SEMEN PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS, BLOOD PARAMETERS AND SOME PHYSIOLOGICAL ESTIMATES OF RABBIT BUCKS ADMINISTERED WITH BEE POLLEN UNDER UPPER EGYPT CLIMATIC CONDITIONS

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Poultry Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.

2 Department of Poultry Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Sohag University, Sohag, Egypt.

Abstract

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of orally administration of bee pollen (BP) levels at 500 and 1000mg/buck as capsules form on semen physical characteristics as well as some hematological and physiological traits of rabbit bucks exposed to high temperature under Upper Egypt climatic conditions.  A total of 30 rabbit bucks (15 V-line & 15 Moshtohor); 52 weeks old, were equally classified into three experimental groups. Bucks in the 1st group (control) were fed on a commercial ration, while those in the 2nd and 3rd groups were fed on the basal diet and orally administered daily with 500 and 1000mg BP/buck, respectively during the experiment, which lasted 56 days.  
The obtained findings revealed that the means of white blood cells (WBCs), hemoglobin (Hg), Hematocrit (HCT), MCV (%), total protein (TP) of Moshtohor rabbit bucks were significantly increased, while the total feed intake (TFI) and glucose level were significantly decreased than those of the V-line rabbit bucks.
The means of live sperm (%), mass motility (%), conc./ml (106), conc./ej (106) and testosterone (ng/ml)in Moshtohor bucks increased significantly (P<0.01) by about 4.3, 6.0, 24.0, 28.6 and 16.8%, while reaction time (RT) was significantlydecreased by about 20.2% than those of V-line bucks.  
The bucks treated with both of 500 and 1000mg BP /rabbit had significantly (P<0.01) increased means of final body weight (FBW), red blood cells (RBCs), WBCs, Hg, HCT, MCV, TP and Alb, glucose and TAC than the corresponding means of the control group. While, the treatment with BP significantly (P<0.05) reduced TFI and serumcholestrol.
The means of ejaculate volume, live sperms, mass motility, conc./ml and conc./Ej.(106)for bucks treated with BP exceeded significantly (P<0.01), while the reaction time and sperm abnormalities were significantly (P<0.01) decreased as compared with the corresponding figures in the control group.
Similarly, the means of glutathione content (GSH) and testosterone hormone concentration were significantly increased in the treated bucks, while the mean malondialdehyde (MDA) was significantly decreased as compared with the control group.
Conclusively, from the obtained results it could be concluded that treating rabbit bucks raised under high temperature with both of 500 and 1000mg/ buck significantly improved the semen characteristics, blood parameters, antioxidant activities, and testosterone hormone.

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