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Background and Aim: Antimicrobial resistance in poultry farms is a significant global public health concern that has led farmers to explore alternative antibiotics, such as prebiotics in poultry production. This study aimed to examine the antimicrobial activity of ethanolic shallot extract (ESE) and the effects of adding shallot powder (SP) to broiler feed on broiler growth, immune response to Newcastle disease virus (NDV) vaccination, and gastrointestinal tract bacteria. Materials and Methods: We determined the antimicrobial effects of ESE against Escherichia coli O157:H7 (EOH) and Lactobacillus acidophilus TISTR 2365 (L2365) using the agar well diffusion method. We used a complete randomized design to assign 120 1-day-old Arbor Acre chicks to six groups with four replicates of five broiler chickens over 42 days. The treatment groups were as follows: T1-basal diet (B) + NDV vaccination (positive control), T2-B (negative control), T3-B + 2 g SP per kg of feed, T4-B + 2 g SP per kg of feed + NDV, T5-B + 4 g SP per kg of feed, and T6-B + 4 g SP per kg of feed + NDV. Results: The minimum inhibitory concentrations of ESE on EOH and L2365 were 62.50 and 125.00 mg/mL, respectively. The body weight gain, average daily gain, and feed conversion ratio in the 4 g SP of T5 and T6 groups were significantly improved compared with the other groups (p < 0.05). The immune organ (IO) and thymus gland weights in the T4 group were significantly greater than those observed in the positive and negative control groups (p < 0.05). The IO weights of the bursae of Fabricius and spleen tended to be greater in the T4 group than in the other groups. T5 group broilers had the highest ratio of villus height to crypt depth. The humoral immunity titers against NDV vaccination were improved in the SP-supplemented groups compared with the non-supplemented groups (p > 0.05). SP supplementation reduced the levels of coliform (p < 0.05) and E. coli in the broiler intestine by adding 4 g of SP per kg of feed. However, L2365 was more tolerant to ESE in vitro and tended to increase in line with increased SP levels. Conclusion: ESE showed strong antimicrobial activity to reduce harmful bacteria, and SP supplementation may exhibit prebiotic effects to increase broiler chicken growth, immunity, and microbial balance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Traditional Chinese herbal resources are abundantly available in China and have garnered significant attention owing to their distinctive pharmacological attributes, such as their antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties, and their ability to regulate their host's health. Nevertheless, a considerable amount of residue remains after the extraction of these herbal medicines. Presently, limited research on the utilization of this residue has led to both resource wastage and environmental pollution. Numerous studies have indicated that the extracted residue of the Isatidis Root still contains various organic components, including amino acids, alkaloids, flavonoids, and other nutrients. Consequently, this study's objective was to explore the potential of Isatidis Root residue as an unconventional feed resource. Our findings revealed that Isatis Root residue positively impacted the diarrhea rate and intestinal health of weaned piglets. Weaning stress can trigger diarrhea, cause intestinal damage, and disrupt the intestinal flora of piglets, ultimately resulting in retarded growth or even the death of the animals. Traditional Chinese medicine residues encompass numerous bioactive compounds and essential nutrients; however, their efficient utilization remains a challenge. Consequently, our study sought to explore the impact of traditional Chinese medicine residues, specifically Isatidis Root residue (IRR), on the growth performance, intestinal function, and occurrence of weaning diarrhea in newly weaned piglets. Forty healthy, castrated Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire males, weaned at 21 days old and exhibiting similar body conditions, were randomly allocated into five groups, with eight piglets in each group. The results indicated that the dietary inclusion of IRR at concentrations ranging from 0.5% to 4.0% notably decreased the incidence of diarrhea in weaned piglets compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Serum LDL-C and globulin (GLB) contents were reduced in response to dietary IRR concentrations (0.5% to 4.0%), while serum albumin (ALB) and albumin/globulin (A/G) contents were enhanced (p < 0.05). Dietary 0.5%, 1.0%, and 2.0% IRR resulted in significant increases in villus height (VH) and villus height/crypt depth (V/C) ratios in the jejunum, V/C