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This study aimed to evaluate impacts of dietary probiotics (Bacillus subtilis PB6) and humate substances (HS) supplementation on histomorphometry of small intestine and immune organs, blood parameters of growing quail. A total of 216 unsexed quails (seven days old) were randomly distributed to six groups. The 1st group did not receive any supplements (control), 2nd group received B. subtilis (CloSTAT: 0.5 g/kg diet), 3rd and 4th groups received HS (4 and 8 g/kg diet, respectively), 5th and 6th groups received CloSTAT + 4g HS and CloSTAT + 8g HS, respectively. Results showed that the inclusion of B. subtilis alone in quail diets significantly improved histomorphometry indices of intestine and immune organs compared to the control. Dietary supplementation of HS alone led to deteriorating histomorphometry indices of intestinal segments and immune organs compared to the control. CloSTAT, HS or both improved lipid profile and antioxidant parameters. Serum mineral levels did not differ significantly among groups except for Ca levels. In conclusion, dietary probiotics supplementation enhanced histomorphometry of intestine and immune organs and improved serum Ca, lipid profile and antioxidant indices. Moreover, the addition of HS (4 or 8 g/kg diet) improved lipid profile and antioxidant indices, but led to undesirable results in intestinal development and immune organs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, many countries have prioritised on using innovative supplements in poultry nutrition. Natural substances can be fed in poultry production with a better level of safety and specific impacts. The majority of these impacts are reflected in final products with added value that are healthy, functional, and free of any antibiotic residue. This review article intends to highlight the nutritional uses and favourable health features of milk thistle (Silybum marianum) and its influence on poultry production. In this regard, milk thistle is abundant in chemical bioactive substances, such as silymarin and has a variety of biological properties, including immuno-stimulating and antioxidant activities. The inclusion of milk thistle in poultry diets increases their growth and productivity. Milk thistle components can improve immune response, antioxidant indices, kidney and liver function, blood haematology, lipid profile and then the physiological status of birds. Thus, milk thistle and its derivatives as feed supplements can meet the desires of producers for augmented poultry performance and the consumer demands to produce poultry under environmentally friendly conditions. Finally, the present review study concluded that supplementation of milk thistle as a natural feed additive may affect the antioxidant, immunity, blood biochemistry, and productive performance in poultry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current century, the development of medicine and molecular biotechnology led to successful containment and even eradication of some human pathogens, especially in developed countries. However, some pathogens have evolved, resulting in the emergence of other infectious diseases in developed countries. Human socioeconomic activities and the advancement of technology and transportation have led to the quick movement of humans to different parts of the world. There is a significant concern that this movement enhances the distribution of pathogens, making it difficult to contain, as witnessed with the global spread of the 2009 influenza pandemic within only 3 months and the 2014 Ebola outbreak, which spread in various West African countries within 8 months. Natural products obtained from plant sources can be identified as the next-generation antibacterial and antiviral alternatives. In developed countries, 80% of the population depends on traditional medicine for their primary healthcare issues, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Relatedly, India is one of the highest producing countries for medicinal herbs. It is considered an international botanical garden. Therefore, the focus of this current review was on the importance of using plants to treat bacterial and viral diseases due to the many advantages of these plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of dietary humate substances (HS) and CloSTAT (Bacillus subtilis PB6) on the thyroid activity and histology, iron profile, blood haematology and performance of growing Japanese quail. A total of 216 unsexed 7‐day‐old quail chicks were randomly assigned to six groups. The first group was fed a basal diet (BD) without any additives (control); the 2nd group received BD plus 0.05% CloSTAT, the 3rd and 4th groups were given BD plus 0.4% and 0.8% HS, respectively; and the 5th and 6th groups were administered BD plus CloSTAT + 0.4% HS and BD plus CloSTAT + 0.8% HS, respectively. The results showed that the growth performance was improved with the addition of CloSTAT alone or in combination with 0.4% HS compared with the control. Haematological parameters, iron level and transferrin saturation % were significantly (p < 0.001) increased by feeding HS compared with the control group. Serum thyroxin and triiodothyronine levels were significantly (p = 0.001) increased by adding CloSTAT relative to the control. Supplementation of 0.8% HS caused deterioration in histomorphometry parameters of the thyroid gland, but these parameters were improved in response to CloSTAT compared with the control. In conclusion, dietary B. subtilis PB6 as CloSTAT or CloSTAT + 0.4% HS supplementation may be efficacious in enhancing the growth performance and boosting the thyroid activity of growing Japanese quail. Moreover, the addition of 0.4% or 0.8% HS to quail diets boosted their iron profile and haematological parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using nutritional antioxidants in livestock systems is considered the key in improving animal production. The current study assumes that dietary tomato powder (TP) supplementation positively affects haemato‐immunological, biochemical, and antioxidant parameters for New Zealand rabbits. A total of 30 rabbits (45 days old) were assigned to three groups, including a diet with no additives (control), and two dietary treatments with the providing of 1% or 2% TP. Mass spectrometric study for TP methanolic extract showed some phenolic compounds. Consumption of TP supplemented diets significantly (p < 0.001) affected body weight gain and feed efficiency. Red blood cells and white blood cells count exhibited a significant increase (p < 0.001) in both TP groups compared with the control. In addition to, feeding rabbits on TP enhanced cell‐mediated and humoral immune responses through a significant increase in phagocytosis, chemotaxis, and levels of immunoglobulins (TIg, IgG, IgM and IgA). Supplementation of TP significantly (p < 0.01) reduced lipid profile induces except high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol values. A remarkable significant (p < 0.001) effect on serum and hepatic oxidative stress responses were observed with TP addition. Ultimately, TP supplementation could play a potential role as a growth and health enhancer for fattening