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This study aimed to evaluate the impacts of supplemental dietary curcumin on post-partum uterine involution using pulsed-wave Doppler ultrasonography in postpartum goats. Ten pluriparous Zaraibi goats were used and divided into two groups. Group 1 (n = 5; control) received only a base diet. Group 2 (n = 5; treated) received a base diet supplemented with curcumin (200 mg/kg diet) daily for 28 days, starting from day 1 postpartum (PP) till day 28 PP. Uterine morphometrical changes (uterine horn diameter; UHD and caruncle diameter; CD), uterine hemodynamics (resistance and pulsatility indices (RI and PI), systolic/ diastolic ratio (S/D), peak systolic velocity (PSV), end-diastolic velocity (EDV), blood flow volume (BFV), and blood flow rate (BFR)), and progesterone level were evaluated. Results revealed that the diameter of the uterine horn decreased rapidly from day 1 to day 10 PP (> 50%) but more steadily from day 14 to day 28 PP in both groups. After day 21 PP, there was nearly no reduction in UHD and CD in both groups. The treated group had lower values of the RI and PI (P < 0.05) than the control group. Regarding the BFR and BFV in the treated group, there was a significant increase (P < 0.05) on day 17 PP, then started to decrease till day 28 PP. While in the control group, there was a significant decrease (P < 0.05) in BFR and BFV from day 1 PP till day 28 PP. In conclusion, the incorporation of curcumin in the diet of PP Zaraibi goats improved reproductive performance via improvements in uterine morphometric changes as well as blood perfusion., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

This experiment was designed to investigate the impact of curcumin-olive oil nanocomposite (CONC) supplementation on uteroplacental hemodynamics and ultrasonographic measurements as well as maternal oxidative status in midgestating goats. Twelve synchronized pregnant goats (85.58 ± 1.08 days of gestation; mean ± SD) were uniformly assigned to two groups (n = 6/group); the first group received daily oral supplementation of CONC (3 mg/kg body weight; nanocurcumin [NC] group) for 32 days, and the second group was offered physiological saline (control) following the NC group timeline. The goats of both groups were examined at 3-day intervals for middle uterine (MUA) and umbilical (UMA) arteries hemodynamics (pulsatility index [PI], resistive index [RI], systole/diastole [S/D] and blood flow rate [BFR]) and diameters, uteroplacental thickness (UPT), placentomes' diameter (PD) and echogenicity, steroid hormones (progesterone and estradiol 17β), oxidative biomarkers (total antioxidant capacity [TAC], catalase [CAT], malondialdehyde [MDA]), nitric oxide (NO) and blood cells DNA integrity. The UPT (p = 0.012) and PD (p = 0.021) values were higher in the NC group than in their counterparts' control group (D11-32). There were increases in diameter (p = 0.021 and p = 0.012) and decreases (p = 0.021, p = 0.016 and p = 0.041 [MUA]; p = 0.015, p = 0.023 and p = 0.011 [UMA] respectively) in Doppler indices (PI, RI and S/D) of the MUA and UMA in the NC group compared to the control group (D14-32). On D20-32 (MUA) and D14-32 (UMA), the NC goats had higher BFR than the control group (p = 0.021, 0.018 respectively). The means of blood cells with fragmented DNA were lower (p = 0.022) in the NC group than in the control group on Days 8 and 21 postsupplementation. There were increases in CAT and NO (D20-32; p = 0.022 and p = 0.004 respectively), and TAC (D17-32; p = 0.007) levels in the NC goats compared to the control ones. The NC group had lower (p = 0.029) concentrations of MDA than the control group on Day 20 postsupplementation onward. In conclusion, oral supplementation of CONC improved uteroplacental blood flow and the antioxidant capacity of midgestating goats., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Improving the reproductive performance outside the breeding season could have a great impact on the animals' breeding industry. Curcumin (CUR) is a polyphenol known for its multi-effects on different biological issues due to its antioxidant, anti-inflammation, and anti-apoptotic properties. This study aimed, for the first time, to assess the supplemental dietary CUR effects on Baladi bucks' reproductive performance in the non-breeding season. Ten Baladi bucks were used and allocated to two groups: the CON group received the basal diet only (n = 5); and the CUR group received the basal diet supplemented with CUR (200 mg/kg diet; n = 5) daily for six weeks. Testicular hemodynamics [TH; resistive index (RI), pulsatility index (PI), end-diastolic velocity (EDV), peak systolic velocity (PSV), and colored area toward the testes/pixels(CA)], testicular traits [testicular volume (TV) and echotexture (TE)], reproductive hormones [FSH, LH, testosterone (T) and estradiol 17β (E2)], nitric oxide levels (NO), and semen quality [mass motility (MM; score 0-5), progressive motility (PM%), normal sperm (NS%), viability (SV%) and sperm concentration (SC × 10 9 /ml)] were evaluated. The examinations were started one week before CUR dietary inclusion (W-1) and continued once weekly until two weeks after the CUR withdrawal (W0-W8). Significant (P < 0.001) improvement was recorded in TH (RI, PI, EDV, PV, and CA) from W3 to W5 in the CUR group compared to the CON group. Testosterone and NO levels significantly (P < 0.001) increased in the CUR group in relation to the CON group; whereas E2, FSH, and LH were not affected by supplementation of CUR. Marked improvements (P < 0.01) in the semen quality parameters were noted in the CUR group. A significant increase in TV and a decrease in TE (P < 0.01) was recorded in the CUR group compared to the CON group. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of CUR at a 200 mg/kg diet improved the reproductive performance of Baladi bucks in the non-breeding season as evidenced by significant improvement of testicular hemodynamics, testosterone, and NO levels and semen quality., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)