Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Immune status and haemato-biochemical profile of buffalo calves supplemented with phytogenic feed additives rich in tannins, saponins and essential oils

  • Regular Articles
  • Published:
Tropical Animal Health and Production Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The present study was performed to ascertain the synergistic effects of phytogenic feed additives (PFA-7) supplementation on immune status and haemato-biochemical profile of buffalo calves. The PFA-7 is a mixture of neem seed cake (Azadirachta indica), mahua seed cake (Madhuca longifolia), fennel seed (Foeniculum vulgare), harad (Terminalia chebula), fruit pulp of bahera (Terminalia bellirica), fruit pulp of amla (Phyllanthus emblica) and ajwain seed (Trachyspermum ammi) mixed in 2:2:2:1:1:1:1 proportion. Male buffalo calves (n = 21) having similar age and body weight were allotted to three groups in a completely randomised design. The dietary treatments were viz. T1: control (without PFA-7) and T2 and T3: provided with PFA-7 at 2 and 4% of dry matter intake (DMI), respectively, plus sodium sulphate at 0.06% of DMI. The feeding trial was carried out for 4 months, and serum isolation was done on days 0, 60 and 120 post-feeding. The concentrations of total protein, albumin, globulin, aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase increased, whereas cortisol and glucose decreased in the supplemented groups as compared to the control. The levels of triglycerides, urea, albumin/globulin ratio, calcium, phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase were not affected by the supplementation of PFA-7. Both cell-mediated and humoral immune response increased in the supplemented groups. The results revealed that PFA-7 positively impacted haemato-biochemical profile and both cellular and humoral immunity of the growing calves. The PFA-7 can be used as an alternative for chemical feed additives in the diet of growing calves.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Akbarian-Tefaghi, M., Ghasemi, E. and Khorvash, M., 2018. Performance, rumen fermentation and blood metabolites of dairy calves fed starter mixtures supplemented with herbal plants, essential oils or monensin, Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition, 102, 630–638

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Alhussien, M.N. and Dang, A.K., 2017. Integrated effect of seasons and lactation stages on the plasma inflammatory cytokines, function and receptor expression of milk neutrophils in Sahiwal (Bos indicus) cows, Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology, 191, 14–21

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Alhussien, M., Manjari, P., Mohammed, S., Sheikh, A.A., Reddi, S., Dixit, S. and Dang, A.K., 2016. Incidence of mastitis and activity of milk neutrophils in Tharparkar cows reared under semi-arid conditions, Tropical Animal Health and Production, 48, 1291–1295

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, K.L., Nagaraja, T.G. and Morrill, J.L., 1987. Ruminal metabolic development in calves weaned conventionally or early, Journal of Dairy Science, 70, 1000–1005

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Choubey, M., Pattanaik, A.K., Baliyan, S., Dutta, N., Jadhav, S.E. and Sharma, K., 2016. Dietary supplementation of a novel phytogenic feed additive: effects on nutrient metabolism, antioxidant status and immune response of goats, Animal Production Science, 56, 1612–1621

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dey, A., Dutta, N., Pattanaik, A.K. and Sharma, K., 2015. Antioxidant status, metabolic profile and immune response of lambs supplemented with tannin rich Ficus infectoria leaf meal, Japanese Journal of Veterinary Research, 63, 15–24

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Drong, C., Meyer, U., Von Soosten, D., Frahm, J., Rehage, J., Schirrmeier, H., Beer, M. and Dänicke, S., 2017. Effects of monensin and essential oils on immunological, haematological and biochemical parameters of cows during the transition period, Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition, 101, 791–806

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Elgayyar, M., Draughon, F.A., Golden, D.A. and Mount, J.R., 2001. Antimicrobial activity of essential oils from plants against selected pathogenic and saprophytic microorganisms, Journal of Food Protection, 64, 1019–1024

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Flachowsky, G. and Lebzien, P., 2012. Effects of phytogenic substances on rumen fermentation and methane emissions: A proposal for a research process, Animal Feed Science and Technology, 176, 70–77

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Getachew, G., Makkar, H.P.S. and Becker, K., 2000. Tannins in tropical browses: effects on in vitro microbial fermentation and microbial protein synthesis in media containing different amounts of nitrogen. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 48, 3581–3588

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hashemipour, H., Kermanshahi, H., Golian, A. and Veldkamp, T., 2013. Effect of thymol and carvacrol feed supplementation on performance, antioxidant enzyme activities, fatty acid composition, digestive enzyme activities, and immune response in broiler chickens, Poultry Science, 92, 2059–2069

