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Research Article


Impact of urea as a protein substitute in growing camel rations on performance, nitrogen balance, blood metabolites, immune status, and rumen fermentation

Heba A. Nasr, Ghada S. E. Abdel-raheem, Abdelbaset Ahmed, Walaa M. S. Gomaa.


Abstract
Background:
Urea, a non-protein nitrogen, is a widely utilized, affordable, and readily available protein supplement.

Aim:
This work aimed to investigate the effect of urea as a protein substitute in growing camel ration on performance, digestion, nitrogen balance, blood metabolites, antioxidant status, immunity, inflammatory markers, and rumen fermentation, and to identify its ideal inclusion level.

Methods:
Twenty Dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius) with one hump originally from Egypt, aged around 30 months, averaging 305.25 ± 2.15 kg in body weight, were randomly allocated to four treatments with 5 animals in each group. The crude protein of the camels’ diets was substituted with urea as follows: 0 (0% urea, T1), 33% (1.4% urea, T2), 50% (2.1% urea, T3), and 66% (2.8% urea, T4). Weight gain and feed conversion were significantly improved (P<0.05) in camels whose diet included 33% urea substitution.

Results:
Adding urea to camel diets significantly affected (P<0.05) nutrient digestion coefficients. Camels fed urea had significantly higher absorbed and retained nitrogen (P<0.05) than those on the control diet, peaking in camels with 33% urea substitution. Including more urea in the camels' diet significantly boosted (P<0.05) total protein, albumin, globulin, blood urea, and creatinine levels. In contrast, lactate dehydrogenase showed a significant decrease (p<0.05) as the urea level increased. Serum immunoglobulins, oxidative biomarkers, inflammatory cytokines, and ruminal parameters were not affected by adding urea, except for a significant increase in the propionate and ammonia concentration with higher urea supplementation.

Conclusion:
The findings suggest that substituting up to 33% of the crude protein with urea in camels' diet can improve performance, feed conversion efficiency, digestibility, and nitrogen balance without any adverse effects.

Key words: Blood metabolites; Camels; Performance; Ruminal parameters; Urea.


 
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How to Cite this Article
Pubmed Style

Nasr HA, Abdel-raheem GSE, Ahmed A, Gomaa WMS. Impact of urea as a protein substitute in growing camel rations on performance, nitrogen balance, blood metabolites, immune status, and rumen fermentation. Open Vet. J.. 2025; 15(11): 5912-5925. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2025.v15.i11.46

Web Style

Nasr HA, Abdel-raheem GSE, Ahmed A, Gomaa WMS. Impact of urea as a protein substitute in growing camel rations on performance, nitrogen balance, blood metabolites, immune status, and rumen fermentation. https://www.openveterinaryjournal.com/?mno=271498 [Access: November 30, 2025]. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2025.v15.i11.46

AMA (American Medical Association) Style

Nasr HA, Abdel-raheem GSE, Ahmed A, Gomaa WMS. Impact of urea as a protein substitute in growing camel rations on performance, nitrogen balance, blood metabolites, immune status, and rumen fermentation. Open Vet. J.. 2025; 15(11): 5912-5925. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2025.v15.i11.46


Vancouver/ICMJE Style

Nasr HA, Abdel-raheem GSE, Ahmed A, Gomaa WMS. Impact of urea as a protein substitute in growing camel rations on performance, nitrogen balance, blood metabolites, immune status, and rumen fermentation. Open Vet. J.. (2025), [cited November 30, 2025]; 15(11): 5912-5925. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2025.v15.i11.46


Harvard Style

Nasr, H. A., Abdel-raheem, . G. S. E., Ahmed, . A. & Gomaa, . W. M. S. (2025) Impact of urea as a protein substitute in growing camel rations on performance, nitrogen balance, blood metabolites, immune status, and rumen fermentation. Open Vet. J., 15 (11), 5912-5925. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2025.v15.i11.46


Turabian Style

Nasr, Heba A., Ghada S. E. Abdel-raheem, Abdelbaset Ahmed, and Walaa M. S. Gomaa. 2025. Impact of urea as a protein substitute in growing camel rations on performance, nitrogen balance, blood metabolites, immune status, and rumen fermentation. Open Veterinary Journal, 15 (11), 5912-5925. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2025.v15.i11.46


Chicago Style

Nasr, Heba A., Ghada S. E. Abdel-raheem, Abdelbaset Ahmed, and Walaa M. S. Gomaa. "Impact of urea as a protein substitute in growing camel rations on performance, nitrogen balance, blood metabolites, immune status, and rumen fermentation." Open Veterinary Journal 15 (2025), 5912-5925. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2025.v15.i11.46


MLA (The Modern Language Association) Style

Nasr, Heba A., Ghada S. E. Abdel-raheem, Abdelbaset Ahmed, and Walaa M. S. Gomaa. "Impact of urea as a protein substitute in growing camel rations on performance, nitrogen balance, blood metabolites, immune status, and rumen fermentation." Open Veterinary Journal 15.11 (2025), 5912-5925. Print. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2025.v15.i11.46


APA (American Psychological Association) Style

Nasr, H. A., Abdel-raheem, . G. S. E., Ahmed, . A. & Gomaa, . W. M. S. (2025) Impact of urea as a protein substitute in growing camel rations on performance, nitrogen balance, blood metabolites, immune status, and rumen fermentation. Open Veterinary Journal, 15 (11), 5912-5925. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2025.v15.i11.46


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