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Ebeid TA, Al-Homidan IH, Saleh AA, Barakat HA. Physiological and immunological aspects of feed restriction and its beneficial impacts in fattening rabbits' productivity-an updated review. Trop Anim Health Prod 2024; 56:33. [PMID: 38183493 DOI: 10.1007/s11250-023-03881-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/08/2024]
Abstract
Two feed restriction (FR) regimens are utilized with weaned rabbits including a quantitative FR (amount-limited feed or time-restricted admission to feed) and a qualitative FR (modulation of diet content especially protein and energy). The use of post-weaning FR may help in preventing post-weaning digestive disorders, stimulating compensating growth, improving feed efficiency, and decreasing carcass fat content. Interestingly, FR may contribute to changing meat's chemical composition and its physical quality attributes by regulating the morphological and biochemical characteristics of muscle fibers. Also, FR could enhance the gastrointestinal tract development, its histomorphology, and improve feed digestibility and absorption. Furthermore, FR regimens are involved in establishing gut microbial balance and enhancing the host immunological response. It might be concluded that post-weaning FR is involved in influencing the physiological and immunological aspects of growing rabbits. It might be documented that light to mild FR (i.e., 80-90% AL), early (i.e., at the first 2 weeks post-weaning), and relatively short in duration (i.e., for 2-3 weeks) had no negative effects on live body weight, while severing FR reduced live body weight in comparison with ad libitum rabbits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tarek Amin Ebeid
- Department of Animal Production and Breeding, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Qassim University, 51452, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia.
- Department of Poultry Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafr El-Sheikh, 33516, Egypt.
| | - Ibrahim Hamad Al-Homidan
- Department of Animal Production and Breeding, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Qassim University, 51452, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmed Ali Saleh
- Department of Poultry Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafr El-Sheikh, 33516, Egypt
| | - Hassan Ahmed Barakat
- Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Qassim University, 51452, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
- Food Technology Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Benha University, Moshtohor, 13736, Egypt
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Marín-García PJ, Llobat L, Rouco C, Aguayo-Adán JA, Larsen T, Cambra-López M, Blas E, Pascual JJ. Nutritional Metabolites as Biomarkers of Previous Feed Intake in European Rabbit ( Oryctolagus cuniculus): Applications on Conservation. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12192608. [PMID: 36230348 PMCID: PMC9558996 DOI: 10.3390/ani12192608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
European wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) populations have drastically reduced, and recently, rabbits have been classed as “endangered” by the IUCN. This animal plays an important ecological role in Mediterranean ecosystems and its introduction could significantly contribute to ecological restoration. Rabbits have high nutrient requirements that apparently cannot be covered in all ecosystems, and there are clues that nutrition can limit their abundance and density. On the other hand, some studies reflect the effects of food availability on the metabolomic status of other animal species, but there are no specific studies on this keystone species. The main aim of this work is to find biomarkers to assess the previous levels of ingestion of European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). To address this gap, gastric content and blood samples were collected from European rabbits (n = 99) in a Mediterranean area for the analysis of glucose, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), plasmatic urea nitrogen (PUN), albumin, glutamate and total protein metabolites. Depending on their previous feed intake (gastric content and the ratio between the gastric content and the weight of the animal), the animals were divided into two groups (lower and normal previous feed intake). Our work shows that the metabolomic profiles of the animals were affected. Levels of glucose (+82%; p = 0.0003), NEFA (−61%; p = 0.0040) and PUN (+139%; p < 0.001) were different in the animals with lower previous feed intake than the animals with normal previous feed intake. This work summarises that metabolic phenotype can be interesting when seeking to discover the limiting nutrients and food availability in diets that could affect the ecological fitness and conservation of European wild rabbits. It is important to mention that in this work, only the effects on six different metabolites have been analysed and more studies are necessary to complement the knowledge of possible metabolites that indicate the level of ingestion in this species and others. These (and new) biomarkers could be used as a tool to provide information about individual or population characteristics that other physiological parameters cannot detect, improving the conservation physiology field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Jesús Marín-García
- Department of Animal Production and Health, Veterinary Public Health and Food Science and Technology (PASAPTA), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, CEU Universities, 46113 Valencia, Spain
- Correspondence: (P.J.M.-G.); (L.L.)
| | - Lola Llobat
- Department of Animal Production and Health, Veterinary Public Health and Food Science and Technology (PASAPTA), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, CEU Universities, 46113 Valencia, Spain
- Correspondence: (P.J.M.-G.); (L.L.)
