Mitigation of endogenous oxidative stress and improving growth, hemato-biochemical parameters, and reproductive performance of Zaraibi goat bucks by dietary supplementation with Chlorella vulgaris or/and vitamin C

Tropical Animal Health and Production (2023) 55:267 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-023-03657-6 REGULAR ARTICLES Mitigation of endogenous oxidative stress and improving growth, hemato‑biochemical parameters, and reproductive performance of Zaraibi goat bucks by dietary supplementation with Chlorella vulgaris or/and vitamin C A. E. Abdel‑Khalek1 · M. M. El‑Maghraby2 · Zizy I. Elbialy3 A. A. El‑Badawy2 · H. K. Zaghloul6 · Doaa H. Assar7 · Rasha A. Al wakeel4 · E. A. Almadaly5 · M. Shukry4 · Received: 21 December 2022 / Accepted: 6 June 2023 / Published online: 13 July 2023 © The Author(s) 2023 Abstract This study was conducted to explore the effects of dietary inclusion of Chlorella vulgaris (CV) or/and vitamin C (VC) on growth, hemato-biochemical parameters, oxidative and antioxidant status, reproductive hormones, and semen quality variables, and scrotal-testicular dimensions of Zaraibi goat bucks. Twenty sexually mature bucks (41.49 ± 0.91 kg BW) were randomly divided into 4 groups (5 bucks/group). The control group was fed the control diet, while the other three groups received a diet supplemented with VC (2 g/animal /day), CV (5 g/animal/day), and CV plus VC (the same levels), respectively, for 8 weeks (treatment period), and then semen was collected for 8 weeks. Results showed that dietary supplementation with CV-VC combination significantly increased the final body weight, weight gain, packed cell volume, hemoglobin, red blood cells, white blood cells, and lymphocytes; elevated serum total protein, globulin, testosterone, estradiol, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase with a significant reduction in Malondialdehyde in serum and seminal plasma. Also, the CV-VC combination significantly improved the ejaculate volume, total sperm output, sperm concentration, and live sperm, and reduced reaction time and sperm abnormality of bucks. Either CV or VC given separately or in combination, at the chosen levels, had no detrimental effects on animal physiological responses with normal hepatic and renal functions. Therefore, the CV-VC combination could be safely utilized as a dietary supplement in buck’s diets to improve antioxidant defenses, scavenge free radicals, and potentiate buck’s reproductive activities under normal conditions. Keywords Goat · Lipid peroxidation · Semen · Microalgae · Vitamin C Introduction The animal growth and development of the reproductive system can cause oxidative stress due to a reduced antioxidant defense system and increased lipid peroxidation (Sikiru et al. 2019). The oxidative stress can negatively alter animal nutrient absorption and feed utilization efficiency and suppress immune function, thus compromising animal growth performance (Sikiru et al. 2019) and male infertility outcomes in humans and animals (Bansal and Bilaspuri 2010). In this context, strong correlations have been found between increased lipid peroxidation in bull ejaculate and different sperm parameters, including sperm dysfunctions, low sperm concentrations, poor sperm motility, abnormal Extended author information available on the last page of the article sperm morphology, alterations in serum steroid hormone levels, disruptions of spermatogenesis, and loss of fertility in buffaloes (Lone et al. 2018). Mammalian spermatozoa are more vulnerable to lipid peroxidation, including a high amount of specific lipid composition of sperm cells such as polyunsaturated fatty acid, plasmalogen, and sphingomyelin (Vernet et al. 2004). Improving goat productivity is a significant achievement, especially for the poor in rural areas in developing countries (Hassan et al. 2013). As antioxidants have beneficial effects on the process of spermatogenesis in rats (Atta et al. 2017), dietary antioxidant supplementation is a suggested way of mitigating endogenous oxidative stress directly via enhancing antioxidant enzyme activities or indirectly through quenching of free radicals (Wu et al. 2005). Microalgae supplementation for different species has been found to enhance 13 Vol.:(0123456789) 267 Page 2 of 13 total antioxidant capacity, stimulate the immune response, promote growth, and improve the fatty acid profile and protein source in dairy goat ration (Tsiplakou et al. 2017a) and broilers (Abdelnour et al. 2019). Chlorella vulgaris (CV) is a green microalga cultivated with high productivity and can be used as a functional food or supernatural supplement for humans and animals for beneficial health impacts (Panahi et al. 2016). CV is one of the essential natural feed supplements for humans and many animal species and has a highly nutritive unicellular freshwater microalga that is documented as a safe alga by the Food and Drug Administration (Bauer et al. 2017). CV is a rich source of numerous valuable substances such as S-nucleotide adenosyl peptide complex, polysaccharides, carotenoids, polyphenols, vitamins, and minerals (Sikiru et al. 2019). Beyond amelioration of stress-associated growth, CV has been documented to alleviate organ toxicities induced by chemotherapeutic agents such as paracetamol in rats (Abd El Latif et al. 2021); similarly, Spirulina platensis against diclofenac sodium in broilers (Mokhbatly et al. 2018), and for cutaneous wound healing potential in a rat model (Elbialy et al. 2021). Chlorella species exhibit antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, immune-modulatory, and analgesic activities, and even an anticancer agent with anti-oxidative, anti-hypertensive, and hypolipidemic and hypoglycemic effects in animal and human studies (Abd El-Hack et al. 2019; Barkia et al. 2019). Vitamin C (VC) is an essential water-soluble antioxidant that inhibits the oxidation of protein, DNA, and nitric oxide (Frei et al. 1989). VC is a cofactor associated with some oxygenases involved in synthesizing several substances like collagen, catecholamines, carnitine, and the metabolism of xenobiotics, tyrosine, and cholesterol (Combs 2008). It is involved in vitamin E recycling; α-tocopherol scavenges proxy radicals and reacts with both of them to form an α-tocopheroxyl radical, followed by recycling back of this radical to α-tocopherol by VC (May et al. 1998). Interestingly, VC can minimize the various metal’s cytotoxicity, toxic mutagens, and xenobiotics in testes of treated animals by its efficient antioxidant and reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging properties (Korany et al. 2019). In ruminants, the dietary requirements of VC for ruminants have not been confirmed because ruminants can synthesize VC in the liver. The adequate requirements of VC have been investigated by the determination of plasma VC levels, but wide variations in VC values were reported (Akinmoladun 2022). Apart from different routes of VC administration, direct dietary addition of VC may be effective (Kim et al. 2012). Even though plasma ascorbic acid concentration is higher via treatment with coated VC than powdered VC in drinking water or in the diet (Hidiroglou 1999), a similarity in the effectiveness o (...truncated)