Habitual diet and ascorbic acid status in Sudanese camels

There is suggestive evidence that a low status of ascorbic acid in camels enhances their risk for infectious diseases. This study was carried out to find clues as to the role of diet in affecting ascorbic acid status. In a crossover trial with feeding periods of 3 weeks each, six camels (Camelus dromedarius) were fed either a composite of their habitual diet or alfalfa. The simulated habitual diet contained grass (hummra), Acacia mellifera and Blepharis persica. The habitual diet significantly lowered ascorbic acid concentrations in plasma and leukocytes. It is concluded that camels kept on natural desert vegetation may not have optimal disease resistance due to a diet-induced low ascorbic acid status.     

Vitamin C concentrations in blood plasma,tissues and urine of camels (Camelus dromedarius) in Sudanese herds

There is suggestive evidence that a low status of ascorbic acid in ruminants is related with decreased disease resistance. In a first attempt to identify conditions in camels that could affect their health, an inventory was made of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) concentrations in plasma and tissues as related to breed, gender, sexual activity and season. A total of 3429 camels were studied and sub-samples were used for selected comparisons. The highest concentrations of ascorbic acid were found in adrenals (152 mg/100 g wet tissue) and the lowest in heart (8 mg/100 g), the levels being unrelated with season. Arabi camels had higher plasma concentrations of ascorbic acid (6.42 microg/ml) than did Anafi and Bishari camels, the latter breed showing the lowest concentrations (3.24 microg/ml). Female camels of the Anafi breed had higher concentrations urinary ascorbic acid than did their male counterparts. It is suggested that in camels the main elimination route of vitamin C is with urine. Female and male Arabi camels that were sexually active had 52 and 23% lower plasma ascorbic acid concentrations than did their sexually inactive counterparts. It is suggested that especially Bishari camels during the breeding season might be sensitive to disease.     

The influence of different doses of α-tocopherol and ascorbic acid on selected oxidative stress parameters in in vitro culture of leukocytes isolated from transported calves

The objective of the study was to assess in vitro the influence of various doses of two different antioxidants, α-tocopherol and ascorbic acid, on protective mechanisms against ROS in white blood cells obtained from calves exposed to transport, and to compare these results with those obtained from non-transported animals.The concentrations of lipid peroxidation products in leukocytes and in the retained medium were assessed by determining the level of ThioBarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS). Total antioxidant status in the leukocytes and the medium were estimated using a ferric-reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) assay. Leukocyte viability was determined using the trypan blue reduction test.The study demonstrated that after bovine leukocytes (WBC) were incubated in vitro with α-tocopherol and ascorbic acid, peroxidation intensity decreased and total antioxidant capacity increased. The results of the study reveal that these antioxidants in concentrations over 0.1 mg/ml have a major impact on free radical activity on bovine white blood cells and on cell viability during transport of animals.Based on this study, we suggest that incubation of the leukocytes with antioxidants decreases the oxidative stress development, which can be helpful in protection of the immunological cells during bovine respiratory disease.     

Determination of plasma vitamin C concentration in fattening cattle

Plasma vitamin C (ascorbic acid + dehydroascorbic acid) concentration is a good index of the nutritional status of vitamin C. However, the methodologies for storage and analyses have not been investigated in bovine plasma. The validity of an analytical method for bovine plasma using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a spectrophotometric detector was examined. Exogenous dehydroascorbic acid was almost completely converted to ascorbic acid during the preparation for analysis with a reducing reagent, dithioerythritol. The analytical recoveries of ascorbic acid were high. Ascorbic acid was not detected after treatment with ascorbic acid oxidase. Thus, the specificity of this method is considered to be high. Although vitamin C was stable in plasma treated by dithioerythritol at ?20°C for 6 days, vitamin C in untreated plasma significantly decreased during 3‐day storage at ?20°C. These results indicate that the HPLC method is suitable for the determination of plasma vitamin C in cattle and that the storage conditions are important for determination of plasma vitamin C. Plasma vitamin C concentration ranged between 1.49 mg/L and 3.33 mg/L in fattening cattle. This result suggests that fattening cattle show large individual variation in plasma vitamin C concentration.     

