Home⇛Annals of Tropical Research⇛vol. 47 no. 2 (2025)

Antioxidant effect of black seed oil (Nigella sativa) on blood and meat in rabbits simultaneously stressed by transport and heat

Rachchad Khadija | Farh Mohamed | El Khasmi Mohammed

 

Abstract:

Transportation and heat are crucial stressors that affect animal welfare and homeostasis, as well as the organoleptic and sensory quality of meat in livestock animals. This study evaluated the antioxidant effect of Nigella oil in rabbits exposed simultaneously to transport and heat. Five groups (Gr) of 5 rabbits were acclimatized 22-24 C for 60 days. o at During this period, Gr1, Gr2, and Gr3 received orally at 10am 2.5mL NaCl -1 -1 (0.9%.kg day ), while in the same way Gr4 and Gr5 received 2 and 3mL NOkg , respectively. At the end of the treatment, Gr 1 was left exposed to -1 22-24 o o C, and Gr2 was exposed to 33-34 C for 1h and 30mins, and then non-transported. Meanwhile, Gr3, Gr4, and Gr5 were transported (80km) o at 33±1 C. Blood was collected to analyze Neutrophil/Lymphocyte ratio (NLR), glucose, malondialdehyde (MDA) and Catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Muscle samples (longissimus dorsi) were collected to analyze the ultimate pH (pHu), MDA, and cooking loss (CL). In non-pretreated and non-transported rabbits, those exposed to heat (Gr2) showed a significant (p < .05) increase in NLR, glucose, MDA, pHu, and CL, associated with a significant (p < .05) decrease in SOD and CAT, compared to those exposed to thermal neutrality (Gr1). In nonpretreated rabbits, transport association with heat (Gr3) significantly increased (p < .05) NLR, glucose, MDA, pHu, and CL, and significantly decreased (p < .05) CAT and SOD compared to the heat alone group (Gr2). In transported rabbits under heat (Gr4), the pretreatment (2mL -1 -1 NOkg d ) significantly reduced (p < .05) NLR, glucose, MDA, pHu, and CL, and increased (p < .05) CAT and SOD, compared to non-pretreated animals (Gr3). In conclusion, NO attenuated the oxidation induced by transport-associated heat in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting that Nigella seeds could be used as a dietary supplement against preslaughter stress in rabbits.



References:

