Iranian Journal of Animal Science Research
Year:2018 | Volume:10 | Issue:1|Papers Count:14

Introduction: The highest damage to the sperm is caused by oxidative stress due to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Semen cryopreservation causes some structural, biochemical and functional changes, which leads to various problems in sperm transport, survival and fertility rate in domestic animals. Also, sperm metabolism produces ROS, which is potentially harmful to the sperm plasma membrane integrity loss of motility. High concentrations of ROS have negative effects on sperm quality and increased degradation of DNA, lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress which inhibits sperm motility and changes in sperm infrastructure and finally the reduction of fertility. Seminal plasma contains enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and catalase (CAT) which have an important role in the inhibition of the deleterious effects of ROS. Lipid peroxidation may be due to lack of coordination between SOD, GPX, and CAT in seminal plasma or deficiency of total antioxidant capacity of the cell. Ellagic acid is a polyphenol compound that can be found in green tea and other natural resources such as pomegranate, strawberry, raspberry, walnut and eucalyptus bark. Ellagic acid showed antioxidant and anti-apoptotic effects, it can delay or prevent cellular oxidation; ultimately reduce oxidative stress. Ellagic acid increases the activity of enzymes SOD, CAT and GPx by preventing free radical attack to cells. This research was conducted to evaluate the antioxidant effect of different levels of Elligic acid on microscopic, biochemical parameters, antioxidant enzyme activities and total antioxidant capacity of ram semen after freezing-thawing process. Materials and Methods: Five Ghezel rams were used. Semen samples were collected twice a week using artificial vagina. In order to remove individual effects, the semen samples were pooled together. Different levels of ellagic acid (0. 25, 0. 5, 1, 1. 5 mM) were added in diluent of tris-lecithin based. After processing and freezing, the samples were stored in liquid nitrogen until the time of evaluation. After thawing of semen samples, sperm motility parameters were evaluated using CASA system, viability by with Eosin-nigrosin staining, membrane integrity with a solution of hypo-osmotic, sperm abnormalities using a solution of Hancock, lipid peroxidation by measuring malondialdehyde and the seminal plasma antioxidant enzymes of glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and total antioxidant capacity using the RANDOX Laboratories kit. The data were analyzed with SAS (9. 1. 3) software using GLM procedures. Results and Discussion: The results showed that the levels of 0. 25, 0. 5, 1 and 1. 5 mM ellagic acid improved survival and total motility parameters (P< 0. 05). Addition of 0. 5 mM ellagic acid reduced abnormal sperm, but improved the linearity motion, straight line velocity and average path velocity of sperm (P< 0. 05). Addition of 0. 25 mM level improved the curvilinear velocity compared to the control group. Total antioxidant capacity was improved in all the treated compared to the control group (P< 0. 05). Increasing TAC level in seminal plasma may have a significant role in sperm normality. No significant difference was found in the glutathione peroxidase activity and superoxide dismutase enzymes and malondialdehyde levels in treatments containing ellagic acid compared to the control group. Sperm have multiple mechanisms of defense against reactive oxygen species. These mechanisms include catalase, uric acid, taurine, thiols, ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol, but the superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductases are the most important ones. Apart from the increase in the activity of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase enzymes, ellagic acid probably had an impact on other factors to increase the total antioxidant capacity. All levels of ellagic acid nonsignificantly increased the plasma membrane integrity compared to the control group. The loss of sperm plasma membrane activity due to the lipid peroxidation may lead to loss of membrane fluidity and cell activity (Aitken and Sawyer, 2003). For this reason, addition of cryoprotectants and antioxidants to the extender can reduce the effects of cold shock on sperm. Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that the diluent containing 0. 5 mM ellagic acid significantly improved sperm parameters compared to other levels, after freezing-thawing process.

Introduction: Most parts of Iran are located in arid and semi-arid areas which animals undergo feed shortage due to poor natural vegetation. Metabolic modifi ers such as anabolic steroids, somatotropin, beta agonists, vitamins and minerals, fed in extra-nutritional levels, increase growth rate, feed effi ciency, carcass leanness, profitability of livestock production and decrease carcass fatness. Moreover, heat and transportation stress results in decreased feed intake, body weight, average daily gain and reproductive performance of animals. Chromium (Cr) and selenium (Se) are micronutrients which could be considered as metabolic modifiers. It has been reported that dietary Se supplementation improves reproductive performance, oxidative stress, immune system, as well as growth performance of the animals. Cr supplement, as a constituent of low-molecular-weight Crbinding substance (LMWCr) or chromodulin, also increases glucose tolerance by potentiating the action of insulin. However, there are a few information regarding the effects of organic Se and Cr supplements on performance and blood metabolites of ewe lambs under transportation stress. Thus this study aimed to evaluate the impacts of feeding selenium-methionine (Se-Met) and Chromium-methionine (Cr-Met) supplements on growth performance and blood metabolites of ewe lambs. Materials and Methods: Twenty-four Baluchi ewe lambs with mean body weight of 24. 2 ± 0. 4 kg and 4 months old were allocated randomly to 4 dietary treatments including (1) control diet (no Se or Cr supplementation), and control diet supplemented with (2) Se-Met (1. 5 mg kg-1 dry matter (DM)), (3) Cr-Met (0. 8 -1 mg kg DM) and (4) Se-Cr-Met (1. 5 mg of Se-Met plus 0. 8 mg of Cr-Met kg-1 DM). The whole experimental period divided into two periods of adaptation (2 weeks) and data collection (9 weeks). A transportation stress was applied by transporting the animals in a truck in a bumpy road for 30 minutes in 8th week of the experiment. Blood samples were collected at commencement and the end of experiment. For transportation stress, blood samples were obtained just before the lambs were loaded and unloaded from the truck. Serum glucose, urea, creatinine, total protein and albumin concentrations were measured by spectrophotometer and cortisol by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Statistical analysis was carried out using SAS software. A mixed model with fixed effects of treatment, time and random effect of lamb within treatment × time were used. A paired T-test was used to compare the blood metabolite concentrations pre-transportation with posttransportation stress. Results and Discussion: The results indicated that, feeding ewe lambs diets contained organic Se and Cr supplements improved average daily gain )ADG( and feed conversion ratio (FCR: control, Se, Cr, and Se-Cr were 5. 99, 5. 41, 5. 22, 5. 45 respectively). Lambs in Cr-Met group showed the highest feed intake and live weight gain compared those in the control. Blood glucose concentration decreased in Cr-Met fed lambs in comparison with control animals. Feeding Se-Met and/or Cr-Met supplements had no effect on blood urea, creatinine, cholesterol, total protein and albumin concentrations. Based on the findings, blood glucose and cortisol concentrations were increased in response to transportation stress. Feeding Cr reduced the concentration of blood cortisol. It seems that the beneficial effects of Cr are associated with its role in carbohydrate and protein metabolisms. Chromium potentiates insulin action by enhancing its binding to target cell receptors and also by improving its post-receptor signaling. Insulin increases protein synthesis, efficiency of amino acid transport, and carbohydrate and lipid utilization and reduces protein degradation. Selenium supplements also improve feed efficiency by increasing triiodothyronine activity and enhancing antioxidant status. Moreover, Cr can prevent the deleterious effects of transportation stress. Conclusion: It could be concluded that feeding ewe lambs with organic selenium (0. 8 mg kg-1 ) and chromium -1 (1. 5 mg kg ) supplements may improve feed to gain ratio and ameliorate the changes in blood glucose and cortisol concentrations in response to transportation stress.

