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Animal Feed Science and Technology
Elsevier
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| Abstract: |
Heat stress (HS) is a significant environmental factor that leads to substantial financial losses in
the rabbit industry. In the present study, betalains and organic selenium (Ose) were used as
natural protection against HS to improve rabbits’ reproductive and health status. Forty-five three-
month-old V-line male rabbits were distributed into three groups, each consisting of 15 rabbits
with the same average weight. The first group, acting as the control group, received a basal diet
without any treatment, while the second and third groups administered betalains (1.4 g betalains/
kg diet) and Ose (0.7 g OSe/kg diet), respectively. In terms of semen quality, the malondialdehyde
(MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione content (GSH), and adenosine triphosphate
(ATP) were significantly improved by using betalains and Ose. Betalains and Ose increased the
sperm motility, motility index, sperm normality, and livability. Furthermore, both treatments
significantly increased the levels of testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating
hormone (FSH), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), and dopamine compared to the control group. In the betalains and Ose -treated groups, there was upregulation in the growth-related genes and
glutathione peroxidase (GPX) in the liver and caecum. Conversely, the betalains and Ose -treated
groups exhibited downregulation of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and fas cell surface death re
ceptor (FAS) in the liver and caecum compared to the control. The study’s findings revealed that
betalains and Ose were useful for improving the reproductive and health status of rabbits sub
jected to HS.
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