barrier function (aquaporin 3, AQP3; mucin1, MUC1; zonula occludens-1, ZO-1; Occludin), and increased the concentration of cytokines (interleukin-1β/4/6/10, IL-1β/4/6/10) and secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) in jejunal mucosa (p < 0.05). However, these deleterious effects induced by ETEC were partly alleviated by MDF, EOB, MDF + EOB and AT. Additionally, compared to ETEC group, MDF increased Bifidobacterium abundance in cecal digesta and butyrate concentration in colonic digesta (p < 0.05). Also, EOB improved propionate concentration in cecal digesta, and MDF + EOB decreased IL-10 concentration in jejunal mucosa (p < 0.05) compared with ETEC. Conclusively, MDF and EOB either alone or in combination can improve growth performance and alleviate diarrhoea via improving intestinal barrier function of piglets after ETEC challenge, and all may serve as potential alternatives to AT for piglets.

Mesobiliverdin IXα‐enriched microalgae feed additive eliminates reliance on antibiotic tylosin to promote intestinal health of weaning piglets

Posted on by

Abstract

Weaning is a critical period in raising pigs. Novel animal feed additives that promote gut health and regulate immune function of piglets without antibiotics are needed. In this study, we aimed to test the ability of mesobiliverdin IXα-enriched microalgae (MBV IXα-enriched microalgae) to eliminate reliance on antibiotics to promote intestinal health in piglets. Eighty 28-day-old weaned piglets were randomly allocated to four groups each with four replicate pens and five piglets per pen. The dietary treatments were a basal diet as control (NC), basal diet plus 0.05% tylosin (PC), basal diet plus 0.1% or 0.5% MBV IXα-enriched microalgae as low (MBV-SP1) or high (MBV-SP2) dose respectively. All treated animals showed no significant differences in live weight, average daily gain and feed efficiency compared to control animals. Histological examination showed that MBV-SP1 and particularly MBV-SP2 increased the ratio of villus height to crypt depth in the jejunum and ileum compared to NC (p < 0.05). Similarly, tylosin treatment also increased villi lengths and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth in the jejunum and ileum compared to the NC (p < 0.05). MBV-SP1 and particularly MBV-SP2 reduced the levels of inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 and tumour necrosis factor-alpha in the small intestine. MBV-SP2 and tylosin similarly reduced the lipid peroxidation marker (TBARS value) in the duodenum and ileum. In conclusion, feed supplementation with MBV IXα-enriched microalgae improved gut health by villus height and production of immunomodulators that correlated with down-regulated secretion of inflammatory cytokines.