ratios in the ileum, and the number of villi goblet cells both in the jejunum and ileum. IRR also led to a significant decrease in the crypt depth (CD) of the jejunum and ileum (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the expression of IL-6 in the jejunum was significantly increased in IRR-fed piglets (0.5% to 4.0%) (p < 0.05). IRR demonstrated inhibitory effects on harmful bacteria in the gastrointestinal microbiome, including Campylobacter, Actinobacillus minor, and Ralstonia pickettii, indicating its broad-spectrum bacteriostatic properties. In conclusion, dietary IRR alleviated diarrhea in weaned piglets and improved gut function and microbial compositions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, medical plants have been widely used as replacements for antibiotics in disease treatment. Because of its multiple medicinal uses, peppermint (Mentha piperita, MP) is a common herbal remedy. In the present study, MP powder was used as a feed additive to assess growth performance; hematological; biochemical and immune parameters; intestinal histology; and interleukin 1β (IL-1β) gene expression, as well as protection against Vibrio alginolyticus infection in Oreochromis niloticus. O. niloticus (n = 120, 25.66 ± 0.16 g) were fed diets containing 0 (CTR), 2, 3, or 4% MP for 60 days. The results revealed that the inclusion of 2% MP significantly improved the growth indices, intestinal morphological parameters, and reduced the feed conversion ratio. The 2% MP treatment significantly (P < 0.05) increased hematological parameters (red blood cell (RBC) count, white blood cell (WBC) count, packed cell volume% (PCV%), hemoglobin) compared with those of the CTR (P < 0.05). Additionally, feeding fish 2% MP diets decreased the levels of cholesterol and LDL (low-density lipoprotein). There were significant increases in immune responses (serum protein and phagocytic activity and index) and non-significant increases in the expression of IL-1β in the 2% MP group comparing with the other groups and the CTR group (P < 0.05). At the end of the feeding trial (60 days), fish were challenged with a virulent strain of Vibrio alginolyticus and the results showed that the mortality rate decreased in the 2% MP treatment group, followed by the 3% and 4% MP groups. Overall, the results revealed that the dietary inclusion of 2% MP can exhibit growth-promoting and immunostimulant effects for sustainable aquaculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Plant carbon black (PCB) is a new feed additive for zearalenone adsorption in China. However, information regarding whether PCB can effectively absorb deoxynivalenol (DON) is limited. Methods: To explore this research gap, the present study examined the adsorption effectiveness of DON by PCB using a phosphate buffer, artificial gastric juice, and artificial intestinal juice. In a 21-day in vivo trial, 48 male piglets were randomly assigned to four treatment groups: (1) uncontaminated basal diet (CTR), (2) basal diet supplemented with 1 mg/kg PCB(PCB), (3) 2.3 mg/kg DON-contaminated diet (DON), and (4) 2.3 mg/kg DON-contaminated diet supplemented with 0.1% PCB (DON+PCB). Results: When DON concentration was 1 µg/mL, the adsorption rate of PCB on DON in phosphate buffer systems (pH 2.0 and 6.0) and the artificial gastric and intestinal juices were 100%, 100%, 71.46%, and 77.20%, respectively. In the in vivo trial, the DON group significantly increased the DON+deepoxy-deoxynivalenol (DOM-1) content in serum as well as the inflammation cytokine proteins (interleukin-6, interleukin-8, and tumor necrosis factor-a) and mRNA expression of interleukin-6 and longchain acyl-CoA synthetase 4 in the jejunum and ileum. It decreased the villus height, goblet cells, mucosal thickness, and mRNA expression of Claudin-1 compared to the CTR group. In addition, DON decreased the Shannon and Simpson indices; reduced the relative abundances of Firmicutes, Lactobacillus, Candidatus_Saccharimonas, and Ruminococcus; and increased the relative abundances of Terrisporobacter and Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1 in the cecal content. Discussion: In conclusion, these results suggest that PCB showed high adsorption efficacy on DON in vitro, and exhibit the protective effects against various intestinal toxicity manifestations in DON-challenged piglets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experiment aimed to investigate the impact of substituting corn with fermented sweet potato potato on the growth performance, serum biochemical indexes, immune indexes, and intestinal morphology of yellow-feathered broilers. A total of 360 one-day-old yellow-feathered broilers were randomly divided into four groups, with six replicates in each