The Zinc and Copper Content of the Plasma of Sudanese Camels (Camelus dromedarius)

A study was undertaken to investigate the variations in the content of zinc and copper in the plasma of Sudanese camels (Camelus dromedarius). A total of 993 Arabi camels, aged 0.5-8 years, were used to assess the effect of season, age, sex and physiological status on the plasma concentrations of copper and zinc. There was an increase in the concentration of Cu and a decrease in the concentration of Zn in the plasma with age. The concentrations of both Cu and Zn in the plasma were higher in the rainy season than in the dry season. The plasma copper concentrations in pregnant, low-lactating and high-lactating camels were 81.3 +/- 4.7, 59.7 +/- 6.1 and 61.3 +/- 5.5 microg/100 ml, respectively. The corresponding values for zinc were 51.0 +/- 8.9, 53.4 +/- 6.4 and 67.1 +/- 5.5 microg/100 ml, respectively. However, there was no effect of sex on the content of these minerals in the plasma.     

圈养大熊猫“妙音”初次发情及假孕的行为研究

选取大熊猫"妙音"发情期及假孕期各6 d,应用瞬间扫描取样法和目标取样法对大熊猫"妙音"的行为进行了研究。大熊猫"妙音"在发情期间的采食行为、活动行为和休息行为均为3种主要行为,且休息行为的时间分配明显要少于正常时期;活动行为明显要多于正常时期,假孕期采食行为和活动行为的时间分配要少于正常时期的采食行为和活动行为,而休息行为则要多于正常时期。发情期和假孕期相比,活动行为和休息行为在时间分配上差异性极其显著。发情期活动行为较多,休息行为较少;假孕期活动行为较少,休息行为较多。通过行为的变化来预判大熊猫是否发情与假孕,进而做下一步的诊断以及修改饲养管理方案,确保大熊猫的健康。     

Copper status in breeding and racing camels (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Camelus dromedarius</Emphasis>) and response to cupric oxide needle capsules

Copper was determined in the blood of breeding camels, camel calves and racing camels to evaluate copper status in these animals in UAE. Low blood copper concentrations were reported in newly born camel calves (100%) and calves 2–4 months old (68%), breeding camels at early (55.6%) and at mid lactation (48%) and at late pregnancy (69%). This is attributed to the low copper and high sulfate in the Rhodes grass which is the only diet offered to the breeding camels. On the other hand only 9.7% of racing camels showed low copper levels. This is because copper is routinely offered to racing camels when their blood copper is low. Cupric oxide needle capsules orally administered at the rate of 8 g per adult camel was effective in elevating blood copper from 7.083 μmol/L at day zero to 10.074 μmol/L at day 28 after dosing.     

Multiple Corpora Lutea in Dromedary Camels: Are They Associated with Multiple Pregnancies?

The aim of this study was to investigate whether multiple corpora lutea (CL) in dromedary camels were associated with multiple pregnancies. Three experiments were carried out. In the first experiment, reproductive tracts of 124 slaughtered female camels were examined for the incidence of multiple CL and the pregnancy status. In the second experiment, uteri and ovaries of 50 females were examined by ultrasound between the fourth and fifteenth weeks of pregnancy to estimate the number and location of the embryos/fetuses and the number of associated CL. In the third experiment, 20 females were mated and the pregnant animals were followed weekly to estimate the pattern of embryonic and fetal growth. At the slaughterhouse, multiple CL were detected in 44.4% of the pregnant animals. By ultrasonography, the incidence of twinning and triplets was 52%. The incidence significantly (P < 0.05) decreased from the fourth to the thirteenth week of pregnancy. Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) was observed in all animals of twins and triplets. Only one viable fetus could be detected after the ninth week of pregnancy in each pregnant animal. Both conceptuses died in one animal. In conclusion, multiple CL in dromedary camels are usually associated with multiple pregnancies. IUGR occurred in all animals of twins/triplets, with only one fetus surviving after the ninth week of pregnancy.     

Comparison between some oxidative Stress Biomarkers values in serum and plasma of clinically healthy adult camels (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Camelus dromedarius</Emphasis>) in Iran

In this study, we measured some oxidative stress biomarkers, MDA and total thiol groups content in plasma along by this parameters in serum and Ferric Reducing Ability of Plasma (FRAP) of camels. The present study was undertaken first to establish a background of free radical damage status and second to comparison these levels in serum and plasma. To accomplish this, blood samples from 50 male Dromedary clinically healthy adult camels aged 24–48 months were collected. The correlation between serum and plasma levels was calculated for MDA and total thiol groups content. Our results revealed that only lipid peroxides in serum could be useful to predict the oxidative stress in plasma significantly (P ≤ 0.05).     

