Effect of Oral Administration of Royal Jelly towards Fertility Performance of  Rabbit through Artificial Insemination

Authors

  • Y J Y Tan Department of Agriculture Sciences, Faculty of Agro Based Industry, Jeli Campus, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, 17600 Jeli, Kelantan, Malaysia
  • A M Wakil 3Department of Veterinary Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maiduguri, 600230 Maiduguri, Nigeria
  • S A Mohamad Sukri Department of Agriculture Sciences, Faculty of Agro Based Industry, Jeli Campus, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, 17600 Jeli, Kelantan, Malaysia
  • J Stephen Department of Theriogenology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maiduguri, 600230 Maiduguri, Nigeria
  • R I A Raja Khalif Department of Agriculture Sciences, Faculty of Agro Based Industry, Jeli Campus, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, 17600 Jeli, Kelantan, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.48165/aru.2025.5.1.3

Keywords:

Rabbit, Royal Jelly, Fertility Performance, Artificial Insemination, Pregnancy diagnosis, Ultrasound

Abstract

The rabbit livestock industry is rising rapidly as an alternative protein source in  Malaysia. As the global population increases, alternative food sources such as  rabbit-based products are important for meeting human demand for livestock  products. Optimization of rabbit production relies on reproductive technology.  Assisted reproduction technologies (ART) like artificial insemination (AI) are being  introduced to the farmer to maximize the production of the rabbit industry. However,  local livestock farmers still need to improve their knowledge and technique. Thus,  this study aims to investigate the fertility rate of does using artificial insemination  compared to natural mating (NM) and to determine the effect of different  concentrations of oral administration of royal jelly (RJ) on semen fertility in rabbits.  A total of 12 bucks and 20 does of American White rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)  were used, with ages between 7 to 12 months and average body weights of 2.5 to 3  kg. The bucks were assigned to 4 experimental groups for oral administration: (a)  control A, 0 mg/kg of royal jelly; (b) control B, 0 mg/kg of royal jelly; (c) treatment 1,  100 mg/kg of royal jelly; and (d) treatment 2, 50 mg/kg of royal jelly. Control A rabbit  was mated naturally, while the other groups were mated using AI. Sperm quality  was evaluated through physical criteria: volume, colour, pH, odour, and viscosity.  Pregnancy diagnosis (manual abdominal palpation, real-time ultrasound) was  performed to evaluate the conception rate of the doe. The result that the conception  rate of natural mating (83.33%) was higher compared to artificial insemination  (16.13%). Moreover, oral administration of royal jelly showed a negative effect on  the conception rate of does, where 0 mg/kg of royal jelly showed 36.36%, 100 mg/kg  showed 0%, and 50 mg/kg showed 10% of conception rate.

References

1. Abdelnour, S. A., Abd El-Hack, M. E., Alagawany, M., Taha, A. E., Elnesr, S. S., Abd Elmonem, O. M., & Swelum, A. A. (2020). Useful impacts of royal jelly on reproductive sides, fertility rate and sperm traits of animals. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition (Berl)., 104(6), 1798–1808. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpn.13303

2. Ahmadnia, H., Sharifi, N., Alizadeh, S., Roohani, Z., Kamalati, A., & Marjan, S. (2015). Wonderful effects of royal jelly on treatment of male-factor related infertility. Austin Journal of Reproductive Medicine & Infertility, 2(6), 1031.

3. Akar, İ., & Canooğlu, E. (2009). Ultrasonographic diagnosis of pregnancy in New Zealand white rabbits: 1-Comparison of ultrasonography and abdominal palpation for early pregnancy diagnosis. Erciyes Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Dergisi, 6(2), 89–95.

4. Baruselli, P. S., Ferreira, R. M., Sá Filho, M. F., & Bó, G. A. (2018). Review: Using artificial insemination v. natural service in beef herds. Animal, 12(S1), s45–s52. https://doi.org/10.1017/S175173111800054X

5. Cullere, M., & Dalle Zotte, A. (2018). Rabbit meat production and consumption: State of knowledge and future perspectives. Meat Science, 143, 137–146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2018.04.029

6. El-Gayar, M., Khalil, H., Hanafy, A., Yaseen, M., Hegaze, E., Marthold, D., Gauly, M., & Holtz, W. (2014). Pregnancy detection in rabbits by ultrasonography as compared to manual palpation. Egyptian Journal of Animal Production, 51(3), 196–199.

7. Hidaka, S., Okamoto, Y., Uchiyama, S., Nakatsuma, A., Hashimoto, K., Ohnishi, S. T., & Yamaguchi, M. (2006). Royal jelly prevents osteoporosis in rats: beneficial effects in ovariectomy model and in bone tissue culture model. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 3(3), 339–348. https://doi.org/10.1093/ecam/nel019

8. Idris, S., Audu, H., Lawal, M., Ibinaiye, P., Fadason, S., Muazu, B., & Echekwu, O. (2016). Sonographic diagnosis of pregnancy and study of gestational changes in rabbit-does. Nigerian Veterinary Journal, 37(3), 133–139.

9. Khadr, A., Abdou, A., & El-Sherbiny, A. (2015). Age of puberty and fertility of male New Zealand white rabbits orally administered with royal jelly or/and bee honey. Journal of Animal and Poultry Production, 6(4), 201–217.

10. Mazandarani, M., Barati, F., Farahmand, K., Hoseini, F., & Eghbalsaied, S. (2021). Ultrasound monitoring of pregnancy in mini-lop rabbits. Theriogenology, 174, 47–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.theriogenology.2021.08.014

11. McNitt, J. I., Lukefahr, S. D., Cheeke, P. R., & Patton, N. M. (2013). Rabbit Production (9th ed.).

12. Morrell, J. M. (1995). Artificial insemination in rabbits. British Veterinary Journal, 151(5), 477–488. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0007-1935(05)80022-3

13. Ndors, L., Ajuogu, P., & Nyeche, V. (2015). The assessment of artificial breeding pattern on fertility in rabbit does in the humid tropics. IOSR Journal of Agriculture and Veterinary Science, 8, 81–85.

14. Nizza, A., Di Meo, C., & Taranto, S. (2003). Effect of collection rhythms and season on rabbit semen production. Reproduction in Domestic Animals, 38(6), 436–439. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1439-0531.2003.00458.x

15. Rriad, R. M., Seleem, T., El-Kholy, K., & Rawash, Z. (2016). Effect of sperm concentration and site of insemination on conception rate of rabbits. Alexandria Journal of Veterinary Science, 50(1).

16. Soliman, F., & El-Sabrout, K. (2020). Artificial insemination in rabbits: factors that interfere in assessing its results. Journal of Animal Behaviour and Biometeorology, 8(2), 120–130.

17. Toal, R. L., Walker, M. A., & Henry, G. A. (1986). A comparison of real‐time ultrasound, palpation and radiography in pregnancy detection and litter size determination in the bitch. Veterinary Radiology, 27(4), 102–108.

18. Viudes-de-Castro, M., & Vicente, J. (1996). A simple method for freezing rabbit semen with successful results on fertility and prolificity. Animal Reproduction Science, 44(3), 195–201.

19. Xu, B., Liu, Z., & Zeng, Z. (2011). Effect of royal jelly on growth and reproduction performance of male rabbits. Scientia Agricultura Sinica, 44(10), 2154–2160.

Downloads

Published

2025-06-21

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 1 (2025): Animal Reproduction Update - (Jan-Jun) 2025

Section

Research Article

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Animal Reproduction Update

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.