Madura cattle are a significant local beef breed in Indonesia, but information about their genetic origins is limited, especially since no studies have fully characterized their mitochondrial DNA. This research aims to sequence the entire mitochondrial genome of Madura cattle and explore their phylogenetic relationships and diversity relative to reference bovine lineages. The study used five blood samples from Madura bulls at Singosari Artificial Insemination Center (BBIB). DNA was extracted from the blood, then the mitochondrial genome was amplified via long-range PCR and sequenced with Oxford Nanopore Technology. Across the five samples, quality-filtered reads ranged from 5061 to 11785, with mean read lengths of 5030 to 7475 bp and mean quality scores of 14.1 to 14.3. Bioinformatics analysis included genome assembly, gene annotation, nucleotide composition, and phylogenetic analysis. The findings showed that the Madura cattle mitochondrial genome is between 16338 and 16451 base pairs (GenBank accession PZ509169) and contains 37 genes: 13 protein-coding, 22 tRNA, 2 rRNA, and 1 control region. Nucleotide analysis indicated positive AT-skew and negative GC-skew in most protein-coding genes. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Madura cattle cluster into two maternal groups, one aligned with Bos javanicus and the other with Bos indicus. These results suggest that the maternal lineage of Madura cattle is complex and may reflect historical introgression involving Bos javanicus and Bos indicus. However, further nuclear genomic analysis is needed to clarify genome-wide ancestry and admixture patterns.
Broiler chickens provide a sustainable and accessible protein source, but the use of antibiotics has prompted concerns about antimicrobial resistance and residual contamination. Therefore, this study evaluated dietary supplementation with Caesalpinia sappan bark extract (CSB) on intestinal morphology and immune- and antioxidant-related gene expression in broilers. A total of 256 Ross 308 broiler chickens were randomly allocated to four groups receiving diets supplemented with 0, 150, 300, or 600 mg/kg CSB. Growth performance, small intestinal histology, and immune- and antioxidant-related gene expression were evaluated at the end of the 35-day rearing period. CSB supplementation did not alter body weight or average daily gain, whereas feed intake and feed conversion ratio (FCR) increased at higher inclusion levels (p<0.05). CSB improved several intestinal morphology parameters, including villus height and villus height-to-crypt depth ratio (p<0.05). In the jejunum, higher CSB inclusion levels were associated with increased CAT and GPx expression and decreased TNF-α and IL-12 expression (p<0.05). Correlation analysis showed associations between intestinal morphology and antioxidant- and immune-related gene expression. In conclusion, dietary CSB supplementation improved intestinal morphology and modulated jejunal antioxidant- and immune-related transcriptional responses. However, the higher inclusion levels that produced the clearest molecular responses also increased FCR. Thus, the present study does not establish a single optimal CSB dose, and further dose-response studies are required to balance intestinal and molecular responses with feed efficiency.
Palm decanter cake (PDC) is an agro-industrial by-product with potential as an alternative feed resource for ruminants, although its relatively high fiber content may limit nutrient utilization. Incorporating PDC with probiotic Bacillus subtilis (PB) in fermented total mixed rations (FTMR) may provide a practical strategy for utilizing this by-product in beef cattle diets. This study evaluated animal responses to FTMR dietary regimens containing PDC and PB, with emphasis on feed intake, nutrient digestibility, rumen fermentation, microbial populations, and serum metabolites in beef cattle. Five Angus-crossbred bulls (initial body weight 477 ± 44 kg) were assigned to a 5 × 5 Latin square design. Dietary treatments consisted of a control FTMR without PDC or PB and four FTMR diets containing 10% or 20% PDC on a DM basis, supplemented with either 0.05% or 0.10% probiotic B. subtilis. Feed intake, apparent nutrient digestibility, rumen fermentation characteristics, microbial populations, and serum metabolites were determined. Dietary treatments did not affect dry matter intake, ruminal pH, NH3-N concentration, total volatile fatty acids, microbial populations, or serum metabolites (p>0.05). Ether extract intake differed among dietary regimens (p<0.05), with greater values in cattle receiving the diets containing 20% PDC with either PB level. Among the dietary regimens evaluated, the complete diet containing 20% PDC and 0.10% PB resulted in the greatest apparent digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, ether extract, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent fiber (p<0.05). Sampling time significantly influenced rumen fermentation parameters, microbial populations, and serum metabolites (p<0.05), reflecting normal postprandial changes after feeding. The digestibility response was attributable to the complete dietary regimen. The independent effects of PDC and PB and their interaction could not be isolated in this design. These results suggest that PDC can be included at up to 20% of dietary dry matter in FTMR containing B. subtilis as an alternative feed resource for beef cattle.
