Direct and residual effects of Azanza garckeana (Goron tula) fruit on the Growth and Internal organ histology of New Zealand White rabbit bucks

Abstract

Studies have shown Azanza garckeana fruit to contain appreciable amounts of alkaloids, phytosteroids and several other phytochemicals with varying pharmacological potentials capable of stimulating growths and cellular development. Thus, this study was conducted to examine the direct and residual impact of Azanza garckeana fruit on the internal organs. Sixty (60) New Zealand white rabbit bucks were randomly assigned to 4 treatments of 15 bucks, replicated three times in a completely randomized design. The experimental diets were formulated and supplemented with Azanza garckeana fruit meal at 0, 100, 200 and 300g/kg respectively. The study was conducted in two experimental phases. At the end of each phase, data were collected on the internal organs dynamics. The tissues of the liver and kidney were collected and processed for histopathology. Results showed that Azanza garckeana fruit did not have any deleterious direct or residual impacts on the internal organ dynamics of the bucks. The histopathology indicated that the supplementations of Azanza garckeana fruit meal up to 300g/kg in direct phase did not have any detrimental effect on the histology of the kidney; while the supplementations at 200 and 300g/kg impacted negatively on the histo-architecture of the liver, showing a widespread vascular degenerations of the hepatocytes. The supplementations up to 300g/kg did not have any residual impact on the histology of the liver and kidney. It is, therefore, concluded that Azanza garckeana fruit meal at 200 and 300g/kg in direct phase had detrimental effects on the histo-architecture of the liver of the rabbits.