Introduction: Vermicomposting is the process of composting organic materials using various worms to decomposing vegetable, food waste, bedding materials and many organic waste materials. Many wastes and residues have been used to produce vermicompost. Using variety of left over products such as vegetable cuttings, food wastes and manure from cattle and chickens for vermicomposting can inhibit environmental pollution while producing valuable vermicompost. However, worms require specific conditions for activity and composting. Vermicast (worm manure) is the end product of the breakdown of organic matter by earthworms which usually applies as an organic and natural fertilizer. Due to appropriate protein and organic matter of vermicast or vermicompost, it is maybe possible to use vermicompost as a feedstuff in ruminant animals such as low producing cattle, sheep and goats. Then, the aim of the current research was to investigate the possibility of using rumen content which has been enriched with organic wastes (fruits and vegetables waste, oyster mushroom wastes) as a decomposing material for worms and nutritive value of the produced vermicompost for ruminants. Materials and Methods: Experimental treatments were T1: rumen contents (control), T2: 60% rumen contents + 40% fruits & vegetables wastes, T3: 60% rumen contents + 40% oyster mushroom wastes, T4: 60% rumen contents + 20% fruits & vegetables wastes + 20% oyster mushroom wastes. Three boxes (65×35×30 cm) were made for each treatment and 8 kg of materials and 80 grams of worms (200 worms) were added to one of them. The boxes were kept for 75 days in a room with 25 o C temperature and 65-70% of relative humidity. After 75 d, a sample of each replicated was chosen for pH and dry matter analysis. Another sample from each replicated was grounded and analyzed for chemical composition (crude protein, ash, crude fiber, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber) and gas production measurement. Gas volume was recorded at 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24, 36, 48, 72 and 96 h of incubation. The kinetics of in situ was estimated using model: P=a+b (1-e-ct ). The effective degradability of dry matter and crude protein to feed was calculated by the following equation ED = a+bc/(c+k). Rumen rate of passage k which to calculated effective degradability of this study, from rate of 2, 5 and 8 percent per hour was used. Results and Discussion: Vermicomposting efficiency was lower in T4 and higher in T2 and T3 treatments when compared with T1. The highest and lowest vermicomposting efficiency was in T3 and T4 treatments, respectively. Moreover, T3 treatment showed the highest crude protein and crude fat concentrations among the treatments. T3 treatment also had the lowest ash, crude fiber, neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber concentrations among the treatments. The values of pH after 75 days were 6. 76, 6. 15, 7. 55 and 7. 02, respectively. The concentrations of crude protein for T1 to T4 were 16. 50, 17. 44, 17. 05 and 18. 45%, respectively. Also, the concentrations of neutral detergent fiber for T1 to T4 were 41. 5, 40. 18, 41. 42 and 38. 87%, respectively. Moreover, the concentrations of acid detergent fiber for T1 to T4 were 27. 33, 26. 11, 28. 64 and 26%, respectively. The results of effective degradability of dry matter with a pass rate 0. 02, 0. 05 and 0. 08 with the highest in the T4, 62. 90, 46. 45 and 38. 10 percent respectively, And reported effective degradability of crude protein, with same pass rate, 62. 37, 41. 25 and 35. 12 percentage respectively (P<0. 01). The results showed that by mixing appropriate amounts of organic wastes (cellulosic resources) with the contents of the rumen to produce vermicompost with good nutritional value (energy and high protein) can be used as animal feed. Conclusion: The results of this study show that using up to 20% fruits & vegetables wastes + 20% oyster mushroom wastes in vermicomposting rumen content can produce vermicompost with great nutritive value (higher protein and lower fiber concentration) and high digestibility and energy content, which can be used in ruminants nutrition.

Introduction: The second element trace mineral in the body, which is stored in the body as well as regulator feed intake. In many of the vital functions of the body, including growth, building hormones, vitamins and enzymes plays a role and where involved is necessary in animal diets. Because the animal's body cannot take much more of this element in the body thereby providing a daily basis through the diet can be effective. Also, the most common combination of zinc element is its oxide form (ZnO), which is preferred for two reasons, one that has the highest concentration of zinc, and the other is that it is absorbed high in the body and is also better tolerated by the target tissues. Recently, Nano-zinc oxide has attracted much attention in animal nutrition studies. Different nanoparticles are new forms of materials with high biologic properties and low toxicity, which seem to have high potential for passing through physiological barriers and access to specific target tissues. The use of antioxidants, such as Nano-zinc oxide, can be important in reducing the production of free radicals. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of nano-zinc oxide on performance, growth and blood parameters in Holstein suckling calves. Materials and Methods: The Zinc Oxide nanoparticles were purchased from Iranian agent of US Research Nanomaterial, Inc. Port Co., Ltd., USA. The sizes of elemental ZnO particles ranged from 10 to 30 nm, stock: US3590, in the form of white powder and Purity: 99%, APS: 10-30 nm, Color: white, Crystal Phase: single crystal, Morphology: nearly spherical, SSA: 20-60 m2/g, True Density: 5. 606 g/cm3. In this study 24 Holstein calves with a mean age of 1-10 and an average weight of 38± 2 were selected from pars Agro-Industrial and Animal Husbandry dairy herd to determine the effects of supplementation nano-zinc oxide on performance, blood parameters and some serum enzymes of them. Three levels 0 (control), 30 and 60 of the Nano-zinc oxide were added to the calves starter concentrate as mg / kg of dry matter. Calves were allotted to the experimental groups randomly and based on their age and weight to have similar age and weight average among the group. The calves were housed in individual pens and fed with whole milk approximately at 10% of birth weight and they had free access to the feed starter and water. Milk was offered in two equal meals daily at 08: 00 and 19: 00. Blood samples were collected from the jugular vein on the 30 and 70 day of the trial (4 h after the morning feeding) by heparinised venoject tubes, centrifuged at 3500 rpm for 15 min at 4 ° C, and collected plasma was immediately transported to the laboratory and frozen at − 20 ° C until analysis. Blood concentrations of glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, albumin, urea, alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, globulin and total antioxidant activity, glutathione peroxidase, catalase were measured using the commercial kits. Data were analyzed in a completely randomized design using the MIXED procedure of SAS. For variables measured over time (average daily gain, dry matter intake, and feed conversion ratio), time was added to the model as a repeated factor. Results and Discussion: The results showed that the use of different levels Nano-zinc oxide had no significant effect on feed intake and feed conversion ratio, whereas on the experimental diet supplement Nanozinc oxide suckling calves did show significant effect on final weight, weight gain. The significant difference was not observed between the concentration of blood parameters (glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, albumin, urea, alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, globulin and total antioxidant activity, glutathione peroxidase, catalase except superoxide dismutase). The results showed that supplementing with 60 ppm Nano-zinc oxide significant was increased in the concentration or activity of blood superoxide dismutase compared to the control group. Dietary nano-zinc oxide supplementation on Holstein calves compared to the control group increased concentrations of superoxide dismutase. Zinc-dependent antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase reduces the activity of this enzyme in the membrane of cells, including red blood cells, leading to increased damage of oxidative stress. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that supplementation of Nano-zinc oxide in the diet improved the body weight, daily gain and superoxide dismutase concentration in Holstein suckling calf. In general it can be concluded that the use of zinc to form nanoparticles had no effect on performance and blood parameters. Thus, nano-zinc oxide supplementation in suckling calf starter diet can effectively help to cope with the stress.

Introduction: Mesquite is the dominant flora of southern Iran. Whole pod contains capsule and some seeds which its color, after ripen, is yellow and contains considerable protein and carbohydrate. One of the most important usage of this pod is as animal feed, because the ripen pod is palatable and has high nutritional value. This study was conducted to evaluate chemical composition, ruminal fermentation and digestibility of different parts of mesquite plant as a completely randomized design. Materials and Methods: Mesquite pod was collected from different areas of Hormozgan province. Whole pod, husk and seed were grounded separately. Chemical composition of different parts of mesquite pod (dry matter, organic matter, ash, ether extract, crude protein, non fiber carbohydrate, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber and lignin) was separately determined. In vitro gas production test (IVGPT) was conducted at two parts. For this purpose, rumen fluid was obtained from three fistulated rams before the morning feeding. The rams were fed twice daily with a diet containing alfalfa hay and commercial concentrate to meet their requirements. The collected ruminal fluid was pooled in a flask and was transported under anaerobic conditions to the laboratory. Rumen fluid was filtered through four layers cheesecloth and then mixed continuously with CO2 and maintained at 39 o C before the usage. After pre-incubation, the rumen fluid was mixed with buffered mineral solution at the ratio of 1: 2 rumen fluid to mineral buffer (V/V). At first part of IVGPT to evaluate kinetics of ruminal fermentation at different incubation time (120 hours), 200 mg of dried and grounded sample was transfer to glass syringe. Syringes were filled with 30 ml of medium (consisting of 10 ml of rumen fluid and 20 ml of buffer solution). The values of produced gas at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24, 48, 72, 96 and 120 hours after incubation time were determined. At second part of IVGPT, 500 mg sample with 40 ml medium incubated for 24 hour and amount of produced gas, apparent dry matter digestibility, true organic matter digestibility and partitioning factor of samples were measured. Total gas production of each syringe (at first and second parts of IVGPT) was corrected for blank which contained only rumen fluid. Two stages in vitro digestibility was done. Different parts of protein in whole pod and husk were estimated based on CNCPS method. Results and Discussion: Results showed that there were significant differences for chemical compositions of different parts of mesquite pod except for dry matter (DM) and acid detergent fiber (P<0. 05). As seed had highest values of crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE) and lignin (P<0. 05). Percentages of crude protein in whole pod, husk and seed were 12. 15, 10. 65 and 36. 53 respectively. But difference between whole pod and husk was not significant. No significant difference of crude protein content of whole pods and husk is probably due to low weight of seeds in the pod (percentage of seeds in pod was 7. 5 percent). Volume of produced gas at 120 hours incubation (GP120) and the potential of gas production (b) for husk were significantly higher than those of other parts (P<0. 05). The highest amounts of partitioning factor and produced microbial protein were observed in seed. Husk had highest value of short chain fatty acid (SCFA). In vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD), in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD), in vitro digestible organic matter in dry matter (IVDOMD) and metabolizable energy (ME) were significantly higher in seed compared to other parts (P<0. 05). No significant difference was observed between the whole pod and husk. Protein components in different parts of mesquite pod showed very significant differences (P<0. 01). Concentration of soluble protein (SP), non protein nitrogen (A) and highly degradable protein (B1) were significantly higher in husk than whole pod (P<0. 05). Protein bonded to NDF (NIDP) in different parts of pod showed significant differences (P<0. 05). Concentration of soluble protein (SP), non protein nitrogen (A) and protein with highly rates of degradation (B1) were significantly higher in husk than those of whole pod (P<0. 01). Soluble and non-structural carbohydrates participate in supply of energy for ruminal microbes and due to high rumen protein degradation, ammonia nitrogen produced is increased. Part A includes small molecules that contain peptides, free amino acids, nucleic acids, amides, amines, nitrates and ammonia. The higher amount of the true protein in feed, the lower amount of part A. Husk has more part A than other two parts of the pod (seed and whole pod), so it contains lower true protein compared to other parts of the pod. The reason for the high protein bonded to NDF (NIDP) in the whole pods compared to husk is probably due to the higher content of crude protein in the whole pod compared to husk so more links between cell wall and protein nitrogen. The higher the NIDP content in a feed, the higher potential for bypass protein. Conclusion: Overall results showed that when considering chemical composition, digestibility and ME, mesquite has relatively high nutritional value. Considering the southern Iran’ s climate and the fact that mesquite is the dominant flora of this part of Iran, mesquite can be used as a part of diet for ruminants.

Introduction: Oxidative stress is responsible for several health compromising conditions in livestock, resulting low performance, metabolic diseases, suppression of immune responses and fertility problems in males. It is known that the fatty acid composition of sperm membranes, especially their unsaturated components, determine their biophysical characteristics such as fluidity and flexibility as appropriate for their specific functions, including sperm motility and fertilizing capacity. The high levels of unsaturated fatty acids in the cell membranes made them susceptible to oxidation. Usually, the natural anti-oxidant defense of the birds needs fortification by dietary supplementation of antioxidants. Althoughsynthetic antioxidants are available and very effective, but health concerns are associated with their consumption. Researchers are seeking natural antioxidants to control the oxidation stress in birds. Natural antioxidants are substantially of plant origin. Antioxidants originated from animal kingdom are interesting, because they are natural, and protein rich feed ingredient with potentially functional properties. The vermiculture industry is a new and attractive agricultural activity and its main product is vermicompost which is applied in farm lands as a natural fertilizer. Earthworms are harvested as co-product and have the several applications. The purpose of this study was to investigate the antioxidant properties of earthworm meal (EM) and ethanol extract (EE), and effect of feeding earthworm meal and the extract on some oxidative parameters of native roosters. Materials and Methods: In experiment 1, fresh earthworms (Eisenia fetida) were washed and air-dried in shadow and ground to produce the earthworm meal. Half of earthworm meals were soaked in 80 % (V/V) ethanol with continues shaking for 24 h. The extract was filtered and concentrated to produce the ethanol extract of earthworm meal. The proximate composition in content value of moisture, crude ash, crude protein, and crude fat was determined according to the methods of AOAC. The fatty acid profile of extracted lipid was determined by gas chromatography after methylation of fatty acids. The total phenolic compounds of earthworm meal were determined using folin ciocalteu method. Antioxidant activity of extract was measured by ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay. In experiment two, 20 preselected Western Azarbaijan native roosters (34 weeks of age) were randomly allocated to 5 treatments and 4 blocks. Each rooster considered as an experimental unit and received 0 g EM or EE, 10 or 20 g/kg EM, and 5. 65 or 11. 30 g/kg EE for 13 consecutive weeks. At the end of experiment blood samples were collected form brachial vein of roosters, and birds were killed. The tissue samples were collected from the liver and testis after recording the organ weights. The biochemical parameters of blood including phosphorus, calcium, hemoglobin, albumin, uric acid, glucose, total protein, cholesterol and triglyceride was determined using spectrophotometer and commercial diagnostic kits. The activity of liver enzymes (lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate amino transferase, alkaline phosphatase and alanine amino transferase) in plasma was determined using spectrophotometer and commercial diagnostic kits. The malondialdehyde concentration was measured in blood plasma, liver tissue, and testis tissue of roosters as an indicator of lipid peroxidation using thiobarbituric acid method. Results and Discussion: The results indicated that earthworm had 26 different fatty acids, which eicosapentanoic, stearic, and arachidonic acid had the highest percentages, respectively. The total phenolic compounds in earthworm were 169. 72 mg/g of gallic acid equivalent. The results showed that FRAP was 242 μ mol of Fe (II)/mg dry extract. The dry matter, crude fat, protein and ash of earthworm meal were determined 91, 1. 7, 8. 75 and 64. 2 %, respectively. The blood, liver and testis malondialdehyde concentration in all of earthworm and earthworm extract treated groups were significantly decreased (P<0. 05). The plasma concentration of calcium was the only biochemical parameter that significantly altered (P<0. 05) and increased by earthworm powder (20 g/kg). The liver enzymes activity, including aspartate amino transferase, lactate dehydrogenase, and alkaline phosphatase (but no alanine amino transferase) were decreased in all of treated groups (P<0. 05). The use of earthworm meal has some advantages over the ethanol extract of earthworm such as lower cost, more availability and providing more nutrients especially protein to rooster feeds. Conclusion: According to the results of these two experiments, it was concluded that earthworm meal and ethanol extract have antioxidant activity and are able to protect the blood, testis and liver against oxidative stress. The antioxidant property of earthworm meal and extract could benefit male reproduction performance.