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hernandez, F., Madrid, J., Garcia, V., Orengo, J. and Megias, M.D., 2004. Influence of two plant extracts on broilers performance, digestibility, and digestive organ size, Poultry Science, 83, 169–174

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • ICAR., 2013. Nutrient Requirements of Cattle and Buffalo, 3rd ed, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi

  • Inamdar, A.I., Chaudhary, L.C., Agarwal, N. and Kamra, D.N., 2015. Effect of Madhuca longifolia and Terminalia chebula on methane production and nutrient utilization in buffaloes, Animal Feed Science and Technology, 201, 38–45

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, K.A. and Johnson, D.E., 1995. Methane emissions from cattle, Journal of Animal Science, 73, 2483–2492

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jouany, J.P. and Morgavi, D.P., 2007. Use of ‘natural’ products as alternatives to antibiotic feed additives in ruminant production, Animal, 1, 1443–1466

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Karásková, K., Suchý, P. and Straková, E., 2015. Current use of phytogenic feed additives in animal nutrition: a review, Czech Journal of Animal Science, 60, 521–530

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kholif, S.M., Morsy, T.A., Abdo, M.M., Matloup, O.H. and El-Ella, A.A., 2012. Effect of supplementing lactating goats rations with garlic, cinnamon or ginger oils on milk yield, milk composition and milk fatty acids profile, Journal of Life Sciences, 4, 27–34

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lakhani, P., Jindal, R. and Nayyar, S., 2017. Effect of supplementation of Amla powder on biochemical parameters in summer stressed Murrah buffaloes, International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences, 6, 296–301

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li, S.Y., Ru, Y.J., Liu, M., Xu, B., Péron, A. and Shi, X.G., 2012. The effect of essential oils on performance, immunity and gut microbial population in weaner pigs, Livestock Science, 145, 119–123

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, Y., Sun, Y.K., Li, X., Zhang, G.N., Xin, H.S., Xu, H.J., Zhang, L.Y., Li, X.X. and Zhang, Y.G., 2018. Effects of Acremonium terricola culture on performance, milk composition, rumen fermentation and immune functions in dairy cows, Animal Feed Science and Technology, 240, 40–51

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mahesh, M.P., 2012. Assessment of essential oils as rumen modifiers and their effect on feed conversion efficiency in buffaloes, (PhD thesis, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, India)

  • Mandal, G.P., Roy, A. and Patra, A.K., 2014. Effects of feeding plant additives rich in saponins and essential oils on the performance, carcass traits and conjugated linoleic acid concentrations in muscle and adipose tissues of Black Bengal goats, Animal Feed Science and Technology, 197, 76–84

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mateos, I., Ranilla, M.J., Tejido, M.L., Saro, C., Kamel, C. and Carro, M.D., 2013. The influence of diet type (dairy versus intensive fattening) on the effectiveness of garlic oil and cinnamaldehyde to manipulate in vitro ruminal fermentation and methane production, Animal Production Science, 53, 299–307

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mbuh, J.V. and Mbwaye, J., 2005. Serological changes in goats experimentally infected with Fasciola gigantica in Buea sub-division of SWP Cameroon, Veterinary Parasitology, 131, 255–259

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Michiels, J., Missotten, J., Van Hoorick, A., Ovyn, A., Fremaut, D., De Smet, S. and Dierick, N., 2010. Effects of dose and formulation of carvacrol and thymol on bacteria and some functional traits of the gut in piglets after weaning, Archives of Animal Nutrition, 64, 136–154

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Miura, K., Kikuzaki, H. and Nakatani, N., 2002. Antioxidant activity of chemical components from sage (Salvia officinalis L.) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) measured by the oil stability index method, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 50, 1845–1851

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mutsvangwa, T., Edwards, I.E., Topps, J.H. and Paterson, G.F.M., 1992. The effect of dietary inclusion of yeast culture (Yea-Sacc) on patterns of rumen fermentation, food intake and growth of intensively fed bulls, Animal Science, 55, 35–40

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ohtsuka, H., Koiwa, M., Hatsugaya, A., Kudo, K., Hoshi, F., Itoh, N., Yokota, H., Okada, H. and Kawamura, S.I., 2001. Relationship between serum TNF activity and insulin resistance in dairy cows affected with naturally occurring fatty liver, Journal of Veterinary Medical Science, 63, 1021–1025

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Olafadehan, O.A., 2011. Changes in haematological and biochemical diagnostic parameters of Red Sokoto goats fed tannin-rich Pterocarpus erinaceus forage diets, Veterinarski Arhiv, 81, 471–483

