Mulberry leaves as a feed source for livestock in Kenya: A Review

In Kenya, Mulberry is grown in less than a piece of an acre by most of the farmers. Current acreage of mulberry stands at 250, spread over Western, Nyanza, and Rift Valley and Coastal regions. Mulberry leaves are highly palatable and digestible (70-90%) to ruminants and can be fed to non-ruminants as part of feed ingredient. Protein content and essential amino acid profile in the leaves and young stems varies from 15 to 35% depending on the variety. The Mulberry leaves are highly applicable as supplements replacing concentrates for dairy cattle, as the main feed for goats and sheep, and as an ingredient in rabbits and pigs’ diets. Farmers growing mulberry fodder offer higher protein content to livestock than those relying on different varieties of Napier grass, which have failed to boost milk production despite the amounts fed. In non-ruminant production, fishmeal and soybean meals are the main source of protein. In ruminant production, cottonseed meal and canola meal are the main source of protein. These meals are expensive, inadequate in supply and of variable quality. This often leads to low egg production and poor-quality eggs, hence low income and poverty among farmers. Therefore, efforts have been made to identify locally available protein feed resources that can be used as a protein supplement for livestock. Mulberry leaf meal (MLM) has been identified as a locally available alternative protein and mineral source that are beneficial to livestock and have been proven to improve production. Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. Tech. 11(2): 1-9, Dec 2021

Mulberry leaf polysaccharides ameliorate obesity through activation of brown adipose tissue and modulation of the gut microbiota in high-fat diet fed mice

Mulberry leaf polysaccharides have anti-obesity effects, and their mechanism likely involves an integrated role of white adipose browning, BAT activity induction and gut microbiota modulation.

Effect of Morus alba leaf extract dose on lipid oxidation, microbiological stability, and sensory evaluation of functional liver pâtés during refrigerated storage

Mulberry (Morus alba L.), and above all the extract from the leaves of this plant, is a natural medicine that has been used in traditional medicine for hundreds of years. Mulberry leaves contains polyphenol compounds: flavonoids, coumarins, numerous phenolic acids, as well as terpenes and steroids. The antioxidant effect of these compounds may be beneficial to the fat fraction of meat products, thereby increasing their functional qualities. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the use of mulberry water leaf extract, as an additive limiting adverse fat changes and affecting the functionality in model liver pâtés. Pork pâtés were prepared by replacing 20% of animal fat with rapeseed oil (RO), and water extract of mulberry leaves was added in the proportion of 0.2%, 0.6% and 1.0%. It has been shown that the addition of mulberry leaf extract delayed the appearance of primary and secondary fat oxidation products. The most effective antioxidant effect during 15-day storage was observed in the sample with the addition of 0.6% and 1.0% water mulberry leaf extract. These samples also showed inhibiting activity against angiotensin-converting enzymes and cholinesterase’s. During storage, the tested pâtés had a high sensory quality with unchanged microbiological quality. Mulberry leaf extract can be an interesting addition to the production of fat meat products, delaying adverse changes in the lipid fraction and increasing the functionality of products.

Mulberry Leaf Polyphenol Extract and Rutin Induces Autophagy Regulated by p53 in Human Hepatoma HepG2 Cells

The edible leaves of the mulberry (Morus alba L.) plant are used worldwide. They contain abundant polyphenolic compounds with strong anticancer properties. We previously revealed that apoptosis was mediated in p53-negative Hep3B cells, and mulberry leaf polyphenol extract (MLPE) induced autophagy in p53-transfected Hep3B cells. However, how this autophagy is induced by p53 in human hepatoma HepG2 (p53 wild type) cells remains unclear. In the current study, MLPE induced autophagy, as demonstrated by enhanced acidic vesicular organelle staining, by upregulating beclin-1, increasing LC3-II conversion, and phosphorylating AMPK. In HepG2 cells, these processes were associated with p53. Western blot also revealed phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K), p-AKT, and fatty acid synthase (FASN) suppression in MLPE-treated cells. Moreover, treatment with the p53 inhibitor pifithrin-α (PFT-α) inhibited autophagy and increased apoptotic response in MLPE-treated HepG2 cells. PFT-α treatment also reversed MLPE-induced PI3K, p-AKT, and FASN suppression. Thus, co-treatment with MLPE and PFT-α significantly increased caspase-3, caspase-8, and cytochrome c release, indicating that p53 deficiency caused the apoptosis. In addition, rutin, a bioactive polyphenol in MLPE, may affect autophagy in HepG2 cells. This study demonstrates that MLPE is a potential anticancer agent targeting autophagy and apoptosis in cells with p53 status. Moreover, this work provides insight into the mechanism of p53 action in MLPE-induced cytotoxicity in hepatocellular carcinoma.

ANTIHYPERLIPIDEMIC EFFECT OF THE ETHANOL EXTRACT FRACTION FROM MULBERRY (MORUS AUSTRALIS POIR.) LEAVES ON RATS INDUCED HIGH FAT-DIET (HFD) AND PROPYLTHIOURACIL (PTU)

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of extract and its fraction (n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and water) of the mulberry leaf (Morus australis Poir.) in reducing triglyceride and total cholesterol levels on HFD and PTU induced rats. Methods: In this study, mulberry leaves were collected from East Nusa Tenggara-Indonesia, extracted using maceration method, and fractionated with various solvents. The thin layer chromatography with silica gel 60 F254 was utilized to identify the active compound on both extract and fraction. Furthermore, using a quasi-experimental with control group design, this study employed 40 healthy male Wistar rats and divided into 8 groups, namely: normal and negative control, positive controls (simvastatin and gemfibrozil), ethanolic extract, and fractions (n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and water). All groups were fed with a high cholesterol diet and 0.01% PTU, except for the normal group. During the study, the blood was drawn at day 0, 28, 35, and 42. The triglyceride level was observed using Glycerophosphate-Oxidase Phenol Aminoantipyrine (GPO-PAP) method, while the total cholesterol was measured by Cholesterol Oxidase Phenol Aminoantipyrine (CHOD-PAP). Results: On the 42nd day, ethyl fraction of mulberry leaf (Morus australis Poir.) showed the most significant result of reducing the level of triglyceride and total cholesterol compared to the high-fat diet and PTU induced rat on day 0: triglyceride of 104.89±2.70 mg/dl vs 64.76±1.97 mg/dl and total cholesterol of 96.70±2.45 vs 88.02±1.38 mg/dl. Ethyl acetate fraction was similar to simvastatin in lowering the level of total cholesterol. TLC identification also showed that mulberry leaf contains flavonoids and polyphenols that act as anti-hyperlipidemic. Conclusion: Ethyl acetate fraction of mulberry leaf (Morus australis Poir.) showed best activity on lowering both triglyceride and total cholesterol.

Effects of Feeding Fermented Mulberry Leaf Powder on Growth Performance, Slaughter Performance, and Meat Quality in Chicken Broilers

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of feeding fermented mulberry leaf powder (FMLP) on growth performance, slaughter performance, and meat quality of broilers. A total of 360 1-day-old chickens were randomly divided into 5 groups. The control group was fed basal diet (CON), 3% FMLP, 6% FMLP, 9% FMLP, and 3% unfermented mulberry leaf powder. The (MLP) group was fed basal diet supplemented with 3%, 6%, 9% fermented mulberry leaf powder, and 3% MLP, respectively. The experiment lasted for 56 days, with 1–28 days as the starter phase and 29–56 days as the grower phase. The results on the growth performance showed that diets supplemented with 3% FMLP significantly increased the ratio of villus height to crypt depth in the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum of broilers, enhanced the activity of intestinal amylase and digestibility of dry matter and crude protein, improved the average daily gain (ADG), and decreased the feed to gain ratio (F/G) (p < 0.05). Compared with the control group diet, the 3% FMLP group diet significantly increased the breast muscle yield (p < 0.05), reduced the abdominal fat ratio (0.1 < p < 0.05), and improved the slaughter performance of broilers. The 3% MLP group diet increased the shear force of breast muscle (p < 0.05) and thigh muscle of broilers compared to the control group, and adding FMLP could reverse the above results. Additionally, relative to the control group, FMLP supplementation improved the contents of inosine monophosphate (IMP), total amino acids (TAA), essential amino acids (EAA), and delicious amino acids (DAA) in breast and thigh muscle, and improved polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and essential fatty acids (EFA) in breast muscle; the 6% and 9% FMLP groups showed preferably such effects (p < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary supplementation of FMLP can improve the digestion and absorption of nutrients, and then improve the growth performance of broilers; it also has a positive effect on improving slaughter performance and meat quality.