EFFECT OF FASTING PERIOD AND ZINC SUPPLEMENTATION ON THYROID AND ADRENAL ACTIVITY, ANTIOXIDANT STATUS AND GUT LENGTH OF GROWING RABBITS

El-Speiy, Mohamed; Elsawy, Mohamed; Badri, Faeisal; Sadaka, Tarek Amin

doi:10.21608/ejrs.2017.46663

EFFECT OF FASTING PERIOD AND ZINC SUPPLEMENTATION ON THYROID AND ADRENAL ACTIVITY, ANTIOXIDANT STATUS AND GUT LENGTH OF GROWING RABBITS

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Animal Prod. Res. Institute, Agric. Res. Center, Ministry of Agric., Egypt.

² Rabbit Res. Department, Anim. Prod. Res. Inst., ARC, Ministry of Agric., Egypt.

³ 2 Poultry Production Department, Faculty of Agric., Ain-Shams Univ., Cairo, Egypt

10.21608/ejrs.2017.46663

Abstract

Ninety weaned males V-line rabbits (35 days old) with an average live body weight of 525±8.34 g. were randomly distributed into six experimental groups (n=15 each). All treated groups were received a basal diet; 1^st experimental group was served as control group (AD), 2^nd group was supplemented with Zn (AD+Zn), 3^rd group was fasted one day weekly (F24), 4^th group was fasted two days weekly (F48), 5^th group was supplemented with Zn and fasted one day weekly (F24+Zn) and 6^th group was supplemented with Zn and fasted two days weekly (F48+Zn). Serum concentrations of T₃, T₄, corticosterone, cortisol, total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and malonyaldehyde (MAD) were determined. Lengths of small and large intestine and caecum were measured.
Results showed that: highly significant increase in serum levels of cortisol and corticosterone hormones were recorded in fasted growing rabbits (F24 and F48) groups and fasted with Zinc supplementation (F24+Zn and F48+Zn) groups, while serum levels of T₃ and T₄ were decreased compared with those in AD and AD+Zn groups. Serum level of TAC was significantly reduced in fasted growing rabbits supplemented or non-supplemented with Zn compared with AD and AD+Zn groups and more reduction was related to fasting. Deleterious effect of fasting was related with increasing serum levels of MAD, where all fasted groups had a significant increase in serum MAD concentration. Length of stomach, small and large intestines and caecum was significantly increased in fasted and Zn treated groups than control group.
Conclusively, fasting regimen and dietary Zn supplementation had a role in modulating hormonal profile, antioxidant status, stomach and intestine length.

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