  1. Cockram, M.Abdel-Wareth, A. A. A., Taha, E. M. M., Südekum, K. H., & Lohakare, J. (2018). Thyme oil inclusion levels in a rabbit ration: Evaluation of productive performance, carcass criteria and meat quality under hot environmental conditions. Animal Nutrition, 4(4), 410–416. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aninu.2018.02.004
  2. Abdelnour, S. A., El-Ratel, I. T., Peris, S. I., El-Raghi, A. A., & Fouda, S. F. (2022). Effects of dietary thyme essential oil on blood haematobiochemical, redox status, immunological and reproductive variables of rabbit does exposed to high environmental temperature. Italian Journal of Animal Science, 21(1), 51–61. https://doi.org/10.1080/1828051X.2021.2006807
  3. Alberts, A., Moldoveanu, E.-T., Niculescu, A.-G., & Grumezescu, A. M. (2024). Nigella sativa: A comprehensive review of its therapeutic potential, pharmacological properties, and clinical applications. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 25(24), 13410. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms252413410
  4. AlGaradi, M. A., Sindi, R. A., Al-Gabrif, N., Mohamed, E. A., & Sameh, A. A. (2024). Effects of dietary thymoquinone inclusion on antioxidative, oxidative, proinflammatory responses, semen attributes and testicular changes in heat-stressed rabbit bucks. Annals of Animal Science, 24(1), 109-119. https://doi.org/10.2478/aoas-2023-0060
  5. Amici, A., Franci, O., Mastroiacono, P., Merendino, N., Nardini, M., & Tomassi, G. (2000). Short term acute heat stress in rabbits: Functional, metabolic and immunological effects. World Rabbit Science, 8(1), 11–16. https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2000.412
  6. Apalowo, O. O., Ekunseitan, D. A., & Fasina, Y. O. (2024). Impact of heat stress on broiler chicken production. Poultry, 3(2), 107–128. https://doi.org/10.3390/poultry3020010
  7. Asghar, M. U., Doğan, S. C., Wilk, M., & Korczyński, M. (2022). Effect of dietary supplementation of black cumin seeds (Nigella sativa) on performance, carcass traits, and meat quality of Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica). Animals, 12(10), 1298. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12101298
  8. Bellavance, M. A., & Rivest, S. (2014). The HPA–immune axis and the immunomodulatory actions of glucocorticoids in the brain. Frontiers in Immunology, 5, 136. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2014.00136
  9. Botsoglou, N. A., Fletouris, D. J., Papageorgiou, G. E., Vassilopoulos, V. N., Mantis, A. J., & Trakatellis, A. G. (1994). Rapid, sensitive, and specific thiobarbituric acid method for measuring lipid peroxidation in animal tissue, food and feedstuff samples. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 42(9), 1931–1937. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jf00045a019
  10. Bouzekraoui, A. (2002). The Tadla Rabbits (Morocco). In M. H. Khalil & M. Baselga (Eds.), Rabbit genetic resources in Mediterranean countries (pp. 169–174). CIHEAM (Options Méditerranéennes: Série B. Études et Recherches, No. 38). https://om.ciheam.org/web/controleurFrontal.php?action=afficherArticle&IDPDF=2600021
  11. Cherif, M., Valenti, B., Abidi, S., Luciano, G., Mattioli, S., Pauselli, M., Bouzarraa, I., Priolo, A., & Ben Salem, H. (2018). Supplementation of Nigella sativa seeds to Barbarine lambs raised on low- or high-concentrate diets: Effects on meat fatty acid composition and oxidative stability. Meat Science, 139, 134–141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2018.01.022
  12. Chiericato, G. M., Bailoni, L., & Rizzi, C. (1992). The effect of environmental temperature on the performance of growing rabbits. In Proceedings of the 5th World Rabbit Congress (pp. 723–731). Corvallis, Oregon, USA, July 25–30, 1992. http://world-rabbit-science.com/WRSA-Proceedings/Congress-1992-Corvallis/Communications-pdf/E01-CHIERICATO.pdf
  13.  S., & Dulal, K. J. (2018). Injury and mortality in broilers during handling and transport to slaughter. Canadian Journal of Animal Science, 98(3), 416-432. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjas-2017-0076
  14. Cunha, L. C. M., Monteiro, M. L. G., Lorenzo, J. M., Munekata, P. E. S., Muchenje, V., de Carvalho, F. A. L., & Conte-Junior, C. A. (2018). Natural antioxidants in processing and storage stability of sheep and goat meat products. Food Research International, 111, 379-390. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2018.05.041
  15. Dalle Zotte, A., Pontalti, E., Cullere, M., Gerencsér, Zs., Matics, Zs., & Szendrő, Zs. (2025). Effect of heat stress on meat quality of growing rabbits divergently selected for body fat content. Italian Journal of Animal Science, 24(1), 13-24. https://doi.org/10.1080/1828051X.2024.2438840 Taylor & Francis Online+2ResearchGate+2
  16. Dalle Zotte, A. (2002). Perception of rabbit meat quality and major factors influencing the rabbit carcass and meat quality. Livestock Production Science, 75, 11-32. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0301-6226(01)00308-6 ScienceDirect+2ResearchGate+2
  17. El Bayomi, R. M., Shata, R. H., & Mahmoud, A. F. A. (2023). Effects of edible chitosan coating containing Salvia rosmarinus essential oil on quality characteristics and shelf-life extension of rabbit meat during chilled storage. Journal of Food Measurement and Characterization, 17, 2464-2474. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11694-023-01804-z
