Nutrient Metabolism and Growth Performance of Endotoxin Induced Sub-Clinical Stress Rats Supplemented with Phytogenic Feed Additive

The present experiment was carried out to assess the impact of the phytogenic feed additives (PFA) of either powder meal or crude extract form supplementation on nutrient digestibility and growth performance of endotoxin-induced sub-clinical stress rats. Adult wistar rat (n=40), distributed into 4 groups, were administered endotoxin alone or with supplementation of PFA in powder meal and crude extract form at the rate of 1.5% and 0.15%, respectively, of total DMI along with an appropriate non-endotoxin control during an eight weeks study period. The weekly body weight and digestion trial at the end of experimental period was conducted to assess the ameliorating effect of PFA on growth performance and nutrient digestibility in rats. The results indicated that endotoxin administration at low dose level of 0.2 μg/kg BW causes no influence on intake of nutrients but lowers the digestibility of OM. However, a decrease (P<0.05) in BW gain was observed at first to third weeks of study which gets tapered and finally diminished in later week of study. It suggests that endotoxin administration at low dose level of 0.2 μg/kg BW in rats induces no significant changes in digestibility of major nutrient but lower voluntary feed intake and the body weight growth during the early week of study, and the phytogenic feed additives (PFA) formulation of either powder meal or crude extract form at selected dose level was effective in arresting these adverse changes to a great extent throughout the study period.