Abstract
Simple SummaryThe energy balance during the reproduction cycle is a problematic issue for livestock species because it has consequences not only on animal welfare but also on the profitability of the farm. The adoption of new nutritional strategies could improve both of these aspects. In the present study, the supplementation with goji berries was proposed and evaluated on the rabbit, which is both a livestock animal and a useful animal model. Goji berry is the fruit of Lycium barbarum that is a natural resource made up of several compounds with biological activities and their consumption could be beneficial for the health and the general well-being of humans and animals. Its effect on several hormones and metabolites involved on energy balance of rabbit doe were evaluated by using both uni- and multivariate approach. Our finding, in addition to describing the intricate relationships between body conditions, hormones and metabolites during pregnancy and lactation, suggested that the supplementation with goji berry in the rabbit diet at low percentage could improve some aspects of energy metabolism and, in particular, doe’s insulin sensitivity. Conversely, the intake of high doses of goji raises concerns due to the risk of excessive fattening and worsening of insulin resistance.This study examined the effects of goji berries dietary supplementation on the energetic metabolism of doe. Thirty days before artificial insemination, 75 New Zealand White does were assigned to three different diets: commercial standard diet (C) and supplemented with 1% (LG) and 3% (HG) of goji berries, respectively. Body conditions, hormones and metabolites were monitored until weaning. Body weight and BCS were higher in HG than C (p < 0.05). LG showed lower T3/T4 ratio and cortisol concentrations (p < 0.05) and tended to have lower indices of insulin resistances (p < 0.1) than HG. Compared to control, leptin was higher in HG at AI (p < 0.01) and in LG during lactation (p < 0.05). Two principal components were extracted by multivariate analysis describing the relationships between (1) non-esterified fatty acids, insulin and glucose levels, and (2) body conditions and leptin metabolism. The first component highlighted the energy deficit and the insulin resistance of the does during pregnancy and lactation. The second one showed that leptin, body weight and Body Condition Score (BCS) enhance as levels of goji berries in the diet increase. Thus, the effects of goji supplementation are dose-dependent: an improvement on energy metabolism was achieved with a low-dose while the highest dose could determine excessive fattening and insulin resistance in does.
Highlights
Research has turned towards natural products, rich in compounds with high biological activity that have favourable effects on health with low production expenses and reduced side effects for the prevention and treatment of various pathologies
Beside several biological active compounds such as carotenoids, vitamins and flavonoids, goji berry is primarily rich in polysaccharides [1] which are responsible for the main beneficial pharmacological effects of the fruit both in vitro [5,6,7,8] and in vivo in various laboratory animal species [9,10] and in clinical trials in humans [11,12]
< 0.05) and from artificial insemination (AI) in HG (4054 ± 88 g; p < 0.01) groups. It returned at baseline values after one week of lactation in C (3969 ± 151 g) and LG (4000 ± 128 g) while, in the HG group, it remained elevated up to 20 d of lactation (4220 ± 139 g) (Figure 1)
Summary
Research has turned towards natural products, rich in compounds with high biological activity that have favourable effects on health with low production expenses and reduced side effects for the prevention and treatment of various pathologies. In this contest, goji berry, the fruit of Lycium barbarum L., consumed in several Asian countries for a long time as a traditional tonic food and natural herbal remedy, has attracted a lot of attention in Western countries in the last decades [1,2]. Only a limited number of researches evaluated the effects of goji berry on the reproductive and productive performance, other than on the quality of meat, in livestock animals, rabbits included [15,16,23,24,25]
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