| | - Carlos Rouco
- Ecology Area, Faculty of Science, University of Cordoba, 14071 Cordoba, Spain
- Sociedad, Ecología y Gestión del Medio Ambiente, UCO-IESA, Unidad Asociada al CSIC, 14071 Cordoba, Spain
| | | | - Torben Larsen
- Department of Animal Science, Aarhus University, DK-8830 Tjele, Denmark
| | - María Cambra-López
- Institute for Animal Science and Technology, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain
| | - Enrique Blas
- Institute for Animal Science and Technology, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain
| | - Juan José Pascual
- Institute for Animal Science and Technology, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain
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Ebeid TA, Tůmová E, Al-Homidan IH, Ketta M, Chodová D. The potential role of feed restriction on productivity, carcass composition, meat quality, and muscle fibre properties of growing rabbits: A review. Meat Sci 2022; 191:108845. [DOI: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2022.108845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/07/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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García-García RM, Arias-Álvarez M, Rodríguez M, Sánchez-Rodríguez A, Formoso-Rafferty N, Lorenzo PL, Rebollar PG. Effects of feed restriction during pregnancy on maternal reproductive outcome, foetal hepatic IGF gene expression and offspring performance in the rabbit. Animal 2021; 15:100382. [PMID: 34653786 DOI: 10.1016/j.animal.2021.100382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2021] [Revised: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Primiparous female rabbits have high nutritional requirements and, while it is recommended that they are subjected to an extensive reproductive rhythm, this could lead to overweight, affecting reproductive outcomes. We hypothesised that restricting food intake during the less energetic period of gestation could improve reproductive outcome without impairing offspring viability. This study compares two groups of primiparous rabbit does in an extensive reproductive programme, one in which feed was restricted from Day 0 to Day 21 of gestation (R021), and another in which does were fed ad libitum (control) throughout pregnancy. The mother and offspring variables compared were (1) mother reproductive outcomes at the time points pre-implantation (Day 3 postartificial insemination [AI]), preterm (Day 28 post-AI) and birth; and (2) the prenatal offspring characteristic IGF system gene expression in foetal liver, liver fibrosis and foetus sex ratio, and postnatal factor viability and growth at birth, and survival and growth until weaning. Feed restriction did not affect the conception rate, embryo survival, or the number of morulae and blastocysts recovered at Day 3 post-AI. Preterm placenta size and efficiency were similar in the two groups. However, both implantation rate (P < 0.001) and the number of foetuses (P = 0.05) were higher in the R021 mothers than controls, while there was no difference in foetal viability. Foetal size and weight, the weights of most organs, organ weight/BW ratios and sex ratio were unaffected by feed restriction; these variables were only affected by uterine position (P < 0.05). Conversely, in the R021 does, foetal liver IGBP1 and IGF2 gene expression were dysregulated despite no liver fibrosis and a normal liver structure. No effects of restricted feed intake were produced on maternal fertility, prolificacy, or offspring birth weight, but control females weaned more kits. Litter weight and mortality rate during the lactation period were also unaffected. In conclusion, pre-implantation events and foetal development were unaffected by feed restriction. While some genes of the foetal hepatic IGF system were dysregulated during pregnancy, liver morphology appeared normal, and the growth of foetuses and kits until weaning was unmodified. This strategy of feed restriction in extensive reproductive rhythms seems to have no significant adverse effects on dam reproductive outcome or offspring growth and viability until weaning.
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Affiliation(s)
- R M García-García
- Department of Physiology, School of Veterinary Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
| | - M Arias-Álvarez
- Department of Animal Production, School of Veterinary Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - M Rodríguez
- Department of Agrarian Production, ETSIAAB, Polytechnic University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - A Sánchez-Rodríguez
- Department of Physiology, School of Veterinary Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - N Formoso-Rafferty
- Department of Agrarian Production, ETSIAAB, Polytechnic University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - P L Lorenzo
- Department of Physiology, School of Veterinary Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - P G Rebollar
- Department of Agrarian Production, ETSIAAB, Polytechnic University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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Formoso-Rafferty N, Cervantes I, Sánchez JP, Gutiérrez JP, Bodin L. Effect of feed restriction on the environmental variability of birth weight in divergently selected lines of mice. Genet Sel Evol 2019; 51:27. [PMID: 31195962 PMCID: PMC6567395 DOI: 10.1186/s12711-019-0471-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2019] [Accepted: 06/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Selection of mice for decreased environmental variability of birth weight has achieved higher survivability and larger litter size as a correlated response to canalized selection, which suggests higher welfare and robustness, and animals that are more homogeneous. However, in these studies, animals were not exposed to an environmental challenge. To demonstrate the advantages of this mouse line with a low environmental variability of birth weight, animals from two divergent lines (high and low variability of birth weight) were subjected to feed restriction. The objective of this study was to use these divergent lines to compare their response in terms of robustness against an environmental challenge. At weaning, 120 females, i.e. four full-sib females from 10 random litters of three consecutive generations of selection, were chosen from these divergent lines. The total number of females was divided into four groups, which were subjected to a feeding regimen by imposing different levels of feed restriction (i.e. 75, 90 and 85% of full ad libitum feed across three generations, respectively) in different combinations during the growth and reproduction periods. RESULTS Animals from the "low" line were less sensitive to a change in feed level than those from the "high" line. Regarding reproduction, the "low" line performed better in terms of number of females having parturitions, number of parturitions, and litter size. Imposing a feed restriction on female mice during their growth period did not affect the birth weight of their pups. The "low" line was preferred because of its higher reproductive efficiency and survival under an environmental challenge. CONCLUSIONS Selection for decreased environmental variability of birth weight produces animals that are less sensitive to environmental conditions, which can be interpreted as having greater robustness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora Formoso-Rafferty
- Departamento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Isabel Cervantes
- Departamento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Juan Pablo Sánchez
- Animal Breeding and Genetics Program, Institute for Food and Agriculture Research and Technology, Caldes de Montbui, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Juan Pablo Gutiérrez
- Departamento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Loys Bodin
- Génétique, Physiologie et Systèmes d'Elevage, INRA, Castanet-Tolosan, Toulouse, France
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