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Parthasarathi, T., Chandra, A.S. and Ramana, D., 2016. Changes in haematological and biochemical parameters in ram lambs fed on horse gram tannins and probiotic supplementation diets, Indian Journal of Animal Production and Management, 32, 55–62

    Google Scholar 

  • Patil, A.K., Chaturvedi, V.B., Awase, M., Katole, S.B. and Soni, Y.K., 2013. Influence of mahua seed cake on serum profile in crossbred calves, Livestock Research International, 1, 29–33

    Google Scholar 

  • Patra, A.K., Kamra, D.N. and Agarwal, N., 2006. Effect of plant extracts on in vitro methanogenesis, enzyme activities and fermentation of feed in rumen liquor of buffalo, Animal Feed Science and Technology, 128, 276–291

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ranjan, R., Ranjan, A., Dhaliwal, G.S. and Patra, R.C., 2012. L-Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) supplementation to optimize health and reproduction in cattle, Veterinary Quarterly, 32, 145–150

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reid, I.M., 1980. Incidence and severity of fatty liver in dairy cows, The Veterinary Record, 107, 281–284

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rochfort, S., Parker, A.J. and Dunshea, F.R., 2008. Plant bioactives for ruminant health and productivity, Phytochemistry, 69, 299–322

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Roth, J.A., 1985. Cortisol as mediator of stress-associated immunosuppression in cattle, In Animal stress (pp. 225–243). Springer, New York.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Samal, L., Chaudhary, L.C., Agarwal, N. and Kamra, D.N., 2015. Effect of plants containing secondary metabolites as feed additives on rumen fermentation and rumen microbial profile of buffaloes, Animal Nutrition and Feed Technology, 15, 427–437

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shivaprasad, H.N., Kharya, M.D., Rana, A.C. and Mohan, S., 2006. Preliminary immunomodulatory activities of the aqueous extract of Terminalia chebula, Pharmaceutical Biology, 44, 32–34

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stef, L., Dumitrescu, G., Drinceanu, D., Stef, D., Mot, D., Julean, C., Tatileanu, R. and Corcionivoschi, N., 2009. The effect of medicinal plants and plant extracted oils on broiler duodenum morphology and immunological profile, Romanian Biotechnological Letters, 14, 4606–4614

    Google Scholar 

  • Upadhaya, S.D. and Kim, I.H., 2017. Efficacy of phytogenic feed additive on performance, production and health status of monogastric animals–a review, Annals of Animal Science, 17, 929–948

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vakili, A.R., Khorrami, B., Mesgaran, M.D. and Parand, E., 2013. The effects of thyme and cinnamon essential oils on performance, rumen fermentation and blood metabolites in Holstein calves consuming high concentrate diet, Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences, 26, 935–944

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Van Nevel, C.J. and Demeyer, D.I., 1996. Control of rumen methanogenesis, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 42, 73–97

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Verma, V., Chaudhary, L.C., Agarwal, N., Bhar, R. and Kamra, D.N., 2012. Effect of feeding mixture of garlic bulb and peppermint oil on methane emission, rumen fermentation and microbial profile in buffaloes, Animal Nutrition and Feed Technology, 12, 157–164

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, Y., Douglas, G.B., Waghorn, G.C., Barry, T.N. and Foote, A.G., 1996. Effect of condensed tannins in Lotus corniculatus upon lactation performance in ewes, The Journal of Agricultural Science, 126, 353–362

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wenk, C., 2003. Herbs and botanicals as feed additives in monogastric animals, Asian Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences, 16, 282–289

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williamson, E.M., 2001. Synergy and other interactions in phytomedicines, Phytomedicine, 8, 401–409

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Authors are thankful to the Director, Indian Veterinary Research Institute for providing required facilities to carry out the research work and Indian Council of Agricultural Research for financial assistance.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Animal Nutrition Division, ICAR - Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, 243122, India

    Neeti Lakhani & Devki Nandan Kamra

  2. Animal Physiology Division, ICAR - National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana, 132001, India

    Preeti Lakhani & Mohanned Naif Alhussien

Authors
  1. Neeti Lakhani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Devki Nandan Kamra
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Preeti Lakhani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Mohanned Naif Alhussien
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mohanned Naif Alhussien.

Ethics declarations

Statement of animal rights

All animal experimental procedures were approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Izatnagar, India.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Lakhani, N., Kamra, D.N., Lakhani, P. et al. Immune status and haemato-biochemical profile of buffalo calves supplemented with phytogenic feed additives rich in tannins, saponins and essential oils. Trop Anim Health Prod 51, 565–573 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-018-1727-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-018-1727-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation