Effects of lycopene on growth performance,serum biochemical indexes,immune function,and antioxidant capacity of meat rabbits under high temperature in summer
ZUO Zhaoyun
XIE Hongmei
WEN Huamei
XU Yaqiong
LIU Shichao
WANG Weile
Abstract：The study aimed to investigate the effects of lycopene(LP)on the growth,serum biochemical indexes,immune function,and antioxidant capacity of meat rabbits under high-temperature conditions in summer.A total of 120 healthy 45-day-old Ira meat rabbits were selected and randomly divided into five groups,with six replicates per group and four rabbits per replicate.The control group was fed a basal diet,while the experimental groups were fed diets supplemented with 5,10,15,and 20 mg/kg of LP,respectively.The pre-trial period lasted for one week,and the formal trial period lasted for five weeks.The results showed that the addition of different doses of LP significantly increased the average daily weight gain of meat rabbits,and significantly decreased the feed-to-weight ratio(P＜0.05).Compared with the control group,the serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)content in the 10 and 20 mg/kg LP groups was significantly reduced(P＜0.05),while the serum immunoglobulin A(IgA)content in the 5 mg/kg LP group was significantly increased(P＜0.05).Compared with the control group,the total antioxidant capacity(T-AOC)of serum and the activity of glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px)in the liver were significantly increased in the 15 and 20 mg/kg LP groups(P＜0.05),and the serum and liver malondialdehyde(MDA)content in the 10 mg/kg LP group and the liver MDA content in the 20 mg/kg LP group was significantly decreased(P＜0.05).The study indicates that the addition of LP to the diet can improve the growth performance of meat rabbits,regulate lipid metabolism,and enhance the antioxidant capacity of rabbits in summer.The appropriate addition level of LP is 10～20 mg/kg.
Keywords：meat rabbitslycopeneheat stressgrowth performanceserum biochemical indexesimmune functionantioxidant capacity
Publication Date：2025-02-16
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：6( 79-84 )