rabbits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In the current study, we hypothesize that the In ovo concurrent injection of methionine (Met) and cysteine (Cys) may have positive effects on embryonic development, insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) gene expression, antioxidant status, biochemical profile, and jejunum histomorphometry of newly hatched broiler chicks exposed to heat stress during the incubation period. As indicated, the In ovo injection of Met and Cys resulted in increased hatch weight, higher levels of total antioxidant capacity, and glutathione activity in the serum and tissues. At the same time, a decrease in the level of heat shock protein-90 and an increase in TLR4 and IGF-I expression in the tissues was observed. In addition, the In ovo injection of Met and Cys improved jejunum histomorphometric parameters of newly hatched broiler chicks. Generally, the concurrent In ovo injection of Met and Cys improved broiler embryonic development, antioxidant status, TLR4, and IGF-I expression and jejunum histomorphometric parameters in newly hatched broiler chicks exposed to heat stress conditions during incubation. Sulfur amino acids are typically the first-limiting amino acids (AA) used in protein metabolism in poultry. Therefore, we hypothesized that their utilization in the pre-hatch period would affect embryonic development, IGF-I and TLR4 gene expression, antioxidant status, serum biochemical profile, and jejunum histomorphometry of newly hatched Ross broiler chicks incubated under heat stress conditions. A total of 150 fertile broiler eggs were subjected to heat stress (39.6 °C for 6 h/d) from d10 until d18 and injected at d 17.5 of incubation with methionine and cysteine (Met-Cys) at a dose of 5.90 mg l-methionine plus 3.40 mg l-cysteine. The effects of Met-Cys administration were examined and compared with the control (Non-injected group) and 0.75% NaCl injected group. The results showed that no significant differences among all groups in serum protein profiles (total protein, albumin, globulin, and albumin/globulin ratio) and creatine kinase were observed. The level of heat shock protein-90 was decreased with Met-Cys In ovo injection. The In ovo injection of Met-Cys also improved the values of total antioxidants capacity and glutathione in examined tissues. At the same time, an increase in fold change mRNA abundance of IGF-I and TLR4 was observed after Met-Cys injection in tested tissues. Finally, an increase of 29% in villus area was found after Met-Cys injection compared to the control group. In conclusion, the In ovo injection of Met-Cys resulted in improved embryonic development, IGF-I and TLR4 gene expression, antioxidant status and jejunum histomorphometry of newly hatched broiler chicks exposed to heat stress during incubation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increase of resistant bacteria puts a huge pressure on the antimicrobials in current use. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) results from antibiotic misuse and abuse over many years and is a global financial burden. New polices must be developed for the use of antimicrobials and to continue research efforts to mitigate AMR. It is essential to target the most harmful bacteria and concentrate on their mechanisms of resistance to develop successful antimicrobials. Essential oils (EOs) are occur naturally in plants and have long been used as antimicrobials, but most have not been researched. This review explores EOs as alternative antimicrobials, investigating their ability to decrease or inhibit biofilm formation, and assess their ability to contribute to AMR control. Low concentrations of EOs can inhibit Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria. Some EOs have demonstrated strong anti-biofilm activities. If EOs are successful against biofilm formation, particularly in bacteria developing AMR, they could be incorporated into new antimicrobials. Therefore, there is a need to investigate these EOs' potential, particularly for surface disinfection, and against bacteria from food, clinical and non-clinical environments., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2021 The Author(s).)

Antibiotics use in poultry as a growth promoter leads to the propagation of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms and incorporation of drug residues in foods; therefore, it has been restricted in different countries. There is a global trend to limit the use of antibiotics in the animal products. Prevention of the antibiotics use in the poultry diets led to the reduction in the growth performance. Consequently, there is a high demand for natural substances that lead to the same growth enhancement and beneficially affect poultry health. These constituents play essential roles in regulating the normal physiological functions of animals including the protection from infectious ailments. Nutraceuticals administration resulted beneficial in both infectious and noninfectious diseases. Being the natural components of diet, they are compatible with it and do not pose risks associated with antibiotics or other drugs. Nutraceuticals are categorized as commercial additives obtained from natural products as an alternative feed supplement for the improvement of animal welfare. This group includes enzymes, synbiotics, phytobiotics, organic acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids. In the present review, the summary of various bioactive ingredients that act as nutraceuticals and their mode of action in growth promotion and elevation of the immune system has been presented., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of fluorine at levels of 31, 431, 1237 mg/kg feed on cecum microbe, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and intestinal barrier function of laying hens. The results showed that the intestinal morphology and ultrastructure were damaged by dietary high F intake. The mRNA expression levels of zonula occludens-1, zonula occludens-2, claudin-1, and claudin-4 were decreased in jejunum and ileum. However, the concentrations of serum diamine oxidase, and D-lactic acid and intestinal contents of interleukin 1 beta, interleukin 6, and Tumor necrosis factor-alpha were increased. Consistent with this, dietary high F intake altered the cecum microbiota, with increasing the concentration of pathogens, such as Proteobacteria and Escherichia-Shigella, as well as, decreasing the contents of beneficial bacteria, such as Lactobacillus, and expectedly, reduced the SCFAs concentrations. In conclusion, the actual results confirmed that (1) high dietary F intake could damage the intestinal structure and function, with impaired intestinal barrier and intestinal inflammation, and (2) destroy the cecum microbial homeostasis, and decrease the concentrations of SCFAs, which aggravate the incidence of intestinal inflammation in laying hens., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. Note: V/C, the ratio of villus height to crypt depth. The data were represented by the mean ± SD (n = 6). The different lowercase letters indicated the significant differences between groups (p < 0.05)., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)