Investigating the effect of quail egg supplementation enriched with marine macroalgae Eucheuma spinosum on hematological indices, lipid profile parameters, and blood glucose level of Sprague Dawley rats during lactation and offspring growth

Background: The lactation period is a crucial period where the nutritional status and the mother's environment influence milk production, impacting organ differentiation, function, and structure in the baby's body. Aim: The study aimed to determine the impact of providing lactating rats with quail egg supplements enriched with marine macroalgae Eucheuma spinosum on their physiological condition (blood cells, lipids, blood glucose, antioxidant activity, and prolactin hormone levels) and the growth of their offspring. Methods: The study involved 25 lactating Sprague Dawley white rats aged 3 months old and weighing approximately 200 g divided into five treatment groups thus; T0 as the control, T1 with quail eggs enriched with commercial feed, T2 with quail eggs enriched with 3% of marine macroalgae, T3 with quail eggs enriched with 4% of marine macroalgae, and T4 with quail eggs enriched with 5% of marine macroalgae, which received one quail egg for 21 days. At the end of the study period, the following parameters were assayed: vitamin A, iodine, weight and body length of rat pups, red blood cell count, hemoglobin levels, hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, white blood cell count, lymphocytes, neutrophils, red blood cell distribution width, platelet distribution width, and mean platelet volume. Also, cholesterol levels, high-density lipoprotein, low- density lipoprotein, blood glucose levels, prolactin hormone, antioxidant activity with SOD and MDA. Results: The study result found that adding marine macroalgae to the quail feed significantly increased the vitamin A and iodine content in the quail egg yolks. Furthermore, the weight and body length of the rat pups in the supplemented groups significantly increased (p < 0.05) compared to the control group. However, it did not have a significant impact (p > 0.05) on the rats' blood parameters, cholesterol, blood glucose, antioxidant activity, and prolactin hormone levels. Conclusion: In conclusion, providing lactating rats with quail eggs enriched with marine macroalgae E. spinosum support the growth and development of the rat offspring without negatively impacting the rats' overall health parameters.