Amelioration of Sarcoptic Mange-Induced Oxidative Stress and Growth Performance in Ivermectin-Treated Growing Rabbits Using Turmeric Extract Supplementation

Simple Summary Sarcoptic mange is a common rabbit disease that can be spread directly from sick to healthy rabbits. Infection in rabbits causes intense pruritus, head shaking, and scabby lesions on the inner side of the pinnae and on the external ear canal, as well as diminished growth performance and an increased rate of oxidative stress. Ivermectin has been shown to be an effective treatment for sarcoptic mange in rabbits; however, it has side effects on their performance. Botanicals such as turmeric extract have a remarkable antioxidant potential contributing to the deterrence of Sarcoptes-induced oxidative discrepancy in rabbits. The goal of this study was to investigate if turmeric extract can alleviate side effects in Ivermectin-treated rabbits while simultaneously improving their performance and antioxidant status. The results indicated that turmeric extract was utilized with varied efficacy against mites, and also helped rabbits recover faster and improved Ivermectin’s miticidal efficacy by improving performance and compromised immunity. Turmeric extract has strong antioxidant properties, suggesting that it could be used as an adjunctive remedy to reduce the side effects of Ivermectin while treating clinical rabbit sarcoptic mange. Furthermore, no adverse effects were observed in turmeric extract adjunctively supplemented rabbits, and the provided dose regimen of these supplements was found to be safe. Abstract In this experiment, the protective effect of turmeric extract (TE) on side effects of Ivermectin-treated rabbits, while improving their performance, blood characteristics, and antioxidant status, was investigated. Sixty-three clinically Sarcoptes-infested rabbits aged 60 days were randomly allocated into three groups, with 21 rabbits in each group, to receive either no TE or TE supplementation (1 or 2 mg/kg diet) for 30 days after being subcutaneously injected with Ivermectin (IVM) 1% w/v at a dose of 0.2 mg/kg body weight twice a week. Another 21 healthy rabbits were used as the control. Treatment with IVM + 1 and 2 mg TE improved body weight (BW), body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) in infested rabbits (p < 0.05). The IVM alone treatment had the highest mortality rate compared with the other treatments. Rabbits treated with IVM + 1 and 2 mg TE demonstrated progressive recovery manifested by improved nutrient digestibility and nitrogen balance. On day 7, the serum total protein, albumin, and albumin/globulin (A/G) ratio were significantly lower in the treated groups compared with the control group; also, the lowest values were observed in rabbits treated only with Ivermectin, followed by IVM + 1 and 2 mg TE. Treated rabbits had higher thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBAR) levels, but lower total antioxidant capacity (TAC), superoxidase dismutase (SOD), and glutathion peroxidase (GSH-Px) levels compared with the control group. On day 30 post-treatment, the rabbits in the IVM + 1 and 2 mg TE treatment groups showed progressive recovery manifested by improved biochemichal parameters, as well as a remarkable improvements in the oxidant/antioxidant balance towards normalcy (p < 0.05), and became comparable to that of the control compared with IVM alone treatment. In conclusion, turmeric extract improved rabbits’ performance toward normalcy, and has remarkable antioxidant properties and can be used in conjunction with a miticide to treat sarcoptic mange in rabbits.