ArticleOpen veterinary journal2026
A comparative study of the productive and physiological effect of beta-glucan and mixture of vitamin C with zinc in heat-stressed Awassi sheep.
Article in Open veterinary journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Rumen-host crosstalk: an amplifier of systemic pathology in heat-stressed ruminants.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Heat stress is a key challenge faced by sheep production in arid/semi-arid areas, with implications for metabolic capacity and function, productivity, and immunity. Nutritional interventions (including the incorporation of bioactive compounds such as β-glucan, vitamin C, and zinc) for adaptive adaptation have been suggested to mitigate stress-related physiological derangements. Aim: This study aimed to undertake a comparative assessment of the beneficial effects of dietary supplementation with β-glucan, vitamin C + zinc, and their combination on productive performance, hematologic and biochemical characteristics, physiological parameters, and hormonal levels of heat-stressed Awassi rams. Methods: Twenty-four adult Awassi rams (1.5 years old; 55 ± 1 kg) were randomly allocated to four treatment protocols, namely, Control, β-glucan (4 g/kg body weight /day), vitamin C + zinc (100 mg + 200 mg/day), and β-glucan + vitamin C + zinc. The summer trial covered 90 days. Laboratory procedures were used to assess productivity traits, hematological indices, biochemical markers, stress physiological measures, and hormone levels. Results: Supplementation was associated with significantly greater efficacy in promoting growth, maintaining hematological morphology, and maintaining biochemical and hormonal balance than the control group. The effect was most pronounced for the combined β-glucan + vitamin C and zinc treatment, with maximal body weight (72.5 ± 1.13 kg), growth rate (26.97 %), feed efficiency (feed conversion ratio 3.13), and increase in the hematological indices (red blood cells 10.73 × 10⁶/µl; white blood cells 10.7 × 10³/µl). Biochemical indices showed reduced glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, and liver enzymes, as well as elevated protein fractions and antioxidant status. Hormonal analysis showed lower cortisol and increased levels of anabolic hormones (T3, T4, and growth hormone). Taken together, these findings suggest that increased supplementation acts as an interplay tool to improve physiological resilience and overall productivity among heat-stressed Awassi rams by enhancing metabolic efficiency. Conclusion: When β-glucan, vitamin C, and zinc were included, the greatest improvement in growth performance, physiological stability, biochemical status, and hormonal balance was recorded in heat-stressed Awassi rams. Combining these supplements improved metabolic efficiency, immune function, and stress resilience far more than individual treatments alone. Thus, this nutritional strategy is effective in improving the health and productivity of thermally stressed animals.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.