Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Chemistry, Toxicology and Feed Deficiency Department, Animal Health Research Institute (AHRI), Agriculture Research Center (ARC), Giza 12619, Egypt.
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7th Nadi Elsaid Street
3
Food hygiene Department, Animal Health Research Institute (AHRI) Sohag Branch , Agriculture Research Center (ARC), Egypt.
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Animal Health Research Institute, department of Food Hygiene, Mansoura Branch
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Animal health research institute
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Department of food Hygiene , Animal Health Research Institute (AHRI) Mansoura Branch , Agriculture Research Center (ARC), Egypt
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researcher at Animal Health Research Institute (AHRI) Hurgada Branch , Agriculture Research Center (ARC), Egypt https:ll orchid. Orgl 0009-0009-5015-5186
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Department of Pharmacology, faculty of veterinary Medicine, Cairo university
Abstract
Climate change has increased the frequency of heat waves, thereby exacerbating heat stress a critical factor affecting livestock productivity with rabbits being particularly susceptible to elevated temperatures. This study evaluated the efficacy of curcumin and curcumin nanoliposomes in mitigating heat stress in growing male rabbits. Ninety 35-day-old male rabbits were randomly assigned to six experimental groups (n = 15 per group) and maintained under thermoneutral conditions (18.2 ± 2.6°C; 38.8 ± 2.8% relative humidity) or heat stress conditions (36.4 ± 1.1°C; 70.3 ± 5.8% relative humidity). Treatment effects were assessed by measuring serum thyroid hormones, testosterone, oxidative and antioxidant biomarkers, liver and kidney function parameters, serum interleukin-4 (IL-4) levels, heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) expression, and meat quality indices. The results indicate that both curcumin and its nanoliposome formulation significantly enhanced serum thyroid hormone and testosterone levels, particularly under heat stress conditions. Although curcumin alone exhibited minimal effects on IL-4 levels, curcumin nanoliposomes markedly reduced these levels during heat stress, underscoring their anti-inflammatory potential. Additionally, dietary supplementation with curcumin formulations effectively maintains meat quality by mitigating oxidative stress and preserving the nutritional composition of breast muscle tissue. These findings suggest that incorporating curcumin, particularly in its nanoliposome form, into rabbit diets can be a promising strategy to alleviate heat stress, improve physiological and metabolic functions, reduce inflammation, and sustain meat quality under elevated temperature conditions.
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