Feed additives are important dietary tools to improve efficiency. The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of Copaiba and/or Thyme essential oils as dietary additives for sheep on nutrient intake, apparent digestibility, nitrogen metabolism, ingestive behavior, infrared thermography, ruminal parameters, and methane production. Four castrated and rumen cannulated Santa Inês (52.2±3.1 kg) male sheep were randomly assigned to a 4×4 Latin square design. The treatments were: basal diet without essential oil (EO; CON); basal diet with 50 mg/kg DM of monensin (MON); basal diet with 500 mg/kg DM of EO of Copaiba (CO); and basal diet with 500 mg/kg DM of EO of Thyme (TM). The inclusion of additives (MON, CO, and TM) in the diet of sheep increased dry matter intake (p<0.001). EO increased CP intake, whereas MON decreased it (p=0.03). CO increased crude protein digestibility (dCP) by approximately 14.46% compared with CON. The additives improved microbial efficiency (p<0.05) compared to CON. However, CO showed better nitrogen balance (p=0.01) than the other treatments. MON resulted in the shortest rumination period (p=0.01) and reduced (p=0.04) rumen temperature. MON reduced acetic acid concentrations (p<0.001) and, consequently, methane emissions (p<0.001). CO also reduced estimated methane production compared to TM and CON (p<0.001). In conclusion, additives increased dry matter intake, and CO and TM enhanced crude protein digestibility. EOs improved nitrogen balance, while MON reduced rumen temperature and decreased methane. EOs showed effects similar to those of MON in mitigating estimated methane production and improving feed efficiency in sheep.
Weaning-associated intestinal and immunometabolic instability in rabbits has intensified interest in oregano essential oil (OEO) as a bioactive regulator of gut integrity, microbial balance, and systemic physiology. This study investigated the dose-dependent effects of OEO supplementation and its interaction with genotype in V-line and Alexandria growing rabbits. A total of 108 weaned rabbits (54 per line; 28 d old) were randomly allocated to six treatments (n = 18/treatment) in a 2 × 3 factorial design comprising two rabbit lines and three OEO levels: 0% (control), 0.0125%, or 0.0250%, administered orally 3 d/week for 35 d. Growth performance, nutrient digestibility, cecal microbiota, serum biochemistry, and humoral immunity were evaluated. Results revealed that OEO supplementation significantly improved final body weight, average daily gain, feed conversion ratio, and performance index and reduced mortality rate (p≤0.003), predominantly through linear dose-dependent responses (p≤0.002). Enhanced digestibility coefficients of crude protein, crude fiber, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent fiber (p≤0.008), with linear and quadratic trends detected for most nutrients. OEO reduced cecal pH and Clostridium perfringens counts (p≤0.025), whereas Lactobacillus abundance exhibited a hormetic response, peaking at 0.0125% OEO, and declining at 0.0250%. Serum total protein, albumin, globulin, HDL, IgG, and IgM increased, whereas cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, and total lipids decreased (p≤0.022), with predominantly linear responses (p≤0.008). V-line rabbits showed superior digestive and fermentative adaptation, whereas Alexandria rabbits exhibited greater immunometabolic resilience, particularly for IgM response (p<0.001). In conclusion, OEO linked microbial modulation with improved digestive efficiency, metabolic homeostasis, and immune competence, supporting it as a promising nutritional strategy for sustainable rabbit production.
