Assessment of verbascoside-based dietary supplement on some blood and physio-productive parameters in intensively-reared Lepus Corsicanus hares

Over the past decade, researchers and food manufacturers have significantly focused attention on polyphenols. The key reason for this interest is the recognition of the antioxidant properties of these substances, their great abundance in our diet and the probable role in preventing diseases associated with oxidative stress. The great class of polyphenols consists the phenylpropanoidsglucosides, distributed in many medicinal plants, which are responsible for cytostatic, cardiac and hepatic effects. One of the major representatives of the phenylpropanoidsglucosides is verbascoside, retrieved from different plants belonging to the Verbenaceae family and featured a rhamnose units linked to glucose, which serves as a bridge.The literature on the biological activity of verbascoside is very wide: it possesses an anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic, immunomodulatory, antioxidant,cholesterol-lowering, cardiotonic, epato-protective effect, photoprotective, analgesic and neuroprotectiveactivity. The study focused on the evaluation of the dietary verbascoside supplement administration effect on reproductive parameters, on some blood parameters and plasma oxidative status of Lepuscorsicanus hares intensively-reared. In addition, during two-years trial, some productive performance on growing hares were evaluated. The test wasperformed on 75couples of Italianhare (Lepuscorsicanus) and tookplace in 2 years, of whichitwas210 days for the first yearand260 daysfor the secondyear. At the same time the performance of 300 growinghareswerealsoevaluated, of which 150 the first year and 150 the secondyear. All animals, couples of hares and growing hares, into 3 homogeneous groups were divided. One was a control group (CON) and the other two experimental which were administered ad libitum during the whole trial period, a feed containing a dietary supplement of verbascoside at 5 mg/kg feed in the LVB group and 10 mg/kg feed in HVB group. The food was specially prepared by adding to the amount of feed natural extract, standardized to 0.5% verbascoside, equal to 1 kg/tonne of feed supplement for the experimental LVB group and 2 kg/tonne of feed supplement for the experimental HVB group. The daily diet was completed by the addition alfalfa hay that was administered ad libitum. The couples of hares were subjected, during the 2-year-trial period, to the following experimental controls: body weight of hares at the beginning and at the end of each reproductive cycle, feed intake, number of leverets born alive or died at birth, number of leverets weaned/birth, kindling interval, percentage of superfetation and pseudo-gestation for each trial-year, blood samplings for each reproductive cycle. During the two years of experimentation, animals were tested at the beginning of each reproductive cycle (4 ± 2 days from partum) by blood samplings, for a total of 4 in the first year (0d, 70d, 140d, 210d) and 3 withdrawals during the second year (0d, 130d, 260d) for the determination oftriglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, bilirubin,ROMs, TBARS, vitamin A and vitamin E. The growing hares were subjected, during the 2-year-trial period, the following experimental controls: born body weight, weaning body weight (28d), half-trial (60d) and final (90d) body weight of growing hares for the determination of growth rate;daily feed intake for the determination of conversion index. The experimentaltreatment,on blood and in both years of experimentation, a significant (P<0,05) reduction of triglycerides, total cholesterol and bilirubin and an increase in HDL cholesterol in couples of hareshas produced. The verbascoside also improved the oxidative status and plasma homeostatic stability through an important decrease in concentrations of ROMs (P<0,05) and TBARS (P<0,01)and increase concentrations of vitamin A (P<0,05) and vitamin E (P<0,01); these results were found in both test periods. Dietary verbascoside supplementation on growing treated hares a higher (P<0,05)average daily gain resulted, in 60-90 d period of the first year. This trend also was found in the 2nd test-year without reaching, however, the statistical significance. Treatment with verbascoside has also resulted, in the second experimental year, an improvement of food conversion index in HVB growing hares. Therefore,the results of the present research have shown an important role of dietary supplements with antioxidant activity on some blood parameters and plasma oxidative status in couples of hares and on productive performance in growing hares.Negli ultimi dieci anni, i ricercatori e le industrie alimentari hanno notevolmente focalizzato l’attenzione sui polifenoli. La ragione chiave di questo interesse è il riconoscimento delle proprietà antiossidanti di queste sostanze, della loro grande abbondanza nella nostra dieta e del probabile ruolo nella prevenzione di malattie associate allo stress ossidativo. Alla grande classe dei polifenoli appartengono i fenilpropanoidi glucosidi