Introduction: Whole cottonseed (WCS) is a byproduct of the cotton-fiber industry. It is readily available source of energy, protein and other nutrients for high producing dairy cows and other animals. The use of WCS in poultry diet is limited due to the presence of gossypol, cyclopropenoid fatty acids, high fibre and poor protein quality. Electron beam (EB) irradiation has been proved to be successful in decontamination, disinfestation and improvement of the overall quality of food and agricultural commodities. Recently, EBirradiation was effective in reducing anti-nutritional factors. This study was completed to determine effects of EB-irradiation at doses of 10, 20, 30 and 40 kGy on gossypol, chemical composition and fatty acids of whole cotton seed. Materials and Methods: WCS was packed in twelve 15 20 cm2 polyethylene bags. The bags were exposed to various doses (10, 20, 30 and 40 kGy; three bags each per dose step) of EB-radiation with a fixed beam energy of 10 MeV using a Rhodotron accelerator. Feed samples were analyzed for crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), crude fiber (CF) and ash as described by AOAC. Gossypol was determined according to ISO assay. Fatty acid composition was determined by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID) using a HP-6890 GC instrument. Data were analyzed as a completely randomized design according to the general linear models (GLM) procedure of SAS. The Duncan test was used to separate the means at the significance level of 0. 05. Results and Discussion: Free and total gossypol content of WCS were decreased by EB-irradiation in a dosedependent manner. Major detrimental effects of gossypol on animals are labored breathing, dyspnea, decreased growth rate, anorexia and reduced fertility. Therefore, EB-irradiated WCS may be used in animal rations at higher levels without occurring gossypol toxicity. References dealing with mechanism of gossypol decomposition due to irradiation were not found in the literature. Generally, in the literature four types of radiation effects on biomolecules are reported: fragmentation, cross-linking, aggregation and oxidation by oxygen radicals that are generated in the radiolysis of water. Formation of bonds between gossypol and gossypol (aggregation) or between gossypol and other molecules (cross-linking) and fragmentation or breakdown of gossypol may occur by EB-irradiation. Chemical composition of WCS except crude fiber was not affected by radiation processing. EB-irradiation at 40 kGy decreased crude fiber content of WCS. The reduction in crude fiber by EB-irradiation may be due to oxidation of the cellulose, and conversion of cellulose and lignin to the cell wall solution. The decrease in crude fiber may improve WCS utilization by animals. EB-irradiation had a substantial effect on the linoleic acid present in WCS. Conclusion: The present study revealed that EB-irradiation had the potential to reduce the gossypol and crude fiber and had a positive effect on the linoleic acid of WCS. It can be concluded that irradiation may be beneficial for improvement nutritional value of WCS as a feed source of animals.

Introduction: The use of medicinal plants in poultry nutrition has been considerably increased in the recent years due to their beneficial effects, environmental compatibility and lack of adverse side effects. On the other hand, the use of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) in poultry production has been banned because of their residues in poultry productions and development of antibiotic resistant bacteria. The plant yucca (Yucca schidigera) belongs to agavaceae family and is native of south-western of United States and Mexico. Yucca typically grows on rocky desert slopes and creosote desert flats between 300– 1, 200 meters altitude, rarely up to 2, 500 meters. This plant thrives in full sun and in soil with excellent drainage. It also needs no summer water. The plant is known as one of the main sources of saponins. Steroidal saponins are accounted for approximately 10% of the dry weight of Yucca stem. Saponins, the main chemical component of YS extract, exist in steroidal form, whereas they are found in a triterpenoid form in other plants, such as Quillaja saponaria. Yucca saponins have antibacterial properties. The use of Yucca schidigera extract in poultry feed is a good alternative to improve feed efficiency and increased production. Yucca extract-supplemented diets have improved growth performance, relative weight of bursa of Fabricius and reduced mortality rate, breast muscle, caecal E. coli counts in broiler chickens. In the present study, the effects of different dietary levels of a commercial product containing Yucca schidigera powder on certain variables of broiler chicks were studied. Materials and Methods: This experiment was conducted using 250 Ross 308 broiler chicks in a completely randomized design with 5 treatments and five replicates of 10 chicks each. Different dietary levels of the Yucca extract powder (0, 0. 01, 0. 015, 0. 02, and 0. 025 %) were tested in a three-stage feeding program including starter (0 to 10 days of age), grower (11 to 24 d) and finisher (25 to 42 d) phases. Blood samples were collected from one bird per replicate pen to determine the selected blood metabolites including cholesterol, triglycerides, lowdensity lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) at the end of the experiment (42 days of age). On day 42, one chick per replicate was slaughtered and carcass characteristics were assessed. The effect of dietary yucca powder levels on cellular immune response was determined by a cutaneous basophil hypersensitivity test using phytohemagglutinin-P (PHA-P). At d 42, one bird from each replicate was selected and thickness of the interdigital skin between the third and fourth digits of both feet was measured in millimeters with a Caliper (Measurement accuracy, 0. 001). Immediately after the measurement, 100 µ l of the PHA-P solution and phosphate buffer saline (PBS) were injected into the interdigital skin of the left and right feet by insulin syringes, respectively. Thicknesses of the skin were measured 12h and 24h post-injection. At day 28, five chicks per treatment (1 chick/replicate) were selected and 0. 5 ml of 10 % sheep red blood cell (SRBC) solution was injected into their breast muscle and after seven days (day 35) blood samples were collected from brachial vein of the birds and then, an additional injection of SRBC was performed to induce the secondary anti-SRBC humoral response. At day 42, the second series of blood samples were collected. Sera separated from blood samples and were used to evaluate anti-SRBC total (Ig T), M (Ig M) and G (Ig G) immunoglobulins. Results and Discussion: The effect of dietary Yucca powder on feed conversion ratio (FCR) was significant (P< 0. 05) in the grower period (11-24 d). Chicks received 0. 01% Yucca powder had the best FCR, and the highest FCR was observed in control and 0. 025% Yucca powder group. There was significant difference (P< 0. 05) in body weight gain (BWG) and average body weight (ABW) in the grower period (11-24 d) of broiler chickens. Broilers in 0. 01% Yucca powder group, were significantly (P< 0. 05) heavier than the 0. 025% Yucca powder group. SRBC test showed that, IGM in first titer (35 d) was significantly (P< 0. 05) more than the other groups. In the case of blood metabolites, serum LDL concentration had significant differences among the treatments (P< 0. 05). The lowest LDL concentration was observed in 0. 015% Yucca powder group. There was no significant difference in feed intake, CBH test and carcass traits of broiler chickens. Conclusion: According to results of this experiment, supplementation of 0. 02% Yucca extract powder, improved growth performance of the broiler chickens. However, 0. 01% Yucca extracts powder improved humoral immunity and decreased blood serum LDL concentration of broiler chickens.

