Evaluation of the effect of Carica papaya seed on the growth performance of fattening rabbits.

Successful breeding depends on feeding. The present study aims to evaluate the Carica papaya seed effect on the growth performance of rabbits. The zootechnical parameters studied are weight growth, average daily gain, Feed Conversion Ratio, and carcass characteristics of kits. The experiment was conducted on 48 rabbits, divided into 4 groups, for 6 weeks. Forty-eight rabbits were divided into four (04) groups of 3 repetitions of 4 rabbits. The animals were fed diets containing various levels of papaya seed powder at variable contents: 0% (group T0), 4% (group T1), 6% (group T2), and 8% (group T3). At the end of the experiment, three animals were slaughtered in each animal group to assess the quality of the carcasses and organs. 6% of the seeds of Carica papaya significantly improved (p < 0.05) the average daily gain of the kits: T2 (22.40 g / d) compared to the T0 group (11.32 g / d), T1 (12.20 g / d) and T3 (17.53 g / d). The best Feed Conversion Ratio (0.80) was recorded in the animals of group T2. In contrast, the highest carcass yield was recorded in the rabbits of group T3 (62.70%). In conclusion, 6% was optimal in the feed rations of fattened rabbits to improve production performance. Breeders can consider the benefits of introducing Carica papaya seeds into the rabbits' diet.

In vitro effects of tannin and extracts of Bridelia ferruginea and Mitragyna inermis on the exsheathment of infective larvae of Haemonchuscontortus.

Bridelia ferruginea (Euphorbiaceae) and Mitragyna inermis (Rubiaceae) are two plants of the beninese pharmacopeia used in vivo for the control of gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs) in small ruminants. The objective of the present study is to explore the mechanism of bioactive compounds involved in the action of these two plants on the third-stage infective larvae (L3s) of Haemonchus contortus. Thus, sheathed L3s of H. contortus were incubated with acetone extracts of B. ferruginea and M. inermis at concentrations of 0, 150, 300, 600 and 1200 µg/mL for 3 h at 25°C. The L3s were then washed and artificially submitted to exsheathment in the presence of sodium hypochlorite solution. The role of tannins was verified by adding a tannin inhibitor, polyvinyl polypyrrolidone (PVPP), to the acetone extracts of these two plants for 2 h at 25°C. Acetone extracts from B. ferruginea and M. inermis inhibited the exsheathment of H. contortus larvae (p < 0.001) and this inhibitory effect was dose-dependent for M. inermis at the concentrations tested. Treatment of B. ferruginea and M. inermis extracts with PVPP was associated with a partial restoration of the exsheathment kinetics of H. contortus larvae (p < 0.001), confirming the predominant role of tannins but also the residual role of other secondary metabolites. These in vitro results suggest that these plants are endowed with anthelmintic (AHs) properties and therefore likely to be used as alternatives to synthetic molecules.