MJAS

Manuscript Details

Effects of garlic (Allium sativum) and ginger (Zingiber officinale) powder and their combination on antioxidant and hematological response in sheep

Afele, T., *Ikyume, T. T., Allu, R. P., Aniche, O. S., Onuh, M. E. and Agbo, E

Department of Animal Production, Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, PMB 2373, Nigeria.

Malaysian J. Anim. Sci. 2020 23(2): 29-39

Click to view the abstract

Garlic and ginger as herbs exhibit strong antioxidant and immunological properties, but their
combination may have a complementary role on each other. This study was done to assess the
complementary effect of supplementing garlic and ginger powder on the antioxidant status and
physiological response of sheep. Sixteen (16) mixed breed rams were maintained on four
experimental diets in a completely randomized design for 84 days. The four diets were Control
(no garlic or ginger powder), GaP (garlic powder 2.5 g/kg diet), GiP (ginger powder 2.5 g/kg
diet) GGP (garlic powder 1.25 g/kg diet + ginger powder 1.25 g/kg diet). A one-way analysis of
variance as contained in the GLM of SPSS (version 23) was used to analyze data on
hematological parameters, serum indices, serum mineral concentration, and oxidative stress
biomarkers of the sheep. Findings from the results revealed a reduction (p<0.05) in red blood cell
total protein and serum concentrations of sodium and calcium in the herbal groups. The reduction
(p<0.05) in the concentration of manganese, iron, and zinc in the ginger powder group was
enhanced (p<0.05) by its combination with garlic powder. Albumin, superoxide dismutase and
malondialdehyde concentrations as markers of oxidative stress were enhanced (p<0.05) in the
herbal combination group compared to only the garlic group. Nitric oxide concentration further
reduced in the herb combination group compared to feeding garlic or ginger alone. The
combination of garlic and ginger powder gave optimum immunological and anti-oxidant
responses than feeding only garlic or ginger. The combination of 1.25 g/kg diet of garlic and
ginger each would achieve an overall better anti-oxidant and immunological performance in
sheep than feeding 2.5 g/kg diet of garlic or ginger singly.