Abstract
Simple SummaryOlive trees (Olea europaea L., Oleaceae) are among the most extensively cultivated crops in the Mediterranean countries (98% of the world’s olive production) and are used for oil extraction or table olives, whereas the residues from pruning (olive leaves and wood) and extraction process (olive pomace) are considered waste or by-products. Furthermore, many agronomic practices, such as foliar spray administration of selenium used to reduce the water stress damage of olive trees, could further improve the nutritional value of these “wastes”. The use of by-products as part of the rabbit diet can be a very effective example of recovery of healthy molecules while at the same time a way of developing a more sustainable production system. Accordingly, the idea of the present research is to administer the by-product “olive leaves” to growing rabbits to improve their health status and partially solve the problem of waste disposal of olive trees.This study investigated the effect of a dietary combination of selenium and olive leaves on rabbit health status in order to evaluate the potential use of these combinations as functional ingredients in feed and food. Sixty weaning rabbits were fed with three diets: control feed (C), control feed + 10% normal olive leaves (OL), or olive leaves enriched in Se (2.17 mg Se/kg d.m.; SeOL). The plasma mineral profile, antioxidant status, and leukocyte DNA damage were determined. Inorganic Se was the most abundant form in the OL diet, while the organic one was higher in SeOL than C and OL. A similar trend was found in the plasma. Protein oxidation showed higher values in both supplemented groups; in addition, dietary Se led to a significant improvement (+40%) in ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP). A marked reduction in DNA damage (9-fold) was observed in the SeOL group compared to C. The combination of selenium and olive leaves in the diet of growing rabbits increased plasma SeMet and FRAP and reduced leukocyte DNA damage.
Highlights
The trace mineral selenium (Se) is an essential nutrient of fundamental importance to human physiology
This is due to its high redox properties; the best-known example of this function is the reduction of hydrogen peroxide and damaging lipid and phospholipid hydroperoxides to harmless products by the selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase family [3]
ADL) until slaughter: Control feed (C); Control feed supplemented with 10% olive leaves (OL); Control feed supplemented with 10% olive leaves enriched in Se (2.17 mg of Se per kg of dried leaves; SeOL)
Summary
The trace mineral selenium (Se) is an essential nutrient of fundamental importance to human physiology It is a constituent of at least 25 selenoproteins, mainly in the form of selenocysteine (SeCys2 ) [1]. The uniqueness of Se is reflected by its biological activity, as this element is often described as a “double-edged sword”, “essential poison”, or “two-faced element” [2]. This is due to its high redox properties; the best-known example of this function is the reduction of hydrogen peroxide and damaging lipid and phospholipid hydroperoxides to harmless products (water and alcohols) by the selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase family [3]. The mechanism of its anticancer activity is generally related to both the antioxidant and redox properties of Se, exerted at the nutritional level and linked mainly to the activity of selenium-dependent enzymes (selenoproteins, i.e., SeCys , selenomethionine (SeMet) and selenomethylselenocysteine (MeSeCys)), as well as from its prooxidant effects, observed at the supranutritional level and associated with the activity of low molecular weight Se compounds [7,8]
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