Effects of various levels of rosemary and oregano volatile oil mixture on oxidative stress parameters in quails

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the possible effects of various levels of rosemary and oregano volatile oil mixture dietary supplementation on oxidative status parameters in the blood and various organs of quails. A total of 880 one-day-old Pharaoh quails (Coturnix coturnix Pharaoh) including both males and females, were divided into four groups containing 220 quails and treated as follows: a control group with 0 mg volatile oil (VO)/kg of diet; group I, with 100 mg/kg rosemary VO (RVO) plus 100 mg/kg oregano VO (OVO, 50:50%); group II, 60 mg/kg rosemary VO plus 140 mg/kg oregano VO (30:70%); and group III, 140 mg/kg rosemary VO plus 60 mg/kg oregano VO (70:30%). The diets were prepared fresh for each treatment. The experiment was carried out for 42 days. The quails were euthanized and then serum, erythrocyte, heart, liver and spleen were obtained. Serum malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), antioxidant activity (AOA), glutathione (GSH), vitamin A (VA), vitamin C (VC), erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD), as well as MDA, NO and SOD levels from the heart, liver and spleen were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results of the study show that whereas the lowest serum MDA and serum NO values were observed in group III (p< 0.05), the highest serum MDA and serum NO values were in group I (p<0.05). Moreover, the highest NO and SOD levels in group I were found in the liver and spleen, respectively (p<0.05). In conclusion, supplementation with a rosemary and oregano VO mixture to the diets of quails may alter the antioxidant activity depending on the diets, and the most effective doses of rosemary and oregano VO mixture were 70 and 30%, respectively.

Key words: Rosemary, oregano, oxidative status, quail.