Introduction: Improving animal performance should be sustainable and economically profitable, therefore economic selection indices have been used in most breeding programmes for livestock. For this purpose, economic weighting factors have to be estimated for all traits in the breeding objective. The best way to maximize profitability through genetic improvement is to use economic weights of the trait Involved. In this study, to estimate the economic values of production and reproduction traits, Costs, revenues and profit analysis in nomadic systems, determine the breeding objective for Moghani sheep. The human population is growing fast which it seems that in spite of the recent progresses in new issues and technologies, they are not enough to fulfill feed requirements of humankind. Planning a suitable breeding system would be an important practical method in using the production potential of local sheep flocks. Therefore, it is essential to estimate economic values of production traits in a one or multivariate selection scheme to evaluate the priority in-comes and costs of a breeding system. A bio-economic model was used to describe performance, revenues and costs and to calculate the economic values, economic values are determined from these models by simulating changes in the genetic level of a trait and noting the associated changes in overall economic outcome. As a first step in developing such a programme a suitable breeding goal for the cattle population has to be defined, giving emphasis to production as well as to functional traits in order to achieve a more sustainable production. For a sustainable production, traits that have been identified as important for selection are also functional traits. The economic value of a trait is defined as the increase in profit resulting from a unit genetic improvement in that trait, while all other traits in the breeding objective are kept constant in simple terms economic values are defined as the effect on the efficiency of production of a marginal unit increase in a trait, independent of changes in other traits. Economic efficiency of the production system was calculated as the difference between total revenues and total costs per cow and year at the stationary herd structure. Materials and Methods: In this study, production, reproduction, management and economic parameters resulted from recording of 5 flocks with 500 head of breeding ewes during annual cycle of production (August 2015 to August 2016) in extensive rearing system were used to determine the breeding objective and relative economic values. Traits included; fertility, pregnancy rate, weight lambs from birth to the end of period, survival rate of lambs, wool production weight, average daily gain and milk production. A bioeconomic model was written for rearing system and flock information, economic values using maximum profit orientation was calculated by partial derivative of the profit function by the MATLAB software. To calculate economic values, change in system profit per unit change in the trait while was kept the other characters in the average, and was considered the average change in profit as an economic value. To calculate the relative economic values, the absolute economic value of each trait divided by the absolute economic value of weight of wool. First all costs, revenues, profits and flock structure determined then intered input files and run the software. Results and Discussion: Economic analysis of system indicated that, costs, revenue, and profit per ewe per year were 9437617. 88, 10637654. 49, and 1200036. 61 Rials, respectively. The results showed that live weight, milk yield, manure and wool yield accounted for 86. 36 %, 9. 64 %, 2. 85 and 1. 15% of total revenue, respectively. Feeding and management costs (variable costs) represented 73. 65% and 26. 35 % of total cost, respectively. The relative economic values for Carcass yield, Lamb live weight at 12-month, ewe survival, Post-weaning lamb survival, Pre-weaning lamb survival, Lamb live weight at 4-month, birth weight, conception rates ewes, , little size, Lambing frequency per year, Average daily gain yearlings, Wool weight, Milk yield of ewe, Average daily gain lambs, Replacement female weight, Adult weight of ewes were7. 30, 4. 27, 3. 08, 2. 85, 2. 44, 2. 35, 2. 01, 1. 85, 1. 54, 1. 42, 1. 05, 1, 0. 55, 0. 34,-0. 06, and (-1. 81) respectively. Conclusion: Breeding objective in Moghani sheep breed were Carcass yield, Lamb live weight at 12-month, ewe survival, Post-weaning lamb survival, Pre-weaning lamb survival, Lamb live weight at 4-month, birth weight, conception rates ewes, little size, Lambing frequency per year, Average daily gain yearlings, wool weight, Milk yield of ewe, Average daily gain lambs, Replacement female weight and Adult weight of ewes respectively.

