An Origanum majorana Leaf Diet Influences Myogenin Gene Expression, Performance, and Carcass Characteristics in Lambs

Seyed Mohammad Hadi Safaei; Mohammad Dadpasand; Mohammadreza Mohammadabadi; Hadi Atashi; Ruslana Stavetska; Nataliia Klopenko; Oleksandr Kalashnyk

doi:10.3390/ani13010014

An Origanum majorana Leaf Diet Influences Myogenin Gene Expression, Performance, and Carcass Characteristics in Lambs

Animals (Basel). 2022 Dec 20;13(1):14. doi: 10.3390/ani13010014.

Authors

Seyed Mohammad Hadi Safaei¹, Mohammad Dadpasand¹, Mohammadreza Mohammadabadi², Hadi Atashi¹, Ruslana Stavetska³, Nataliia Klopenko³, Oleksandr Kalashnyk⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz 7194684334, Iran.
² Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman 7616914111, Iran.
³ Department of Animal Science, Bila Tserkva National Agrarian University, 09117 Soborna, Ukraine.
⁴ Department of Animal Science, Sumy National Agrarian University, 40000 Sumy, Ukraine.

Abstract

Myogenin is a protein in the myogenic regulatory factor family that plays an important role in determining carcass and meat traits and is vital for the growth and development of livestock muscles. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of Origanum majorana leaf (MOL) on the myogenin gene expression of lambs. Twenty-four male Kermani lambs were used in a completely randomized design using two experimental groups (0% Origanum majorana L. = MOL0 and 4% Origanum majorana L. = MOL4). Final weight, average daily gain, hot and cold carcass weight, feed conversion ratio, empty body weight, hot and cold dressing percentage, the weight of the shoulder, loin, leg, and lean meat, and the lean/bone ratio were measured. A standard kit was used for extracting total RNA from the loin, leg, and shoulder muscles of the lambs’ tissues. The cDNA was synthesized, a real-time PCR was performed, and the obtained data were analyzed. The results of this study showed that the effect of MOL4 on dry matter intake is not significant. The MOL4 diet increased final weight by 8.22%, average daily gain by 28.57%, hot carcass weight by 11.38%, cold carcass weight by 13.43%, feed conversion ratio by 31.03%, empty body weight by 9.38%, hot dressing percentage by 2.92%, cold dressing percentage by 3.75%, shoulder weight by 56.70%, loin weight by 8.98%, leg weight by 10.90%, lean meat weight by 14.62%, and the lean/bone ratio by 2.85% (p < 0.05) compared to the MOL0. Along with adding MOL4 in the lambs’ diets, in comparison with MOL0, there was higher expression of myogenin in the loin (3.5 times), leg (3.9 times), and shoulder (3.6 times) muscles of the lambs. Due to the fact that adding Origanum majorana to the diet of the lambs enhanced the expression of the myogenin gene in the loin, leg, and shoulder muscles and increased parameters related to growth, it can be used to improve the parameters related to growth and to increase myogenin gene expression in the muscle of lambs.

Keywords: Origanum majorana leaf; gene expression; growth trait; muscle; myogenin.

Grants and funding

Grant number: G-312/9822/Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman