Effects of <i>Caragana korshinskii</i> aqueous extract on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, and immune function of sheep under cold stimulation
<p>Cold stimulation can impair the immune and antioxidant functions of animals, which further leads to a decline in animal production performance. This study aimed to investigate the effect of the aqueous extract of <i>Caragana korshinskii</i> (CK) on the antioxidant and immunologi...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2025-05-01
|
| Series: | Archives Animal Breeding |
| Online Access: | https://aab.copernicus.org/articles/68/339/2025/aab-68-339-2025.pdf |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | <p>Cold stimulation can impair the immune and antioxidant functions of animals, which further leads to a decline in animal production performance. This study aimed to investigate the effect of the aqueous extract of <i>Caragana korshinskii</i> (CK) on the antioxidant and immunological properties of sheep under oxidative stress induced by cold stimulation. In this study, a total of 54 healthy 2-month-old sheep were randomly divided into six groups, namely the control group and experimental groups I–V. The control group sheep were fed the basal diets, while the sheep in experimental groups I–V had their diets supplemented with 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 <span class="inline-formula">g kg<sup>−1</sup></span> of CK aqueous extract, respectively; the sheep from all groups were housed in semi-closed enclosures for 65 d (the pre-trial period was 15 d, and the experimental period was 50 d) in a cold environment (<span class="inline-formula">−20</span> to <span class="inline-formula">−10</span> <span class="inline-formula">°C</span>). The results showed that the final body weight and average daily gain (ADG) of sheep in groups I, II, and III were significantly increased compared with the control group (<span class="inline-formula"><i>p</i><0.05</span>), but there was no significant difference in average daily feed intake (ADFI) (<span class="inline-formula"><i>p</i>>0.05</span>). Total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were decreased (<span class="inline-formula"><i>p</i><0.05</span>); malondialdehyde (MDA) was increased (<span class="inline-formula"><i>p</i><0.05</span>); and the tumour necrosis factor-<span class="inline-formula"><i>α</i></span> (TNF-<span class="inline-formula"><i>α</i></span>), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were increased (<span class="inline-formula"><i>p</i><0.05</span>), whereas interleukin-10 (IL-10), immunoglobulin G (IgG), and immunoglobulin M (IgM) were decreased (<span class="inline-formula"><i>p</i><0.05</span>) in the blood of the control sheep after 50 d of cold stimulation. In contrast, T-AOC, GSH-Px, and SOD increased (<span class="inline-formula"><i>p</i><0.05</span>); MDA decreased (<span class="inline-formula"><i>p</i><0.05</span>); and TNF-<span class="inline-formula"><i>α</i></span>, IL-2, and IL-6 decreased (<span class="inline-formula"><i>p</i><0.05</span>), whereas IL-10, IgM, and IgG increased (<span class="inline-formula"><i>p</i><0.05</span>) in the group with the addition of CK aqueous extract. Moreover, the CK aqueous extract decreased MDA (<span class="inline-formula"><i>p</i><0.05</span>) and increased T-AOC, GSH-Px, and SOD in sheep liver (<span class="inline-formula"><i>p</i><0.05</span>) and decreased TNF-<span class="inline-formula"><i>α</i></span>, IL-2, and IL-6 (<span class="inline-formula"><i>p</i><0.05</span>) and increased IL-10, IgM, and IgG in the thymus and spleen (<span class="inline-formula"><i>p</i><0.05</span>). These results suggest that the addition of CK aqueous extract can promote sheep growth and improve oxidative stress, inflammation, and immune response to chronic cold stimulation in sheep.</p> |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0003-9438 2363-9822 |