responsabili di avere effetti citostatici, cardioattivi ed epatocitari. Uno dei maggiori rappresentanti dei fenilpropanoidi glucosidi è il verbascoside, estratto da diverse piante appartenenti alle famiglie delle Verbenaceae e caratterizzato da una unità di ramnosio legata al glucosio, che funge da ponte. Le attività biologiche che caratterizzano la molecola di verbascoside sono molteplici: possiede, infatti, attività anti-infiammatoria e anti-spasmodica, immunomodulatrice, antiossidante, ipocolesterolemizzante, antitumorale, cardiotonica, epatoprotettiva, fotoprotettiva, analgesica e neuroprotettiva. Si è inteso, quindi, valutare l’effetto dell’aggiunta, nel mangime di allevamento, di un integratore alimentare a base di verbascoside sui parametri riproduttivi, su alcuni parametri ematici e sullo stato ossidativo plasmatico di coppie di Lepus corsicanus allevate intensivamente. Inoltre, nei due anni di sperimentazione, sono state valutate le performance produttive di leprotti in accrescimento. La prova è stata eseguita su 75 coppie di lepre italica (Lepus corsicanus) e si è svolta in 2 anni la cui durata è stata, per il primo anno, di 210 giorni e, per il secondo anno, di 260 giorni. Nello stesso arco di tempo sono state valutate anche le performance produttive di 300 leprotti in accrescimento, di cui 150 il primo anno e 150 il secondo anno. Tutti gli animali, coppie di riproduttore e leprotti in accrescimento, sono stati suddivisi in tre gruppi, omogenei tra loro, di cui uno di controllo (CON) e gli altri due sperimentali ai quali è stato somministrato, ad libitum, durante l’intero periodo di prova, un mangime di allevamento contenente un integratore alimentare a base di verbascoside nella misura di 5 mg/kg di mangime nel gruppo LVB e di 10 mg/kg di mangime nel gruppo HVB. L’alimento è stato preparato appositamente aggiungendo al mangime una quantità di estratto naturale, titolato in verbascoside allo 0,5%, pari a 1kg di integratore/t di mangime per il gruppo sperimentale LVB e a 2kg di integratore/t di mangime per il gruppo sperimentale HVB. La razione alimentare è stata completata dall’aggiunta, a tutti i soggetti, di fieno di erba medica che veniva somministrata ad libitum. Le coppie di lepri sono state sottoposte, durante i periodi di prova, ai seguenti controllo sperimentali: -peso vivo dei riproduttori all’inizio e alla fine di ogni ciclo riproduttivo; -consumo alimentare giornaliero delle coppie; -numero dei figli nati vivi e/o morti al parto; -numero dei figli portati vivi e vitali allo svezzamento/parto; -durata interparto; -percentuale di superfetazione e pseudo-gestazione per ciascun periodo di prova; -prelievi ematici per ogni ciclo riproduttivo. Nel corso dei due anni di sperimentazione gli animali sono stati sottoposti all’inizio di ogni ciclo riproduttivo (4±2 giorni dal parto), a prelievi ematici, per un numero complessivo di 4 prelievi, per il primo anno (0d, 70d, 140d, 210d) e 3 prelievi durante il secondo anno (0d, 130d, 260d) per valutare le variazioni di alcuni parametrici ematici e dello stato ossidativo plasmatico: colesterolo totale, colesterolo HDL, trigliceridi, bilirubina, ROMs, TBARS, vitamina A, vitamina E. Controllo sperimentale sui leprotti in accrescimento. Gli animali in accrescimento sono stati sottoposti, durante il periodo di 2 anni di prova, ai seguenti controlli sperimentali: - peso vivo alla nascita; - peso vivo allo svezzamento (28d), a metà (60d) e a fine sperimentazione (90d) e determinazione dei relativi accrescimenti; - rilievo del consumo alimentare giornaliero e dei relativi indici di conversione. Il trattamento sperimentale ha prodotto, a livello ematico e in entrambi gli anni di sperimentazione, nelle coppie di riproduttori, una riduzione significativa (P<0,05) dei trigliceridi, del colesterolo totale e della bilirubina ed un aumento del colesterolo HDL. Il verbascoside ha fatto evidenziare anche un miglioramento dello stato ossidativo e della stabilità omeostatica plasmatica attraverso un significativo decremento delle concentrazioni dei ROMs (P<0,05) e dei TBARS (P<0,01) ed un incremento delle concentrazioni di vitamina A (P<0,05) e vitamina E (P<0,01); tali risultati sono stati riscontrati in tutti e due i periodi di prova. L’integrazione alimentare a base di verbascoside ha determinato, nel I anno di prova, sui leprotti in accrescimento, un più elevato incremento giornaliero (P<0,05) nei soggetti dei gruppi trattati nel periodo 60-90d. Tale andamento si è riscontrato anche nel II anno di prova senza raggiungere, però, la significanza statistica. Il trattamento con verbascoside ha, altresì, determinato un miglioramento, solo nel II anno di sperimentazione, dell’indice di conversione alimentare nei leprotti del gruppo HVB. Dai risultati della presente ricerca, emerge, pertanto, un importante ruolo degli integratori alimentari, ad attività antiossidante, su alcuni parametri ematici, sul controllo dello stato ossidativo plasmatico nelle coppie di lepri e sulle performance produttive dei leprotti in accrescimento.Dottorato di ricerca internazionale in Welfare, biotechnology and quality of animal production (XXIV ciclo