group, and 15 broilers in each replicate. The broilers in control group were fed a basal diet. Groups I, II, and III were fed diets with 1%, 3%, and 5% fermented sweet potato pomace substituting corn, respectively, from 1 to 21 days of age, and 5%, 8%, and 10% from 22 to 42 days and 43 to 70 days of age, respectively. The trial lasted for 70 days. The results showed that substituting corn with fermented sweet potato pomace did not significantly affect the average daily weight gain, average daily feed intake, and feed conversion ratio of the yellow-feathered broilers (P>0.05). Compared to the control group, the levels of serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), immunoglobulin A (IgA), immunoglobulin G (IgG), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in groups I and II were significantly increased (P<0.05). At 21 days of age, the villus height and crypt depth of the duodenum in group I were significantly reduced (P<0.05), while the crypt depth in the ileum was significantly increased (P<0.05), and the villus height to crypt depth ratio (V/C) in the ileum of groups I and III were significantly decreased (P<0.05). At 42 days of age, the villus height of the duodenum and jejunum and crypt depth of the jejunum in group III were significantly reduced (P<0.05), the V/C of the duodenum in group I was significantly increased (P<0.05), and the villus height of the ileum in groups I and II were significantly increased (P<0.05). At 70 days of age, the villus height and V/C of the duodenum in groups I and II were significantly increased (P<0.05), the crypt depth was significantly reduced (P<0.05), and the villus height and V/C of the jejunum in group II were significantly increased (P<0.05). The study indicates that adding fermented sweet potato pomace to the diet as a substitute for corn can improve the serum immune indicators and intestinal tissue morphology of yellow-feathered broilers, and the optimal supplemental level is 5% at 1 to 21 days of age and 8% at 22 to 70 days of age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the relieving effect of adhesive Bifidobacterium on constipation and its effect on intestinal flora and intestinal morphology in mice. Methods: Detection of adhesion of 14 strains of Bifidobacterium. Fifty mice were randomly divided into control group, model group, positive drug group, low adhesion group and high adhesion group, with 10 mice in each group. The control group and model group received 0.2 ml sterile double distilled water, the positive drug group received 0.2 ml 1.52 mg/kg lactulose solution, and the low and high adhesion groups received 0.2 ml 109 CFU/ml corresponding to Bifidobacterium solution for 37 days. The constipation model was established from the 31st day. The other 4 groups except the control group were given 0.2 ml 10 mg/ (kg·bw) loperamide hydrochloride aseptic aqueous solution for 7 days. After the establishment of the model, each mouse was fed with 0.2 ml activated carbon suspension, and the excretion time of the first black stool was measured. After fasting for 12 hours, the mice were given aseptic double steamed water or loperamide hydrochloride, and 1 hour later, 0.2 ml activated carbon suspension was given to the stomach. After 30 min, all the mice were killed. The distance between the intestinal length and the intestinal propulsion of the activated carbon suspension was measured, and the intestinal propulsion rate was calculated. The fresh feces of mice on the 30th and 36th day were collected within 4 hours, and the fecal moisture content and short chain fatty acid (SCFAs) content were determined. Observation of histology of small intestine by HE staining. The expression of zonula occluden-1 (ZO-1) and Occludin was detected by immunofluorescence. Detection of aquaporin, c -kit and serotonin related gene transcription by qRT-PCR. The levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), IL-1β and TNF-α were detected by ELISA. The relative content of intestinal microflora was detected by 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing. Results: CCFM 622, CCFM 624, CCFM 626, CCFM 641 and CCFM 642 were selected as the bacteria group used in the low adhesion group, and CCFM 16, CCFM 625, CCFM 643, CCFM 666 and CCFM 668 as the bacteria group used in the high adhesion group. Compared with control group, the first black stool excretion time, AQP4, AQP8 mRNA, 5-HT, IL-1β and TNF-α levels in the model group, positive drug group, low adhesion group and high adhesion group increased (P<0.05), while the intestinal propulsion rate, fecal water content, ZO-1, Occludin fluorescence intensity, c -kit, 5-HT4R, Tph1 mRNA, acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acid decreased (P<0.05) . Compared