Grape Seed Proanthocyanidin Extract Improves Growth Performance and Protects Against Hydrogen Peroxide-Induced Oxidative Stress to the Liver and Intestine in Weaned Hyla Rabbits.

Three experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of grape seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE) on the growth performance of weaned Hyla rabbits and explore its protective effects against oxidative stress in the liver and intestine by establishing a hydrogen peroxide (HO)-induced oxidative stress model. In Exp.1, ninety-six weaned rabbits were used to evaluate the effects of dietary GSPE level on growth performance, and the results showed that a 400 mg/kg GSPE addition increased the feed conversion ratio and liver coefficient and promoted cholesterol metabolism. Exp.2 was conducted to explore the HO concentration required to establish an oxidative stress model, indicating that the model could be established by an intraperitoneal injection of 10% HO at a dosage of 1 mL/kg body weight. In Exp.3, seventy-two weaned rabbits were used to investigate the protective effects against HO-induced oxidative stress in the liver and intestine. Our findings showed that 400 mg/kg GSPE supplementation could alleviate the adverse effects of HO injection on the antioxidant capacity in the liver and intestine as well as liver morphology. Therefore, an addition of 400 mg/kg GSPE could improve growth performance and alleviate HO-induced adverse effects on the liver and small intestine by enhancing the antioxidative capacity in weaned Hyla rabbits.