Effect of dietary Lippia citriodora extract onproductive performance and meat qualityparameters in hares ( Lepus europaeus Pall. )

Abstract. Three different dietary doses of Lippia citriodora natural extract were tested in order to verify their effect on productive performance and the meat quality of intensively-reared hare (Lepus europaeus Pall.). The 240 day-trial was conducted on 20 male hares, divided into 4 homogeneous groups of 5 animals each. A control group received a basal diet without any supplementation, and the other three experimental groups received a natural extract of Lippia citriodora, titrated in verbascoside, in the following amounts: 1 g, 1.5 g and 2 g of natural extract/kg feed in the low (LNE), medium (MNE), and high natural extract (HNE) groups, respectively. Natural extract enhanced the quality of the meat: there was a significant decrease (P<0.05) in saturated fatty acids and a significant increase (P<0.05) in mono- and poly-unsaturated fatty acids. The oxidative stability of the meat improved, thus highlighting a possible link between the decrease (P<0.05) in TBARS values and an increase (P<0.05) in lipid vitamin content. The cholesterol content of the meat decreased markedly (P<0.01) after the dietary verbascoside treatment, thus improving the health benefits of the meat. These results clearly show the important role of Lippia citriodora extract, titrated in verbascoside, in improving the quality of the meat of intensively-reared hares. In addition the present paper underlines how the use of natural antioxidant in the animal feeding system may provide healthier and low-oxidized products to the final consumer

EFFECT OF ZEOLITE (CLINOPTILOLITE) ON CHEMICAL PARAMETERS OF RABBIT MEAT

This work is aimed to evaluate the effect of natural zeolite on selected parameters of the rabbit's meat chemical composition. The rabbits of the Castorex breed (n=12) were divided into two groups: Control group C (n=6) without the addition of zeolite in feed and the experimental group Z (n=6) in which animals received zeolite daily in a peroral form in concentration 0.2 g/kg of body weight. Determination of the nutritional composition of rabbit meat and analysis of individual amino acids and fatty acids was performed by the Nicolet 6700 using FT-IR method (fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) in the musculus Longissimus dorsi (MLD) and the musculus Vastus lateralis (MVL). The content of water in meat in group Z (73.630 ± 0.270 g * 100g-1) was significantly higher (P &lt; 0.05) compared to group C (72.480 ± 0.530 g * 100g-1). Cysteine content in MLD in group Z (0.289 ± 0.007 g*100 g-1) was significantly (P &lt; 0.05) higher than in group C (0.277 ± 0.011 g*100 g-1). Another noticeable difference in the statistical level p &lt; 0.05 in favor of zeolite was found in linoleic acid content in MLD with mean values in group Z (0.324 ± 0.016 g*100g-1 FAME) against the group C (0.293 ± 0.009 g* 100 g-1 FAME). Therefore, the addition of zeolite to the rabbit feeding diet possibly increases the proportion of essential linoleic fatty acid and thereby may improve the nutritional value of the meat. Increased cysteine value can lead to a better degradation of heavy metals in meat

Genotoxicity and cytotoxicity of Aloysia polystachia: an in vivo study in rabbits

In the search of new compounds useful for the treatment of neurological disorders, medicinal plant research has progressed widely in the last decade, particularly because of the hypothesis that natural extracts possess a low or absent toxicity. Aloysia polystachia (Griseb.) Moldenke belonging to the family of Verbenaceae has been used in the traditional medicine for a variety of indications and as a sedative. Recently, some evidence reported that it exhibits some antidepressant- and anxiolytic-like effects involving the modulation of GABA system in preclinical studies in mice (1). However no investigations have been performed on its (geno)toxicity in long-term studies as it would be required for its use in neurological pathologies. In this study, we investigated the genotoxic potential of a water soluble extract of Aloysia polystachia leaves, administered orally every day for 90 days to 20 New Zealand white rabbits homogeneous for weight and age. Subjects were divided into four groups: the control group, and three experimental groups fed with a diet supplemented with 1g/kg; 1.5 g/kg and 2g/kg of Aloysia Polystachia, then peripheral blood was drawn from the vein auricularis marginalis before and after 45 and 90 days of treatment. Cytogenetic analysis was performed on each subject at each time point and chromosome aberrations (structural and numerical) and mitotic index were used as a measure of DNA damage and cytotoxicity (2). Results indicated that Aloysia polystachia extract induces a significant increase in the percentage of aberrant cells as well as in the aberration frequency (mainly chromatid breaks and fragments) associated with a decreasing trend of the mitotic index. The DNA damage was particularly higher after the first 45 days of treatment whereas it remains significantly high but almost unvaried until the end of the treatment. These data suggest that Aloysia polystachia extract has genotoxic and cytotoxic activity, even though further investigations are required to assess which compound of the extract could be responsible for the observed effects