with positive drug group and high adhesion group, the first black stool excretion time, AQP4, AQP8 mRNA, 5-HT, IL-1β and TNF-α in low adhesion group increased (P<0.05), while intestinal propulsion rate, fecal water content, ZO-1, Occludin fluorescence intensity, c -kit, 5-HT4R, Tph1 mRNA, acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acid decreased in low adhesion group (P<0.05) . In the control group, the mucosal structure was intact, the small intestinal villi were neat and uniform, there was no injury or wrinkle, and the cell structure was intact；in model group, the intestinal villi were seriously ruptured and atrophied, and the goblet cells were incomplete；compared with model group, the morphology of small intestinal villi in positive drug group, low adhesion group and high adhesion group were improved, and the number of goblet cells increased, and the improvement in positive drug group and high adhesion group were more obvious than that in low adhesion group. Compared with control group, the Shannon index and Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F to B) ratio in model group decreased (P<0.05), and there were differences in genus level (P<0.05) . Compared with model group, Shannon index and F to B ratio increased in positive drug group, low adhesion group and high adhesion group (P<0.05) . The sample points in the model group could be distinguished from the control group, positive drug group, low adhesion group and high adhesion group, but the coincidence degree of sample points in control group, positive drug group, low adhesion group and high adhesion group were higher. Conclusion: Bifidobacterium can regulate intestinal flora of constipation mice, improve intestinal running efficiency and protect intestinal mucus barrier. Bifidobacterium with high adhesion is better than Bifidobacterium with low adhesion in relieving constipation in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An alternative to culling male hatchlings of layers is breeding dual‐purpose chickens. One breeding objective is the ability to digest low‐quality feed. Certain measurements of the gastrointestinal tract may be useful indicators of this ability. The present study compared the gastrointestinal tract of adult hens of two layer‐type breeds (White Rock (WR), New Hampshire (NH)) and the meat‐type ÖTZ (Ökologische Tierzucht gGmbH) Bresse Gauloise (BR), used for the production of dual‐purpose organic chickens. Flocks had the same housing and feeding conditions. At slaughter at 19 months, the body weight and gastrointestinal organs of 134 hens (51 WR, 55 NH and 28 BR) were measured. The muscle thickness of the proventriculus and ventriculus and the length and width of the duodenum, jejunoileum, caeca and colorectum were measured and variances between the groups were analysed using a one‐factor covariance analysis. Significant differences between the breeds were found in total intestine length and the lengths and/or widths of single gastrointestinal segments. For example NH showed the highest mean total intestinal length and BR showed the lowest mean (NH: 186.73 cm, WR 185.86 cm, BR 157.91 cm; p = 0.001). To our knowledge, this is the first study comparing the gastrointestinal tract size of adult female layer‐ and meat‐type chicken breeds kept under the same feeding and housing conditions. Given the possible relationship between intestinal length parameters and chicken performance, measurement of the gastrointestinal tract may be a simple, quick and inexpensive additional method to help select layer‐, meat‐type and dual‐purpose chickens suitable for organic production when a selection process using genetic markers is not possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This study aimed to elucidate the protective effects of hesperidin on intestinal damage induced by high-temperature heat stress in yellow-feathered broilers. The findings indicate that dietary supplementation with hesperidin significantly attenuated serum corticosterone and adrenocorticotropic hormone levels elevated by heat stress. Specifically, supplementation with 300 mg/kg and 450 mg/kg of hesperidin was associated with enhanced intestinal morphology, reduced endotoxin and D-lactic acid levels, and the upregulated expression of tight junction proteins in the small intestine. Hesperidin supplementation was observed to decrease pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and NF-κB mRNA expression. These results indicate that hesperidin may serve as a viable intervention to mitigate intestinal damage induced by heat stress in broilers, thereby providing novel insights for enhancing broiler health and welfare. To investigate the possible protective effect of hesperidin on intestinal damage caused