  18. El Khasmi, M., Issaoub Allah, A., Farh, M., Riad, F., Safwate, A., El Abbadi, N., & Tahri, E. H. (2011). Effet de l’huile fixe de la nigelle (Nigella sativa L.) sur le profil des androgènes chez le rat mâle. Phytothérapie, 9(6), 338-342. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10298-011-0654-1 SpringerLink
  19. El-Adawy, M. M., Salem, A. Z., Khodeir, M. H., Khusro, A., Elghandour, M. M., Hernández, S. R., & Al-Shamandy, O. A. (2020). Influence of four tropical medicinal and aromatic plants on growth performance, digestibility, and blood constituents of rabbits. Agroforestry Systems, 94(4), 1279-1289. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-018-0322-7
  20. El-Ratel, I. T., Attia, K. A. H., El-Raghi, A. A., & Fouda, S. F. (2021). Relief of the negative effects of heat stress on semen quality, reproductive efficiency and oxidative capacity of rabbit bucks using different natural antioxidants. Animal Bioscience, 34(5), 844-854. https://doi.org/10.5713/ajas.20.0258
  21. El-Tarabany, M. S., Ahmed-Farid, O. A., Nassan, M. A., & Salah, A. S. (2021). Oxidative stability, carcass traits, and muscle fatty acid and amino acid profiles in heat-stressed broiler chickens. Antioxidants, 10(11), 1725. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox10111725
  22. Farh, M., Kadil, Y., Tahri, E. H., Abounasr, M., Riad, F., El Khasmi, M., & Tazi, A. (2017). Évaluation des effets anxiolytiques, antidépressifs et mnésiques de l’huile des graines de la nigelle chez le rat. Phytothérapie. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10298-017-1095-7
  23. Garner, J. B., Chamberlain, A. J., Vander Jagt, C., Nguyen, T. T. T., Mason, B. A., Marett, L. C., Leury, B. J., Wales, W. J., & Hayes, B. J. (2020). Gene expression of the heat stress response in bovine peripheral white blood cells and milk somatic cells in vivo. Scientific Reports, 10(1), 19181. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-75438-2
  24. Gonzalez-Rivas, P. A., Chauhan, S. S., Ha, M., Fegan, N., Dunshea, F. R., & Warner, R. D. (2020). Effects of heat stress on animal physiology, metabolism, and meat quality: A review. Meat Science, 162, 108025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2019.108025
  25. Harbuz, M. S., Jessop, D. S., Chowdrey, H. S., Blackwell, J. M., Larsen, P. J., & Lightman, S. L. (1995). Evidence for altered control of hypothalamic CRF in immune-mediated diseases. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 771(1), 449–458. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.1995.tb44701.x
  26. Hernández, P., & Dalle Zotte, A. (2010). Influence of diet on rabbit meat quality. In C. De Blas & J. Wiseman (Eds.), The nutrition of the rabbit (pp. 163–178). CABI Publishing. https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/10.1079/9781845936693.0163
  27. Islam, M. A., Lomax, S., Doughty, A., Islam, M. R., Jay, O., Thomson, P., & Clark, C. (2021). Automated monitoring of cattle heat stress and its mitigation. Frontiers in Animal Science, 2, 737213. https://doi.org/10.3389/fanim.2021.737213
  28. Jimoh, O. A., Ewuola, E. O., & Balogun, A. S. (2017). Oxidative stress markers in exotic breeds of rabbit during peak of heat stress in Ibadan, Nigeria. Journal of Advances in Biology & Biotechnology, 12(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.9734/JABB/2017/30437
  29. Kuang, L. D., Li, C. Y., Guo, Z. Q., Ren, Y. J., Zheng, J., Mei, X. L., Yang, R., Xie, X. H., & Lei, M. (2021). Effects of heat stress on reproductive performance, serum biochemical indexes and reproductive hormones in female rabbits of Qixing. Southwest China Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 34(6), 1323–1329. https://doi.org/10.16213/j.cnki.scjas.2021.6.027
  30. Kumari, K. N. R., & Nath, D. N. (2018). Ameliorative measures to counter heat stress in poultry. World’s Poultry Science Journal, 74(1), 117–130. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0043933917001003
  31. Lara, L. J., & Rostagno, M. H. (2013). Impact of heat stress on poultry production. Animals, 3(2), 356–369. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani3020356
  32. Li, D. X., Yang, S. H., & He, J. B. (2010). The effect of heat stress on the levels of CAT and SOD in rabbit pituitary gland and hypothalamus. Advanced Veterinary Medical, 31, 77–80. https://doi.org/10.16437/j.cnki.1007-5038.2010.06.020
  33. Li, M., Wang, W., Fang, W., & Li, Y. (2013). Inhibitory effects of chitosan coating combined with organic acids on Listeria monocytogenes in refrigerated ready-to-eat shrimps. Journal of Food Protection, 76(8), 1377–1383. https://doi.org/10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-12-516
  34. Liang, Z. L., Chen, F., Park, S., Balasubramanian, B., & Liu, W. C. (2022). Impacts of heat stress on rabbit immune function, endocrine, blood biochemical changes, antioxidant capacity and production performance, and the potential mitigation strategies of nutritional intervention. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 9, 906084. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2022.906084
  35. Marai, I. F. M., Haeeb, A. A. M., & Gad, A. E. (2007). Biological functions in young pregnant rabbit does as affected by heat stress and lighting regime under subtropical conditions of Egypt. Tropical and Subtropical Agroecosystems, 7(3), 165–176. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237042728_Biological_functions_in_young_pregnant_rabbit_does_as_affected_by_heat_stress_and_lighting_regime_under_subtropical_conditions_of_Egypt