Relationship between milk production and plasma concentrations of oxidative stress markers during hot season in primiparous cows

Oxidative stress markers, ascorbic acid, and sulfhydryl (SH) residue concentration in primiparous cows' plasma and their relationship to milking performance during hot seasons were investigated. The rectal temperature of cows correlated negatively with SH residue (r = −0.38, n  = 38, P  < 0.05) and ascorbic acid (r = −0.34, P  < 0.05) concentrations in the cows' plasma. The group with a higher concentration of ascorbic acid over the mean value produced significantly more milk ( P  < 0.05) than did the group with a lower ascorbic acid concentration. Although the cows' milk production showed a positive correlation with ascorbic acid concentration in plasma (r = 0.47, P  < 0.05), the relation of SH residue concentration to milk yield was not constant. The plasma SH residue concentration during the hot season correlated positively with milk protein % (r = 0.38, P  < 0.05), lactose % (r = 0.35, P  < 0.05), and solid-non-fat (SNF) % (r = 0.47, P  < 0.05), respectively, but not with fat %. On the other hand, ascorbic acid concentration in plasma showed negative correlations with milk fat % (r = −0.34, P  < 0.05) and protein % (r = −0.49, P  < 0.05), but correlated positively with lactose % (r = 0.52, P  < 0.05). The produced amount (g/day) of milk protein (r = 0.42, P  < 0.05), lactose (r = 0.61, P  < 0.05), and SNF (r = 0.56, P  < 0.05) showed positive correlations with ascorbic acid concentration in plasma.     

Stability of dietary ascorbic acid and the effect of supplementation on reproductive performance of broiler breeder chickens

1. The purpose of the study was to determine the stability of dietary ascorbic acid and the reproductive responses of broiler breeder chickens to supplemental 75 mg ascorbic acid/kg diet. 2. Six breeder flocks of 13,000 birds each were studied. Egg production, eggshell porosity, fertility, hatchability and plasma ascorbic acid were measured. 3. Storage of the diets under dry heat resulted in a linear decrease in ascorbic acid content and the rate of decline was 5-fold higher in the supplemented diet. 4. Differences were not detected between treatments in egg production, egg weight, eggshell porosity, fertility, hatchability or plasma ascorbic acid. 5. The results did not provide evidence of a beneficial reproductive response to the inclusion of ascorbic acid in commercial broiler breeder diets.     

Content of beta-carotene, vitamin E and ascorbic acid in blood plasma of female calves, cattle, bulls, castrates and ox throughout the course of the year]

The concentration of beta-carotin, of vitamin E and of ascorbic acid in the plasma of female calves (beginning with an age of 4 weeks), of cows in the 2nd and 5th lactation, of bulls, of short scrotum bulls and of oxes in the course of the year was analysed. The concentration of beta-carotin in the plasma of calves after driving up to pasture increased slower than that of cows. After transition to stable feeding there was a significant decrease in the concentration after 4 weeks. During the period of suckling the concentration of vitamin E in the plasma of calves was low. After transition to pasture the concentration of vitamin E in the plasma of calves increased slower than in that of the cows. The concentration of ascorbic acid in the plasma during the winter was higher than during the summer. There was no influence of experimental cryptorchism or castration on the mentioned values.     

内蒙古地区健康及患阴道蝇蛆病双峰驼的主要血液指标比较分析

旨在了解内蒙古地区健康及患阴道蝇蛆病双峰驼的主要血液指标之间的差异。从内蒙古阿拉善左旗等地采集健康及患阴道蝇蛆病双峰驼血液样本107份,采用瑞氏染色法和吉姆萨染色法对制备的血液涂片进行染色,观察并比较健康及患病双峰驼血液的红细胞与白细胞的形态特征;利用血液细胞分析仪测定血液样本的血细胞含量,并对相同及不同地区的健康及患病双峰驼的主要血常规指标进行统计学分析;应用比值方法估计血液样本的血浆含量。结果表明,患病驼血液中的嗜碱性粒细胞含量较少,嗜酸性粒细胞含量较多,且血小板含量较健康驼多;来自相同地区的患病驼与健康驼的各种血细胞含量无显著差异（P〉0.05）;不同地区的健康驼血细胞含量趋于平稳,但不同地区的患病驼血细胞含量变化存在较大波动;双峰驼的血浆含量为0.349 0-0.736 5,患阴道蝇蛆病的双峰驼血浆含量普遍高于健康双峰驼。     

