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Dec 31, 2025Keywords:
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Main Article Content
Effect of Dietary Ficus asperifolia on Blood Profile, Caecal Bacterial Load and Liver Histology of Weaner Rabbits
Abstract
This study evaluated the effect of dietary inclusion of Ficus asperifolia leaf meal (FALM) on the blood profile, caecal bacterial load, and liver histology of weaner rabbits. Forty-eight (48) weaner rabbits were used in this 8-week feeding trial and were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments of 12 rabbits (n=12) per group in a completely randomized design. The treatments contained 0%, 0.4%, 0.8%, and 1.2% inclusion levels of FALM. The data obtained were subjected to one-way analysis of variance at 5% level of significance. Results revealed that FALM inclusion led to significant reductions in packed cell volume (PCV) and white blood cell (WBC) counts at the highest level (1.2%), alongside significant alterations in mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), while
0.4% FALM improved red blood cell counts. Blood glucose and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) levels were significantly reduced at 0.8% inclusion (76.67±7.63 and 28.70±8.10 mg/dl, respectively). Increased FALM levels led to reduced total bacterial load and pathogenic bacteria, notably a dose-dependent decline of Escherichia coli from 0.87 to 0.07 ×10⁶ cfu/g. Liver histology revealed severe fibrosis around the portal area and bile duct hyperplasia, moderate bile duct hyperplasia and periportal fibrosis, and mild hepatic degeneration for rabbits fed the control diet, 0.4% and 0.8% FALM diets, respectively, while no observable lesions were recorded for rabbits fed 1.2% FALM diet. The study concluded that 0.8% FALM optimizes blood parameters and gut health, while 1.2% reduces caecal pathogenic bacteria and enhances liver regeneration.