  36. Matics, Z., Gerencser, Z., Kasza, R., Terhes, K., Nagy, I., Radnai, A. D., Dalle Zotte, A., Cullere, M., & Szendrö, Z. I. (2021). Effect of ambient temperature on the productive and carcass traits of growing rabbits divergently selected for body fat content. Animal, 15(2), 100096. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2020.100096
  37. Morshdy, A. M., Al Ashkar, A. T., & Mahmoud, A. F. A. (2021). Improving the quality and shelf life of rabbit meat during chilled storage using lemongrass and black seed oils. Journal of Animal Health and Production, 9(S1), 56–61. http://dx.doi.org/10.17582/journal.jahp/2021/9.s1.56.61
  38. Nasr, A. M., Aboul Ela, S. E. S., Ismail, I. E., Aldhahrani, A., Soliman, M. M., Alotaibi, S. S., Bassiony, S. S., & Abd El-Hack, M. E. (2022). A comparative study among dietary supplementations of antibiotic, grape seed and chamomile oils on growth performance and carcass properties of growing rabbits. Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences, 29(4), 2483–2488. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sjbs.2021.12.016
  39. Nielsen, S. S., Alvarez, J., Bicout, D. J., Calistri, P., Depner, K., Drewe, J. A., Garin-Bastuji, B., Gonzales Rojas, J. L., Gortázar Schmidt, C., Michel, V., Miranda Chueca, M. Á., Roberts, H. C., Sihvonen, L. H., Stahl, K., Velarde Calvo, A., Viltrop, A., Winckler, C., Candiani, D., Fabris, C., … Spoolder, H. (2020). Stunning methods and slaughter of rabbits for human consumption. EFSA Journal, 18(1), e05927. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2020.5927
  40. Odhaib, K. J., Adeyemi, K. D., & Sazili, A. Q. (2018). Carcass traits, fatty acid composition, gene expression, oxidative stability and quality attributes of different muscles in Dorper lambs fed Nigella sativa seeds, Rosmarinus officinalis leaves and their combination. Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences, 31(8), 1345–1357. https://doi.org/10.5713/ajas.17.0468
  41. Paoletti, F., Aldinucci, D., Mocali, A., & Caparrini, A. (1986). A sensitive spectrophotometric method for the determination of superoxide dismutase activity in tissue extracts. Analytical Biochemistry, 154(2), 536–541. https://doi.org/10.1016/0003-2697(86)90026-6
  42. Pop, R. M., Sabin, O., Suciu, Ș., Vesa, S. C., Socaci, S. A., Chedea, V. S., Bocsan, I. C., & Buzoianu, A. D. (2020). Nigella sativa’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects in experimental inflammation. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland), 9(10), 921. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox9100921
  43. Rachchad, K., Tabite, R., Moussahil, A., Farh, M., & El Khasmi, M. (2024). Evaluation of Nigella seed oil effect against oxidant stress during ageing of camel meat. African Journal of Agricultural Research, 20(11), 998–1005. https://academicjournals.org/journal/AJAR/article-references/BA6B86072788
  44. Rachchad, K., Farh, M., & El Khasmi, M. (2025). Antioxidant effect of Nigella oil on heated camel and rabbit meat. Theory and Practice of Meat Processing, 10(2), 120–127. https://www.meatjournal.ru/jour/article/view/458/0
  45. Rahman, M., & Kim, S. J. (2016). Effects of dietary Nigella sativa seed supplementation on broiler productive performance, oxidative status and qualitative characteristics of thighs meat. Italian Journal of Animal Science, 15(2), 241–247. https://doi.org/10.1080/1828051X.2016.1159925
  46. Rasińska, E., Rutkowska, J., Czarniecka-Skubina, E., & Tambor, K. (2019). Effects of cooking methods on changes in fatty acids contents, lipid oxidation and volatile compounds of rabbit meat. LWT – Food Science and Technology, 110, 64–70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2019.04.067
  47. Sabés-Alsina, M., Tallo-Parra, O., Mogas, M. T., Morrell, J. M., & López-Béjar, M. (2016). Heat stress has an effect on motility and metabolic activity of rabbit spermatozoa. Animal Reproduction Science, 173, 18–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anireprosci.2016.08.004
  48. Simova, V., Voslarova, E., Vecerek, V., Passantino, A., & Bedanova, I. (2017). Effects of travel distance and season of the year on transport-related mortality in cattle. Animal Science Journal, 88(3), 526–532. https://doi.org/10.1111/asj.12658
  49. Sinha, A. K. (1972). Colorimetric assay of catalase. Analytical Biochemistry, 47(2), 389–394. https://doi.org/10.1016/0003-2697(72)90132-7
  50. Suba-Bokodi, É., Nagy, I., & Molnár, M. (2024). The impact of transportation on the cortisol level of dwarf rabbits bred for animal-assisted interventions. Animals, 14(5), 664. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14050664
  51. Voslarova, E., Vecerek, V., Bedanova, I., & Vecerkova, L. (2018). Mortality in rabbits transported for slaughter. Animal Science Journal, 89(6), 931–936. https://doi.org/10.1111/asj.13002
  52. Zeferino, C. P., Komiyama, C. M., Fernandes, S., Sartori, J. R., Teixeira, P. S., & Moura, A. S. (2013). Carcass and meat quality traits of rabbits under heat stress. Animal: An International Journal of Animal Bioscience, 7(3), 518–523. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1751731112001838

Tools


Copyright © 2026  KITE Digital Educational Solutions |  Exclusively distributed by CE-Logic