Dietary supplementation effects of italicChlorella vulgaris/italic on performances, oxidative stress status and antioxidant enzymes activities of prepubertal New Zealand White rabbits

摘要

titleAbstract/titlesectitleBackground/titlepitalicChlorella vulgaris/italic (CV) is a natural source of functional antioxidants capable of protecting against oxidative stress; its dietary supplementation in animals can serve as a way of improving animals’ performance and productive output; on this background, the microalgae was supplemented to growing New Zealand white rabbits and its effects on performances and oxidative stress status were evaluated./p/secsectitleMethod/titlepThirty-five (35) 6-week-old New Zealand White rabbits (935.48 ± 5.92 g) were divided into five groups (italicn/italic = 7 per group) in a completely randomized design experiment; rabbits in control groups were fed only commercial rabbits feed, while rabbits in treatment groups were supplemented with 200, 300, 400, and 500 mg italicChlorella vulgaris/italic biomass per kilogram of the body weight along with commercial rabbits feed daily. Feed intake and body weight changes were recorded daily and weekly; at the end of the study, blood was collected and subjected to chemical assays for evaluation of serum oxidative stress markers and antioxidant activities./p/secsectitleResults/titlepDietary supplementation of the microalgae significantly increased the rabbits’ growth weights (italicp/italic 0.01) without significant increase or reduction in feed intakes (italicp/italic 0.56), but significantly enhanced feed to gain ratio. The microalgae supplementation significantly protected the rabbits against oxidative stress damages through the reduction of malondialdehyde concentrations (italicp/italic 0.001) and increased total antioxidant capacity (italicp/italic 0.003). It also led to higher superoxide dismutase activity (italicp/italic 0.001), increased catalase activity (italicp/italic 0.003), and higher concentration of reduced glutathione (italicp/italic 0.001)./p/secsectitleConclusion/titlepIt was concluded from outcomes of both performance and biochemical analysis of the rabbits that daily supplementation of italicChlorella vulgaris/italic between 200 and 500 mg per kilogram of the body weight in prepubertal rabbits significantly improved performances in forms of higher weight gains and enhanced feed utilization; it also protected against oxidative stress damages hence it was recommended as dietary antioxidant supplement for growing prepubertal rabbits./p/sec