Gender effect on the metabolic profile of ostriches (Struthio camelus domesticus)

Abstract

In order to better define the effect of the sex on the metabolic profile of young ostriches (Struthio camelus domesticus), forty birds were divided into two groups by sex (20 males vs20 females). The animals were fed ad libitumnatural pasture and corn silage. The daily ration was completed by administering 1200 g/head of a commercial concentrate with the following chemical composition expressed as a percentage of dry mat- ter: crude protein 18.8, crude fibre 8.4, ether extract 3.6, ash 7.5. After about 12 h of fasting, in the mor- ning the blood was collected from the wing vein. The following biochemical parameters were determined: glu- cose, cholesterol, triglycerides, lactate (LAC), total protein (TP), uric acid, total bilirubin (Tbil), creatinine (CREA), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), phosphorus (P), natrium (Na), potassium (K), chloride (Cl), iron (Fe), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (AP), choline- sterase (ChE); α-amylase (Amyl), lipase (LIPA); γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT). Sex significantly affected only some haematic parameters: in the females total protein and calcium were higher than in the males (TP, 43.3 vs38.9 g/l, respectively for females and males, P< 0.05; Ca, 2.99 vs2.59 mmol/l, respectively for females and males, P< 0.01). The other haematic parameters did not show signifi- cant differences by sex, and the average values were: glucose (9.87 mmol/l), cholesterol (1.96 mmol/l), triglycerides (1.56 mmol/l), LAC (6.60 mmol/l), uric acid (361 mmol/l), CREA (31.95 µmol/l), Na (144.8 mmol/l), K (3.27 mmol/l), Cl (109.7 mmol/l), P (1.47 mmol/l), Mg (1.10 mmol/l), Fe (9.22 µmol/l), Tbil (9.28 µmol/l), AST (341.3 U/l), ALT (11.42 U/l), AP (75.8 U/l), GGT (10.07 U/l), Amyl (6.97 U/l), LIPA (241.2 U/l), ChE (385.1 U/l). The results of our study, in agreement with previous findings, contribute to enhance the knowledge on the metabolic profile of ostriches in function of the sex.