The Effect of Epicatechin-(4β-8)-Catechin on Some Biomarkers of Fatigue in Packed Donkeys (Equus Asinus) during the Dry Season in Northern Nigeria

Veterinary Clinical Pathol

Aluwong

et al. 2023

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Background: Melatonin is a hormone with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and may alleviate the effects of stress on hematologic and biochemical analytes in working donkeys that pack (load-carry). Objectives:We aimed to evaluate the effects of melatonin administration on hematologic and biochemical responses in donkeys subjected to packing during the hot-dry season. We also examined its effects on circadian rhythms. Methods:Ten male Nubian pack donkeys with (Packing + Melatonin; P + M) and without melatonin (Packing-Melatonin; P-M) administration were included. Blood samples were collected before, immediately after (15 min), and from 16 h to over 27-h postpacking at 3-h intervals for hematologic and total protein analyses. Serum from blood samples collected before and immediately after packing was analyzed for muscle enzyme activities and electrolyte concentrations. Student's t-test, one-way ANOVA, and online cosinor analysis were used for statistical analyses.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Effects of melatonin on hematologic and biochemical changes and the effects of circadian rhythm on hematologic changes in donkeys (Equus asinus) subjected to packing during the hot‐dry season

Veterinary Clinical Pathol

Aluwong

et al. 2023

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“…The findings were similar to the results obtained by Olaifa et al . [ 15 ] in donkeys in the same zone, which showed that the hot-dry season was characterized by a high DBT and THI, adversely affecting the packing performance of the donkeys in the zone. Indeed, the DBT and THI obtained in the current study were outside the thermoneutral zone (23–32°C) established for the donkey in the tropics [ 7 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The study was carried out during the hot-dry season, from 21 March to 17 April 2021. The hot-dry season is a transitionary period between the cold-dry and rainy seasons that is characterised by high ambient temperature and low relative humidity, and begins in early March and ends in early June [ 15 ]. The study area spanned a distance of 20 km in the direction of Sabon Gida from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria (11°10′N, 7°38′E), which is 5 km from Panhauya village (11°7′N, 7°37′E) in the Northern Guinea Savannah zone of Nigeria.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During exercise, oxygen delivery is improved by increasing the volume of inspired air, amount of blood pumped by the heart, oxygen carrying capacity of the blood, and a selective redistribution of the blood flow from the viscera to the working muscles. Evaluation of the RR and HR is important because the key parameters most studied are indicators of fitness and work-load capacity in equines [ 1 , 15 ]. Measurements of basic physiological parameters are easy to access and are used as the first indicators of the well-being of working donkeys.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of packing on the diurnal rhythms of respiratory and heart rates in donkeys during the hot-dry season

2022

JES

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This study aimed to evaluate the effects of packing (load carrying) on the diurnal rhythms of respiratory and heart rates in donkeys during the hot-dry season. Twenty 2- to 3-years-old donkeys weighing 93 ± 2.7 kg were divided into two groups to serve as subjects: Group 1 was subjected to packing + trekking, while group 2 was subjected to trekking only. All donkeys trekked 20 km on each experimental day. The procedure was repeated three times at one-day intervals. Thermal environmental parameters were recorded. Respiratory rate (RR) and heart rate (HR) were measured before and immediately (15 min) after the packing and/or trekking period. Continuous recordings of parameters were performed for 27 hr at 3-hr intervals beginning 16 hr after the last packing and/or trekking period. The RR rose significantly (P<0.05) immediately after packing + trekking and trekking only, from 30.15 ± 0.5 and 27.52 ± 0.5 cycles/min before packing + trekking and trekking only, respectively, to 43.78 ± 3.0 and 46.30 ± 1.8 cycles/min after them, respectively. The HR (76.63 ± 4.5 beats/min) in the packing + trekking donkeys was higher (P<0.05) than that of the trekking-only donkeys (62.33 ± 2.7 beats/min). The acrophase and bathyphase of the HR in both groups were recorded during the photophase and scotophase, respectively, with higher values (P<0.05) in the packing + trekking donkeys than in the trekking-only donkeys. The circadian rhythms of RR and HR did not differ between the groups of donkeys. In conclusion, packing + trekking was more stressful to the donkeys, significantly increasing the HR of donkeys subjected to packing + trekking, compared with trekking only.

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“…Oxidative stress results when the antioxidant capacity of the animal is overwhelmed by increased production of ROS ( Powers et al, 2020 ). The use of antioxidants in animals has been demonstrated to ameliorate the deleterious effects of stress on performance and health ( Ocheja et al, 2020 ; Olaifa et al, 2021 ). Melatonin is a potent antioxidant and anti-stress agent ( Adah et al, 2020 ; Nazifi et al, 2020 ; Rastogi and Haldar, 2020 ), possessing a high safety profile ( Zhang et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modulatory roles of melatonin on respiratory and heart rates and their circadian rhythmicity in donkeys (Equus asinus) subjected to packing during the hot-dry season

Current Research in Physiology

2022

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