Effect of baobab fruit pulp meal on testosterone concentration and gonadal and epididymal morphometry of rabbit bucks in a hot environment

Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of baobab fruit pulp meal on testosterone concentration and gonadal and epididymal morphometry of rabbit bucks during hot season in Nigeria. A total of 25 bucks of 10-12 months old were used. There were five (5) rabbits per group grouped as follows; T1 (control) and T2-T5 (Diets with graded levels of BFPM at 2.5%,3.5%, 4.5% and 5.5% inclusion levels, respectively). The experiment lasted for nine weeks. All management practices were duly observed. Three bucks were selected from each treatment group and slaughtered. The two testes of each of the rabbits were carefully removed and evaluated for their morphometric. The weight, length and volume of each testis were determined. It was found that the treatments with 3.5 – 5.5% BFPM significantly (P<0.05) increased testosterone concentration, weight and size of the gonad and the epididymis. It was concluded that BFPM is more effective in ameliorating heat stress in rabbit production and reproduction and can be used up to 5.5% inclusion level.

Physiological performance of heat stressed growing rabbits fed diets supplemented with vitamin anti-oxidants and bicarbonate buffers

“…Baobab has been described by Williams (2002) andPhyto Trade Africa (2009). The fruit pulp was reported to contain high amounts of vitamin C (Sena, 1998), it was reported to increase feed intake, weight gain and was effective in alleviating heat stress in rabbits (Anoh, 2017). NaHCO 3 was found to improve oxidative stress and heat tolerance by immunemodulation.…”

Antioxidant Activities of Vitamin C and Bi-carbonate Buffers on Hormones Secretion and Serum Metabolites of Heat-stressed Rabbit Buck

“…The result of the thermoregulatory response (Table 2) shows that Vitamin C and BFPM significantly (P < 0.05) reduced heart rate, rectal, and ear temperature in adult bucks compared to KHCO 3 and Na 2 CO 3 or the control. Antioxidant vitamins were reported to be effective to alleviate heat load in rabbits [27,[13][14]. The administration of ascorbic acid [28], glutathione supplementation [12], during exposure to high environmental temperatures reduces the body temperature in chickens.…”

Moisture Dependent: Physical Properties of Baobab Seeds (Adansonia digitata L.)

“…The leaves, fruit pulp, and seeds are used as the main ingredients in sauces, porridges, and beverages in some West African countries (Iswariya and Devi, 2021;Debelo et al, 2019;Hussain et al, 2019). Due to its nutritional profile (Anoh, 2021), baobab has recently been described as a super fruit (i.e., rich in vitamins, fatty acids and minerals). In the past, comprehensive studies on the nutritional properties of baobab fruit pulp and seed has previously been published (Karungamye and Murthy, 2017), the nutritional value of baobab was only briefly discussed with the focus on the mineral composition of baobab fruit pulp (Erwa et al, 2018;Acham et al, 2020).…”