Comparative Analysis of Mulberry Leaf-Based Diet vs. Conventional Diet on Sister Chromatid Exchange (SCE) in Rabbits

This study investigates the impact of a mulberry leaf meal (MLM)-based diet compared to a conventional diet on sister chromatid exchange (SCE) in rabbits. Mulberry leaves are renowned for their rich nutrient content and potential health benefits. Rabbits are an ideal model for studying dietary effects due to their sensitivity to nutritional changes. The Sister Chromatid Exchange assay is used as a sensitive marker for genotoxicity, assessing the frequency of SCEs indicative of DNA damage. A total of 140 Hycole × Grimaud crossbred rabbits (42 days old) were allotted to two dietary treatments (5 cages/group, 14 rabbits/cage). Animals received the same post-weaning feed (42–63 days), but two different finishing feeds (64–90 days): (1) control diet (C), containing 85% commercial feed, 8% alfalfa meal, and 7% barley meal; and (2) experimental diet, containing 85% commercial feed, 10% MLM, 4% barley meal, and 1% soybean meal. A total of 30 rabbits (15/diet) were slaughtered at 90 days of age. Peripheral blood was individually collected. Lymphocyte cells were cultured in vitro for conventional (normal cultures) and 5′-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation, the latter added 24 h before harvesting at a final concentration of 10 μg/mL to obtain preparations for the SCE test. Staining was performed for 10 min with acridine orange (0.01% in buffer phosphate), then slides were mounted in P-buffer. A comparative evaluation of SCE frequencies between the two dietary groups provides insights into the potential genotoxic effects associated with each diet. Therefore, 891 metaphases were analyzed and 5685 SCEs counted. Statistical analysis using the independent Student’s t-test showed no significant differences (p = 0.703) in SCE frequency between the control (6.42 ± 0.15) and case group (6.34 ± 0.13) at the end of the test. These findings suggest that the mulberry leaf-based diet does not induce greater genotoxicity compared to the conventional diet. The results of this study contribute to understanding the potential health implications of incorporating mulberry leaves into animal diets. In fact, mulberry leaves are rich in nutrients, antioxidants, and bioactive compounds, potentially improving nutrition, supporting digestion, providing antioxidant protection, aiding weight management, and contributing to disease prevention.