Elsayed Mamdouh, Al-Marakby Khaled M, Abdel Hafez Sabry, Abdelnour Sameh A
Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig, 44511, Egypt.
Trop Anim Health Prod. 2025 Apr 2;57(3):151. doi: 10.1007/s11250-025-04373-z.
Pre-weaning feeding is critical for calf growth, laying the foundation for future productivity and health. Nigella sativa seeds (NS) are rich in bioactive compounds with numerous beneficial effects on health and various pharmacological properties. This study aimed to investigate the supplementation of NS powder on performance, post-metabolic attributes, immunity, antioxidant capacity, and inflammatory responses in pre-weaning Friesian calves. Twenty-four Friesian male calves at 4 days of age with a similar genetic line, weighing 33.67 ± 0.6 kg, were randomly allocated to three groups (8 animals per group). The study comprised three groups: a control group (NS0) receiving no supplementation, and two experimental groups received either 1% (NS1) or 3% (NS3) NS supplementation for 84 days. All levels of NS supplementation significantly improved the final body weight and body weight gain in a linear manner (P < 0.001), while the highest total dry matter intake was observed in NS1 group (quadratic; P < 0.001). White blood cells (quadratic, P = 0.026), lymphocytes (quadratic, P = 0.012), and monocytes (linear effect; P = 0.001) significantly decreased, whereas red blood cells (linear; P = 0.004), hematocrit (linear; P = 0.002), mean corpuscular volume (MCV, linear; P = 0.003), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC, quadratic, P = 0.007), platelets (linear; P < 0.001) increased in calves fed NS. Feeding calves diets supplemented with NS led to a significant linear decrease in plasma creatinine and liver enzymes (AST and ALT) compared to the control diet (P < 0.01). Calves fed 3% of NS in their diets had lower plasma cholesterol (linear; P < 0.001) and triglyceride levels (linear; P = 0.002) compared to calves in NS0 and NS1 groups. Polynomial analysis indicated a quadratic decrease in direct bilirubin (P = 0.006), and a quadratic increase in immunoglobulin G (IgG, P = 0.014) and M (IgM, P = 0.032) in the calves fed the NS diet. All NS-supplemented groups showed a significant increase in IL-10 (linear; P < 0.001), TAC (linear; P = 0.006), and CAT (linear; P < 0.001), and a significant decrease in IL-4 levels (linear; P < 0.001) of the plasma of pre-weaning calves. As expected, pre-weaning calves fed diets containing NS (1% or 3%) exhibited a quadratic decrease in plasma malondialdehyde (MDA, P < 0.001) levels compared to those fed diets without NS. Our findings suggest that incorporating up to 3% Nigella sativa into pre-weaning calf diets can enhance growth, bolster immune function, and mitigate oxidative stress, offering a promising strategy for improving health and sustainability on dairy farms.
断奶前的饲养对犊牛生长至关重要，为其未来的生产性能和健康奠定基础。黑种草籽富含生物活性化合物，对健康有诸多有益影响且具有多种药理特性。本研究旨在探讨在断奶前的弗里斯兰犊牛日粮中添加黑种草籽粉对其生长性能、代谢后属性、免疫力、抗氧化能力及炎症反应的影响。24头4日龄、遗传背景相似、体重33.67±0.6千克的弗里斯兰雄性犊牛被随机分为三组（每组8头）。本研究包括三组：对照组（NS0）不添加任何物质，两个实验组分别添加1%（NS1）或3%（NS3）的黑种草籽粉，为期84天。所有添加水平的黑种草籽粉均显著线性提高了犊牛的终末体重和体重增加量（P<0.001），而NS1组的总干物质摄入量最高（呈二次曲线关系；P<0.001）。白细胞（呈二次曲线关系，P = 0.026）、淋巴细胞（呈二次曲线关系，P = 0.012）和单核细胞（呈线性效应；P = 0.001）显著减少，而红细胞（呈线性关系；P = 0.004）、血细胞比容（呈线性关系；P = 0.002）、平均红细胞体积（MCV，呈线性关系；P = 0.003）和平均红细胞血红蛋白浓度（MCHC，呈二次曲线关系，P = 0.007）、血小板（呈线性关系；P<0.001）在饲喂黑种草籽粉的犊牛中增加。与对照日粮相比，给犊牛饲喂添加黑种草籽粉的日粮可使血浆肌酐和肝脏酶（AST和ALT）显著线性降低（P<0.01）。与NS0组和NS1组的犊牛相比，日粮中添加3%黑种草籽粉的犊牛血浆胆固醇（呈线性关系；P<0.001）和甘油三酯水平（呈线性关系；P = 0.002）较低。多项式分析表明，在饲喂黑种草籽粉日粮的犊牛中，直接胆红素呈二次曲线下降（P = 0.006），免疫球蛋白G（IgG，P = 0.014）和M（IgM，P = 0.032）呈二次曲线增加。所有添加黑种草籽粉的组断奶前犊牛血浆中IL-10（呈线性关系；P<0.001）、总抗氧化能力（TAC，呈线性关系；P = 0.006）和过氧化氢酶（CAT，呈线性关系；P<0.001）显著增加，IL-4水平显著降低（呈线性关系；P<0.001）。正如预期的那样，与不添加黑种草籽粉日粮的犊牛相比，饲喂含1%或3%黑种草籽粉日粮的断奶前犊牛血浆丙二醛（MDA，P<0.001）水平呈二次曲线下降。我们的研究结果表明，在断奶前犊牛日粮中添加高达3%的黑种草籽可促进生长、增强免疫功能并减轻氧化应激，为改善奶牛场的健康状况和可持续性提供了一种有前景的策略。
