HAEMATOLOGY, SERUM INDICES AND CHANGES IN WEIGHT OF INTERNAL ORGANS OF RATS FED PROCESSED JATROPHA CURCAS L. SEED

Abstract

The seed of toxic Jatropha curcas L. when processed appropriately is potential plant protein source for farm animals. A total of thirty weanling male Wistar albino rats weighing 80-100g was randomly allocated to five dietary treatments with six replications (n=1) and fed four diets containing 10% crude protein: casein (T1)-control diet, N-haxane extracted, oven-dried dehulled jatropha seed (T2), autoclaved and oven-dried raw dehulled jatropha seed (T3), solvent extracted, autoclaved, and oven-dried dehulled Jatropha seed, while a protein free diet served as a negative control (T5). The rats were allocated to the dietary treatments in a complete randomize design.The feeding trial lasted 10 days. Haematology, serum biochemistry and weight changes in the internal organs were investigated. By the 10th day the rats on hexane extracted oven dried rats had all died. Rats fed jatropha based diets show more progressive body weight losses and reduced feed intake compared to rats on protein free diets. Rats fed hexane extracted, autoclaved and oven dried Jatropha had poorer Pack Cell Volume, Haemoglobin and Red blood cells values. White blood cells were however not affected in rats irrespective of treatment applied. The aspartate aminotransaminase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and cholesterol were also similar for all treatments (p>0.05). Feeding jatropha based diets to rats led to lower values of very low density lipoproteins, Triglycerides and Total proteins compare to the control. Unlike the kidney and liver weights the heart and lung weights were not affected by inclusion of Jatropha seed cake (p >0.05). Solvent extraction, application of heat either singly or in combination did not improve the value of Jatropha in rats compared to the rats fed casein-based and protein free diets.