Sexual difference in ascorbic acid synthesis, tissue ascorbic acid and plasma total antioxidant capacity in mature chickens

1. An experiment was conducted with commercial White Leghorn type chickens to determine the effect of gender on tissue ascorbic acid concentration, antioxidant capacity and ascorbic acid synthesis. 2. Birds reared and maintained on litter were given a standard layer diet, without supplemental ascorbic acid, from 18 weeks of age. Tissue ascorbic acid concentration, plasma total antioxidant capacity and renal L-gulonolactone oxidase activity were measured at 30 weeks of age. 3. Females and males differed in ascorbic acid synthesis, as measured by renal L-gulonolactone oxidase activity, and tissue ascorbic acid concentration. 4. Plasma total antioxidant capacity and adrenal, gonadal, plasma and pituitary ascorbic acid concentrations were significantly higher in males, whereas ascorbic acid synthesis and splenic and thymic ascorbic acid concentrations were significantly higher in females. 5. L-Gulonolactone oxidase activity was not detected in the comb of cockerels.     

Bioavailability of ascorbic acid in horses

The bioavailability of ascorbic acid administered to thoroughbreds by intramuscular injection was investigated. For intramuscular injection two preparations were studied, and the percentage bioavailability up to 24 h of 10 g of ascorbic acid was 95% +/- 22 in four horses and 60% in two horses with preparations A and B, respectively. Bioavailability at 24 h in three horses injected subcutaneously with 10 g of preparation B was 82%. Intramuscular injection of both preparations was apparently well tolerated while subcutaneous injection of preparation B (pH 6.0) was associated with marked irritancy. In a cross-over trial in seven thoroughbreds the effect of 13 or 15 days of oral administration of crystalline ascorbic acid (20 g) or ascorbyl palmitate (47 g) on plasma ascorbic-acid concentrations was investigated. Marked differences occurred between individuals. There was a greater increase in plasma ascorbic-acid concentration with ascorbyl palmitate compared to ascorbic acid at 6 and 24 h following administration. In two horses there was no increase in plasma ascorbic acid at 6 h following either oral preparation. The finding of lowered plasma ascorbic-acid concentrations following a period of supplementation warrants further investigation to assess its significance.     

Effects of dietary supplemental L-carnitine and ascorbic acid on performance, carcass composition and plasma L-carnitine concentration of broiler chicks reared under different temperature.

The present study was initiated to determine whether dietary supplemental L-carnitine and ascorbic acid affect growth performance, carcass yield and composition, abdominal fat and plasma L-carnitine concentration of broiler chicks reared under normal and high temperature. During the experiment, two temperature regimes were employed in two experimental rooms, which were identical but different in environmental temperature. The regimes were thermoneutral (20-22 degrees C for 24 h) or recycling hot (34-36 degrees C for 8 h and 20-22 degrees C for 16 h). One-day-old broiler chicks (ROSS) were used in the experiment. A 2 x 2 x 2 factorial arrangement was employed with two levels (0 and 50 mg/kg) of supplemental L-carnitine and two levels (0 or 500 mg/kg) of supplemental ascorbic acid in drinking water under thermoneutral or high temperature regimes. Body weight gain was affected by high temperature. However, body weight gain was significantly improved in animals receiving supplemental L-carnitine, ascorbic acid or L-carnitine + ascorbic acid compared to animals receiving unsupplemented diet under high temperature. On the other hand, supplemental L-carnitine or L-carnitine + ascorbic acid reduced body weight gain under thermoneutral condition. Supplemental ascorbic acid significantly improved feed conversion efficiency, the improvement was relatively greater under high temperature. The L-carnitine content in the plasma was higher in the groups receiving supplemental L-carnitine and ascorbic acid under high temperature, while broilers fed supplemental L-carnitine and ascorbic acid had a decreased level of plasma L-carnitine concentration under normal temperature. It is concluded that dietary supplemental L-carnitine or L-carnitine + ascorbic acid may have positive effects on body weight gain, carcass weight under high temperature conditions.     

