Guinea pig diet is essentially based on the use of grasses associated with protein sources. Then, in to improve the herbivores nutrition, the evaluation of intake and In vivo digestibility of Pennisetum purpureum or Panicum maximum in guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) was carried out in January 2017 at the University of Dschang research and experimental farm and animal production and nutrition laboratory. 20 adult animals of local breed on average weight 450 ± 50g and aged about 5 months were used. They were organized into two batches of 10 animals each (5 males and 5 females). The first batch received 250g of fresh matter of Pennisetum purpureum + 60g concentrate/animal/day, while the second received the same treatment with Panicum maximum as grasses. Leftover and animals were weighed every morning before food distributions, and drinking water containing vitamin C was served ad libitum. According to the results, the highest ingestion was obtained with Panicum maximum. However, the digestibility different nutrients was comparable between treatments; nevertheless, males fed on P. maximum digested crude cellulose (63.78%) better than males fed on P. purpureum (51.17%). With regard to the variation of the bacterial rate of the caecal flora, enterobacteria of animals fed P. maximum was high (11.20 CFU/ml) compared to those of the animals receiving P. purpureum (7.27 CFU/ml), although regardless of the treatment, the level of lactobacilli was higher than that of enterobacteria. In view of the results obtained, these grasses can be alternatively used in feeding guinea pigs. Show less

The intake and in vivo digestibility of Trypsacumlaxum in guinea pigs according to the graded level of spirulina was evaluated in Cameroon. 20 animals aged of 6 months with an average weight of 450 ± 50 g were randomly divided into 4 equivalent groups. Each group received T. laxum and 40g of compound feed containing 0% (TS0), 2% (TS2), 4% (TS4), and 6% (TS6) of spirulina. Feed intake was the different between the left over and the quantity served. The sample of T. laxum and those of each diet as well as feces were collected and analyzed for the apparent digestibility of each nutrient. Animals were weighed at the beginning and at the end of each period of the test to determine the body weight gain. This study showed that the average daily intake of dry matter (DM) for TS0, TS2, TS4 and TS6 was 74.39 ± 2.98, 78.66 ± 3.14, 83.89 ± 4.28 and 77.76 ± 4.40 g/head/day. The highest apparent digestibility coefficients of different nutrients were obtained with animals fed TS6 group while the lowest were observed in TS0.The apparent digestibility coefficient of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM) and crude protein (CP) of the supplemented group were statistically higher than those of the control diet. Animals’ weight performances were statistically comparable between treatments. Thus, the combination of T. laxum with concentrated feed containing spirulina can be recommended for guinea-pigs, but the level of incorporation may not exceed 4% of its daily ration. Show less

Background Nephrotoxicity is a complication due to the effect of some toxic chemicals on kidney. Current study planned to screen the effect of Trigonella foenumaqueous seeds extracts on EDTA induced nephrotoxicity. Trigonella foenum known for its various medicinal properties is also a natural antioxidant and a free radical scavenger with no documented evidence as a nephron-protective agent. Objective To investigate the protective effects of aqueous seed extracts of Trigonella foenum. Material and Methods The present study was used 40 male albino rats (Rattus albinus) with weight of (150 ± 10) g with divided into four groups: control gp; EDTA gp (95 mg/kg); Trigonella foenum gp (500 mg/kg) and EDTA + Trigonella f oenum gp by gastric tube daily for 4 weeks. Blood urea, creatinine, GFR, creatinine clearance, MDA and GPx analyses and microscopic examination of kidney were performed. Results In the present study, Blood samples were taken from all groups and concentration of serum urea, creatinine, GFR, Creatinine clearance, MDA and GPx were determined. Histopathological observations were observed in kidney tissue. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA). EDTA induced an increase in urea and creatinine as well as there was a decrease in the concentration of GFR and creatinine clearance. The level of MDA was increase while the concentration of GPx was decrease in the serum of EDTA group. The aqueous extracts of Trigonella seeds significantly prevented renal damage by normalizing increased levels of renal markers. The correction of oxidative stress biomarkers was consistent with amelioration of the histopathological changes induced by EDTA. Hence, it is suggested that ameliorative effect of aqueous extract of Trigonella foenumagainst EDTA induced nephrotoxicity. Conclusion The present data suggest that aqueous extract of Trigonella foenum exhibits reno-protective effect in EDTA induced renal damage. Show less