The effect of lemongrass, Cymbopogon citratus, on some physiological parameters in male Awassi lambs

This study was conducted to study the effect of dietary supplementation of lemongrass, Cymbopogon citratus, on some physiological characteristics of male Awassi lambs. Twelve male Awassi lambs with ages of 3-4 months, and an average weight of 20.13±0.58kg, were randomly divided into four groups (4 animals per group) as (T1) control, T2, T3, and T4 were Added dietary lemongrass at rates of 0.5, 1 and 1.5%/kg dry matter of concentrated feed, respectively, for 90 days. The results revealed a significant increase (P≤0.05) in the numbers of red blood cells (RBC), hemoglobin (Hb), packed cell volume (PCV) and lymphocytes in the T3 compared to the control group. A significant decrease was also recorded in the numbers of white blood cells, MCV, MCH, and neutrophils in T3 and T4, while the monocytes and basophils and MCHC did not differ significantly (P≤0.05) in treatments. There was also a significant decrease (P≤0.05) in the cholesterol, low-density lipoproteins, serum creatinine, liver enzymes AST and ALT in animals treated with lemongrass, whereas, the total protein, albumin, globulin, glucose, testosterone and serum urea were not significantly affected. The results revealed that supplementation of lemongrass at rates of 0.5, 1 and 1.5%/kg dry matter of concentrated feed for male Awassi lambs can improve some blood parameters that are related to the growth and health of lambs.