Effect of black cumin seeds (Nigella sativa) on the profile of serum lipids, lipoproteins and fatty acids in pekin ducklings

A total of fifty pekin ducklings were divided into two equal groups. The first group was kept on basal diet and served as a control, while the second group was kept on a diet composed of 20 grams of crushed black cumin seeds per every kilogram of the basal diet (2%) and offered for two weeks. Afterwards the black cumin seed supplementation was stopped and all birds received only basal diet for another two weeks. Blood samples were collected twice from both groups two weeks apart. The obtained sera were used for determination of serum triacylglycerol (TAG), total cholesterol, lipoproteins and free fatty acids. Results revealed that at the end of two weeks of black cumin seeds' administration in duckling ration, serum TAG, total cholesterol, very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-c) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) levels were higher while high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) were lower than in control birds. The same effects were observed two weeks following stopping of black cumin seeds' administration. Although, black cumin seeds were supplemented only for two weeks, concentrations of total saturated fatty acids (SFA) were still higher while monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) were still significantly lower than the control two weeks later. This work concludes that, the examined dose of black cumin seed had hyperlipidemic and hypercholesterolemic effects on pekin ducklings. In addition, these undesirable effects were extended for two weeks following stopping of its administration.