Effect of adding Foeniculum vulgare and Nigella sativa in the diet before and after lambing on blood metabolites and antioxidant status of Sanjabi ewes and their lambs

Concerning the importance of the transition period and the useful effect of plant medicinal on blood antioxidant capacity, this study was aimed to investigate the effect of using Foeniculum vulgare and Nigella sativa on blood metabolites and antioxidant status of Sanjabi ewes and their lambs during the transition period. The number of 36 Sanjabi ewes with an average weight of 62 ± 8 kg and an average parity of 2.5 ± 0.5 were allocated to three experimental groups from six weeks before parturition to six weeks after that. Treatments were included: 1) control group (basal diet without supplement) and 2) fennel group (basal diet plus 20 grams per kilogram of fennel) and 3) black seed group (base diet plus 20 grams per kilogram of black-seed). To determine the effect of treatments on the activity of glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, alkaline phosphatase, and alanine aminotransferase enzymes and concentrations of glucose, cholesterol, urea, total protein, triglyceride, HDL, LDL, and albumin, blood samples were taken from Jugular veins of ewes and lambs. The total antioxidant status and serum malondialdehyde concentration were also measured. According to the results, fennel in comparison with the control group prevented blood glucose reduction in ewes at lambing. Black seed supplementation increased blood total protein and albumin concentration in the lambs of this group (p < /em>˂0.05). A significant increase in total antioxidants was observed in ewes in both fennel and black seed groups and lambs in the fennel group (p < /em>˂0.05). The addition of black seed to the diet decreased malondialdehyde in the blood of lambs and ewes (p < /em>˂0.05). The lambs in the fennel group showed higher levels of glutathione peroxidase activity (p < /em>˂0.05). There was no significant difference between treatments in other studied enzymes in this study. The results of this study showed that adding fennel and black seed in the ewe diet before and after lambing may cause positive and constant changes in important blood metabolites, and improve antioxidant status in ewes and their lambs.