Dietary Ascorbyl Monophosphate Depresses Lipid Peroxidation in Rainbow Trout Spermatozoa

Abstract

This study was designed to analyze lipid peroxidation in spermatozoa of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss by an optimized thiobarbituric acid (TBA) method, and to evaluate the effect of graded levels of dietary antioxidant (ascorbic acid in the form of ascorbyl monophosphate, AP) on TBA values of spermatozoa. Sperm from rainbow trout fed diets supplemented with AP at 0, 110, or 870 mg/kg were sampled during the reproductive season. The group given the unsupplemented diet had the lowest ascorbic acid concentration in seminal plasma during most of the spermiation season compared with groups fed diets with AP While the ascorbic acid concentration in seminal plasma decreased toward the end of the reproductive season, spermatozoa malondialdehyde production, indicative of increasing peroxidation, tended to increase. At the end of the season, significant differences (P < 0.05) were found in peroxidation levels in spermatozoa from fish fed different levels of ascorbic acid. The most abundant polyunsaturated fatty acid in sperm lipids, docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6), was significantly lower in lipids from spermatozoa of the AP-devoid (control) group than in the 870-mg/kg supplement group. By the end of the reproductive season, spermatozoa from the control group had significantly higher peroxidation levels than did spermatozoa from fish given AP (110 and 870 mg/kg). Thus, it is the first evidence in fish that dietary AP supplements can increase seminal plasma ascorbic acid concentrations, and it suggests that peroxidative damage to spermatozoa can be reduced during the reproductive season, which in turn may affect sperm fertilizing ability.     

Oral administration of different formulations of ascorbic acid to the horse

The absorption of crystalline ascorbic acid, ascorbyl palmitate, ascorbyl stearate and a formulation of ascorbic acid was investigated in six mature Thoroughbred horses following oral administration. It was found that ascorbyl palmitate gave both highest plasma concentrations and greatest area under the curve (AUC) for ascorbic acid. Least variation between animals also occured for this preparation. No apparent absorption was seen in some animals given ascorbic acid or ascorbyl stearate.     

Plasma ferritin of sows during pregnancy and lactation

We studied a set of indicators of iron metabolism in sows and new-born piglets: hemoglobin, plasma iron, total iron binding capacity and plasma ferritin. Iron status of seventy-two sows was studied throughout pregnancy and lactation. The results point to mobilization of iron from its storage sites up to the second month of gestation, but no appreciable decrease during the second half of pregnancy. No appreciable mobilization of the iron stores of sows was observed during the lactation period. Nine sows and their 78 piglets were used to compare the status of iron in the sows and the end of gestation with the iron status of the piglets at birth; there was a positive correlation between the mean values of plasma ferritin concentration in the piglets and the levels of plasma ferritin in their mothers.     

Epidemic characterization and modeling within herd transmission dynamics of an “emerging trans-boundary” camel disease epidemic in Ethiopia

A highly acute and contagious camel disease, an epidemic wave of unknown etiology, referred to here as camel sudden death syndrome, has plagued camel population in countries in the Horn of Africa. To better understand its epidemic patterns and transmission dynamics, we used epidemiologic parameters and differential equation deterministic modeling (SEIR/D-model) to predict the outcome likelihood following an exposure of susceptible camel population. Our results showed 45.7, 17.6, and 38.6 % overall morbidity, mortality, and case fatality rates of the epidemic, respectively. Pregnant camels had the highest mortality and case fatality rates, followed by breeding males, and lactating females, implying serious socioeconomic consequences. Disease dynamics appeared to be linked to livestock trade route and animal movements. The epidemic exhibited a strong basic reproductive number (R (0)) with an average of 16 camels infected by one infectious case during the entire infectious period. The epidemic curve suggested that the critical moment of the disease development is approximately between 30 and 40?days, where both infected/exposed and infectious camels are at their highest numbers. The lag between infected/infectious curves indicates a time-shift of approximately 3-5?days from when a camel is infected and until it becomes infectious. According to this predictive model, of all animals exposed to the infection, 66.8 % (n?=?868) and 33.2 % (n?=?431) had recovered and died, respectively, at the end of epidemic period. Hence, if early measures are not taken, such an epidemic could cause a much more devastative effect, within short period of time than the anticipated proportion.