Introduction: The aims of interbreeding for the first level in planning interbreeding programs are generally maximize the improvement in the economical efficiency of the production system by means of increase the average of characteristics. The purpose of this research was to estimate the economic values for milk production traits, fat percentage, protein percentage, and lifetime of native cows of Ilam province and also consideration of their sensitivity to any change in productive and economical parameters in the production system. Materials and methods: Using a deterministic bio-economical model and economic and production parameters of Native cow, was estimated economic values of milk yield, fat percentage, protein percentage, herd life at the Ilam province in 2013. The economic values of each trait was estimated with increase of one unit of average traits used for the amount of annual profit change, so that were constant the other traits. Calculation of Revenues and Costs: Estimation of economical factors needs explanation of production system, revenue and costs sources and their relationship with existing characteristics for the aim of interbreeding. Costs are expressed as fixed and current. Current costs are depending on the level of cattle production. Fixed costs are independent of production level and including building and installations, machinery and so on. to calculate the nutritional costs for each age group of animals, four different levels according to the life style were defined by order. These levels include: from birth to weaning (bull calf and heifer before weaning), from weaning to selling age (bull calves in 8-months year old and heifers in 17 months of age, from selling age till the age of first delivery (for replaced heifers)and regenerator cows(over two years old). According to the definition, economical factor of each characteristic is described as a change in the net profit of factory for a unit of addition in the average considered characteristic in a way that the average of other characteristics in the population doesn’ t change. In this research to calculate the economical factors of characteristics while other characteristics are in between in the population, the average for the considered characteristic was increased once by one unit and the difference of earned and profit or base mode was considered as the economical factor of that characteristic. Results and Discussion: In the system of Native cows production, the economic values of milk yield, fat percentage, protein percentage, herd life were estimated 0. 002079, 0. 999782, 1 and-0. 000351 respectively. In the native cow's fostering system, revenue resources include annual sale of milk, bull calf, surplus heifer, annual, omitted regenerator cow and annual manure. Earned revenue out of annual milk sale equaled 43. 54% of the total revenue which appropriated the greatest amount of revenue resources. Other revenue resources were including bull calf, surplus heifer and the sale of omitted cow that appropriated 11. 23%, 32. 37%, 10. 04% and 2. 81% of the revenues respectively. The costs were divided into two parts including annual fixed charge which contained the cost of building, installations, equipment and repairs. Annual current cost which contained nutritional costs, hygiene and reproduction, work force, cattle selling and transportation of manure from its place per each head of regenerator cow. Fixed annual cost per each head of regenerator cow equaled 4572556. 56 Rial, which contained 14. 44 percentage of the total costs. annual current cost per each head of regenerator cow equaled 27094514. 46 Rials which appropriated85. 56 percentage of the total cost. Among the current costs, nutritional cost by 84. 25% appropriated the most part. other current costs including workforce, cattle sale and manure transportation from its place equaled 9. 38% and costs of hygiene and reproduction appropriated 6. 36% of the current costs. Conclusion: Thus estimated the annual avenue of production system for Native cows-1801718. 005 Rials. The results showed that positive amount of an economical factor to produce milk; selection of an average for an increase in the characteristic causes an increase in profiting in native cow's production system. According to the importance of interval in calving as a characteristic and specifically its influence in the situation of limitation in systems, it is suggested that interbreeding should be done to decrease it.

Introduction: This research was conducted at the Department of Animal Science in the Ramin Agriculture and Natural Resources University in 2014-2015. The elevation of egg production and the inhibition of incubation behavior are the aims of modern poultry production. Prolactin is postulated to play a critical role in the onset and maintenance of incubation behavior in birds. In avian, dopamine inhibits prolactin secretion in the brain. So far, at least five distinct dopamine receptor subtypes, DRD1-DRD5, have been identified and classically divided into two classes referred to as D1-like (DRD1 and DRD5) and D2-like (DRD2, DRD3, and DRD4). DRD1 is located on chromosome 13 and contains an open reading frame of 1356 nucleotides encoding a protein of 451 amino acids. Dopamine stimulates prolactin secretion via activating DRD1 at the hypothalamus level by operating through vasoactive intestinal peptide and the inhibition effect of dopamine on Prolactin secretion is mediated through DRD2 receptors at the pituitary level. This study aimed at identification of the variants of dopamine D1 receptor gene and detection of the allelic frequency in the Khuzestan native chicken at Ramin Agriculture and Natural Resources of Khuzestan province. Materials and Methods: For this research 100 laying hens from Khuzestan native chicken Breeding Center (Jahed Livestock Input Corporation) were randomly selected. DNA was extracted from whole blood using salting-out procedure. The PCR-RFLP method was used for allelic differentiation. Dopamine D1 receptor gene was amplified by a specific set of primer for this gene to produce 283 bp fragment. The PCR reactions were carried out in a total volume of 25 μ L containing 150 ng of genomic DNA, 1 μ L of each primer, . 5 μ L dNTP, 1 μ L MgCl2, 2. 5× PCR buffer and 1 U of Taq DNA polymerase. The amplification was performed in a Eppendorf Mastercycler under the following conditions: 95° C for 3 min; 35 cycles of 95° C for 30 s, 58/4° C for 45 s and 72° C for 30 s; and 72° C for 10 min. The amplified fragment was digested with BseN I restriction enzyme. The digestion mixture was composed of 10μ L PCR products, 2μ L digestion buffer, and 1μ L of each enzyme, and then subjected to electrophoresis separation in 2. 5% Agarose gel. Results and Discussion: The results of the enzyme Restrictive BseNI showed only one A allele and AA genotype and polymorphism was not observed. To determine the quality and quantity of DNA, Nanodrop and Agarose gel was used and the results showed that the extracted DNA was suitable to continue the research. The results of this study were not in par with those of the previous research. Such non-compliance could be due to the kind of population studied, the sample size and the type of marker based on which polymorphic was examined. Due to the limited number of cutting sites in restriction enzymes, various DNA fragments were not produced. Therefore, RFLP markers may have not been able to identify all mutations in this sequence. Dopamine receptor gene in Khuzestan native chicken was sequenced for the first time in the present study. Hence, alignment sequences of Khuzestan native chicken and alignment sequence in ClastaW2 were saved in the gene bank. The results of sequencing in ClastaW2 recorded two mutations of type A to G in the base 123 and C to T in the base 198. Considering the results of gene sequencing, it cannot be stated that a dopamine receptor in this research is monomorphic. However, the enzyme used for dopamine gene could not be able to recognize the restriction sites. Sequencing of dopamine D1 receptor gene in the native chicken population of Khuzestan showed mutation which normally causes genetic polymorphism. However, in this study due to the ineffective choice of the enzyme, monomorphism was detected. These results show the importance of restriction enzyme in detecting genetic variation. Since dopamine is one of the main factors known to reduce prolactin and decrease broodiness as well as the reports indicated that mutations in dopamine D1 receptor different genotypes were significantly associated with increased dopamine. Conclusion: Due to the important role of restriction enzymes in identification of different mutations, selection of the suitable enzyme is recommended.

