Abstract
The impact of dietary Tectona grandis leaf meal (TGLM) on growth, nutrient digestibility, serum biochemistry, hepatic antioxidant status, and cecal microbial profile in rabbits was investigated. Seventy-two 42-day-old male New Zealand White rabbits (1130 ± 43 g) were randomly allocated to 18 replicates (three rabbits per replicate) and assigned to one of four dietary treatments: 0% TGLM (TGLM-0), 10% TGLM (TGLM-10), 20% TGLM (TGLM-20), or 30% TGLM (TGLM-30) for 56 days. Rabbits fed TGLM-0 and TGLM-10 exhibited greater feed efficiency and body weight gain compared with rabbits in the TGLM-20 and TGLM-30 groups (P P Lactobacillus count in a dose-dependent manner, while Escherichia coli and Streptococcus aureus counts were lower in the TGLM-supplemented rabbits. In conclusion, TGLM can be included at 10% in rabbit diets without adversely impacting growth metrics or nutrient digestibility.