Modeling the influence of alternative forest management scenarios on wood production and carbon storage: A case study in the Mediterranean region

Forest ecosystems are fundamental for the terrestrial biosphere as they deliver multiple essential ecosystem services (ES). In environmental management, understanding ES distribution and interactions and assessing the economic value of forest ES represent future challenges. In this study, we developed a spatially explicit method based on a multi-scale approach (MiMoSe-Multiscale Mapping of ecosystem services) to assess the current and future potential of a given forest area to provide ES. To do this we modified and improved the InVEST model in order to adapt input data and simulations to the context of Mediterranean forest ecosystems. Specifically, we integrated a GIS-based model, scenario model, and economic valuation to investigate two ES (wood production and carbon sequestration) and their trade-offs in a test area located in Molise region (Central Italy). Spatial information and trade-off analyses were used to assess the influence of alternative forest management scenarios on investigated services. Scenario A was designed to describe the current Business as Usual approach. Two alternative scenarios were designed to describe management approaches oriented towards nature protection (scenario B) or wood production (scenario C) and compared to scenario A. Management scenarios were simulated at the scale of forest management units over a 20-year time period. Our results show that forest management influenced ES provision and associated benefits at the regional scale. In the test area, the Total Ecosystem Services Value of the investigated ES increases 85% in scenario B and decreases 82% in scenario C, when compared to scenario A. Our study contributes to the ongoing debate about trade-offs and synergies between carbon sequestration and wood production benefits associated with socio-ecological systems. The MiMoSe approach can be replicated in other contexts with similar characteristics, thus providing a useful basis for the projection of benefits from forest ecosystems over the futureL'articolo è disponibile sul sito dell'editore www.elsevier.com/locate/envre

Modeling the influence of alternative forest management scenarios on wood production and carbon storage: A case study in the Mediterranean region

Forest ecosystems are fundamental for the terrestrial biosphere as they deliver multiple essential ecosystem services (ES). In environmental management, understanding ES distribution and interactions and assessing the economic value of forest ES represent future challenges. In this study, we developed a spatially explicit method based on a multi-scale approach (MiMoSe-Multiscale Mapping of ecosystem services) to assess the current and future potential of a given forest area to provide ES. To do this we modified and improved the InVEST model in order to adapt input data and simulations to the context of Mediterranean forest ecosystems. Specifically, we integrated a GIS-based model, scenario model, and economic valuation to investigate two ES (wood production and carbon sequestration) and their trade-offs in a test area located in Molise region (Central Italy). Spatial information and trade-off analyses were used to assess the influence of alternative forest management scenarios on investigated services. Scenario A was designed to describe the current Business as Usual approach. Two alternative scenarios were designed to describe management approaches oriented towards nature protection (scenario B) or wood production (scenario C) and compared to scenario A. Management scenarios were simulated at the scale of forest management units over a 20-year time period. Our results show that forest management influenced ES provision and associated benefits at the regional scale. In the test area, the Total Ecosystem Services Value of the investigated ES increases 85% in scenario B and decreases 82% in scenario C, when compared to scenario A. Our study contributes to the ongoing debate about trade-offs and synergies between carbon sequestration and wood production benefits associated with socio-ecological systems. The MiMoSe approach can be replicated in other contexts with similar characteristics, thus providing a useful basis for the projection of benefits from forest ecosystems over the futureL'articolo è disponibile sul sito dell'editore www.elsevier.com/locate/envre

Mapping and assessment of forest ecosystems and their services - Applications and guidance for decision making in the framework of MAES

The aim of this report is to illustrate by means of a series of case studies the implementation of mapping and assessment of forest ecosystem services in different contexts and geographical levels. Methodological aspects, data issues, approaches, limitations, gaps and further steps for improvement are analysed for providing good practices and decision making guidance. The EU initiative on Mapping and Assessment of the state of Ecosystems and their Services (MAES), with the support of all Member States, contributes to improve the knowledge on ecosystem services. MAES is one of the building-block initiatives supporting the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020.JRC.H.3-Forest Resources and Climat