Introduction: Economic pressure on the modern poultry industry has directed the selection process towards fast-growing broilers that have a reduced feed conversion ratio. Selection based heavily on growth characteristics could adversely affect immune competence leaving chickens more susceptible to disease. Native breeds of chickens are playing an important role in rural economies in most of the developing and underdeveloped countries. The immune system is an adaptive defensed at evolved in phylogenesis to control an organism’ s integrity and apoptosis system is involved in many immune system mechanisms and diseases therefore this study has emphasized on apoptosis system. Recently, next generation sequencing technology (RNA-Seq) has become available as a powerful tool to investigate transcriptional profiles for gene expression analysis of many organisms. So, we performed comparative gene expression analysis of native and commercial chickens by RNAsequencing technology, in order to, detect differentially expressed genes involved in apoptosis in native and commercial breed poultry. Materials and methods: The chicken in this study was female from Esfahani and Ross breeds (47 days of age). The blood samples were collected from Brachial/ulnar wing vein; 5 ml was taken. The total RNA was extracted by using Trizol (Invitrogen, USA) according to the manufacture's protocol. The RNA pool was prepared by mixing together equal quantities of three RNA samples per group/ Total RNA was sent to BGI Company (China) for paired-end sequencing by an Illumina Hiseq 2000 platform and the raw reads were generated. Approximately 18 million fragments were sequenced with length of 150 bp. The quality of the row data was checked with Fast QC vol 0. 11. 2 and Trimmomatic (v 0. 35) were used to remove Illumina adaptors, trimming of reads as well as quality or filtering reads by removing low-quality reads. The reads passed the quality control were mapped to the reference genome using Tophat2 (v2. 1. 1). For aligning and DE analyzing were used cufflinks, cuffmerge and cuffdiff. Then significant DEGs imported to String for creating gene expression network and use DAVID 6. 8 for investigation gene annotation and pathway analysis and finally Cytoscape v. 3. 5. 1 was used for network and cluster analysis. Results and Discussion: Among 1328 significant differentially expressed genes in immune system, 11 genes were identified in a pathway in KEGG database, which named apoptosis genes. Gene ontology has been shown that the most significant biological process term containing 4 genes in term of GO: 1900182 positive regulation of protein localization to nucleus. The apoptosis genes Network analysis showed that number of nods was 11, number of edges was 20, average of degree was 3. 64, average local clustering coefficient was0. 621. Furthermore, analysis of apoptosis gene networks by Cytoscape showed that PIK3R1 had the highest value by degree. Beside of this result, AKT1 and CSF2RB had the highest value by Beetwinness Centrality. The highest out degree and the lowest in degree were related to AKT1. Conclusion: Overall, 3 apoptic genes including PIK3R1, AKT1 and CSF2RB were recognized as very important in breeding poultry. According to involving apoptic genes in disease and Innate immune system, we mayuse these genes in breeding plans. We can regulate them with appropriate cell and molecular methods or using epigenetic procedures.

Introduction: Native animals are part of the national capital and strategic reserves of any country which their diversity is very important. Mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) in sheep is 16. 58 Kbp. MtDNA has a region named D-loop or control region with no coding gene. Rate of nucleotide mutation in this region is 10 times the nucleus DNA. D-loop has promotors to regulate mtDNA transcription. This region is consisted of HVR1 and HVR2 sites. As the mtDNA is haploid and no meiosis occurs in it, so D-loop region of the mitochondrial genome is a powerful and applicable tool to determine the level of genetic diversity, to study the phylogenetic relationship between the populations and species as well as study the origin and dispersion of animal species. Baluchi sheep breed is one of the important Iranian sheep breeds which has a major role in production of red meat. Due to high strength and resistance to water scarcity it has been able to adapt with hot and dry weather conditions in East and South East of Iran. Due to the high diversity of species and subspecies, the importance of maintaining the purity of native breeds and incomplete information on sheep domestication in Iran, this study was performed to investigate the variation in Baluchi sheep breed and phylogenetic analyzes of mitochondrial D-loop region. Material and methods: Blood samples collection was done randomly from 27 non relative sheep which were kept in Animal Breeding center of Northeast of Iran (Abbasabad breeding station). DNA extraction was done using Diatom DNA Prep kit. DNA quality and quantity were checked using 8% agarose gel and spectrophotometer Nano drop ND-200, respectively. Primers were designed using Primer Premier5 software to amplify 1180 bps fragment of D-loop region of mitochondrial DNA. Primers specificity was checked in BLASTPrimer of NCBI. To Sequence the amplified region, samples were send to Bioneer Company. To enhance the accuracy of sequencing, each sample was sequenced from both sides. Nucleotide sequences were edited with Chromas Lite 2. 01 software. After proofing the quality of sequences they were reformatted from ab1 to FASTA. Then homology of the sequences with registered sequences of the same gene in NCBI and with the sequences themselves was determined using BLASTN in NCBI database and CLC Main workbench 5. 5 software, respectively. To draw the phylogenetic tree of Baluchi sheep breed, 15 sequences from each 4 haplogroups were identified and along with consensus sequence from samples were used. To draw the phylogenetic tree with 1000 iterations, the Neighbor-Joining method of MEGA5 software was used and to determine the genetic distance the Create Pairwise Comparison procedure of CLC Main workbench 5. 5 software was used. Results and discussion: Eight haplogroups were observed. The frequencies of haplogroups were 7. 40, 7. 40, 14. 81, 11. 11, 18. 51, 14. 81, 11. 11 and 14. 81. Haplogroups 2 and 7 had the highest difference between the nucleotides (10 nucleotides) with 99. 15 percent genetic similarity, and haplogroups 1 and 4 had the highest genetic similarity (99. 83 percent) with 2 nucleotide difference. The present genetic diversity among the 27 samples was estimated 0. 0131± 0. 005. This level of diversity is in the average range of nucleotide diversity which is reported in eukaryotes. The Phylogenetic analysis in this study showed that Baluchi sheep breed is located in the A haplotype. Conclusion: Since the origin of haplotype A is from Asia and Middle East, and according to the results of earlier studies on native Iranian sheep breeds shuch as Moghani, Shal, Sangsari and Afshari it can be concluded that the Baluchi sheep was in the mentioned haplotype therefore the placement of this breed in this haplotype is justifiable.