by high-temperature heat stress in yellow-feathered broilers, 960 broilers aged 21 days were randomly divided into four groups: HT, HT300, HT450, and HT600, with each group receiving different amounts of hesperidin supplementation (0, 300, 450, and 600 mg/kg). The dietary supplementation of hesperidin could mitigate the elevation of corticosterone (CORT) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ATCH) levels in serum from yellow-feathered broilers induced by heat stress. The supplementation of 300 mg/kg and 450 mg/kg of hesperidin reduced crypt depth and increased the V/C ratio in the small intestine compared to the HT group. The dietary supplementation of hesperidin decreased endotoxin and D-lactic acid levels in the blood, and dietary supplementation of 300 mg/kg of hesperidin increased the expression of claudin-1 and ZO-1 mRNA in the jejunum compared with the HT group. Furthermore, the dietary supplementation of 300 mg/kg of hesperidin decreased serum IL-1β and IL-6 levels. In comparison, supplementation with 300 mg/kg and 450 mg/kg of hesperidin decreased serum TNF-α levels in yellow-feathered broilers compared to the HT group. Moreover, the dietary supplementation of hesperidin decreased NF-κB mRNA levels. Overall, these data suggest that dietary supplementation with hesperidin potentially improves intestinal injury caused by heat stress in yellow-feathered broilers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Weaning is a critical stage in the swine production cycle, as young pigs need to adjust to sudden and dramatic changes in their diet and environment. Among the various organ systems affected, the gastrointestinal tract is one of the more severely impacted during this transition. Traditionally, challenges at weaning have been managed by prophylactic use of antibiotics, which not only provides protection against diarrhea and other gut dysfunction but also has growth-promoting effects. With banning or major restrictions on the use of antibiotics for this purpose, various alternative products have been developed as potential replacements, including direct-fed microbials (DFMs) such as probiotics and postbiotics. As their efficiency needs to be improved, a continued effort to gain a deeper understanding of their mechanism of action is necessary. In this context, this report presents a study on the impact of a Lactobacillus-based probiotic (LPr) and a Bifidobacterium-based postbiotic (BPo) when added to the diet during the nursery phase. For animal performance, an effect was observed in the early stages (Day 0 to Day 10), as pigs fed diets supplemented with either DFMs were found to have higher average daily feed intake (ADFI) compared to pigs fed the control diet (p < 0.05). Histological analysis of intestinal morphology on D10 revealed that the ileum of supplemented pigs had a higher villus height/crypt depth ratio (p < 0.05) compared to controls, indicating a benefit of the DFMs for gut health. In an effort to further explore potential mechanisms of action, the effects of the DFMs on gut microbial composition were investigated using fecal microbial communities as a non-invasive representative approach. At the bacterial family level, Lactobacillaceae were found in higher abundance in pigs fed either LPr (D10; p < 0.05) or BPo (D47; p < 0.05). At the Operational Taxonomic Unit (OTU) level, which can be used as a proxy to assess species composition, Ssd-00950 and Ssd-01187 were found in higher abundance in DFM-supplemented pigs on D47 (p < 0.05). Using nucleotide sequence identity, these OTUs were predicted to be putative strains of Congobacterium massiliense and Absicoccus porci, respectively. In contrast, OTU Ssd-00039, which was predicted to be a strain of Streptococcus alactolyticus, was in lower abundance in BPo-supplemented pigs on D47 (p < 0.05). Together, these results indicate that the DFMs tested in this study can impact various aspects of gut function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A factorial experiment with a completely randomized design was carried out to examine the effects of reducing dietary crude protein (CP) and incorporating threonine, arginine, valine, isoleucine, and tryptophan synthetic amino acids supplements (SAA) on broiler chickens. The experiment involved 180 Ross 308 broilers divided into six treatments with six replicates each. The experimental treatments were as follows: 1- Standard diet, 2- Standard diet + SAA, 3-Diet with 2% reduced CP, 4-Diet with 2% reduced CP + SAA, 5- Diet with 4% reduced CP, and 6- Diet with 4% reduced CP + SAA. The 4% CP reduction diet decreased body weight gain in the starter and finisher periods (P < 0.05). The 4% lower CP also decreased feed intake in the grower, finisher and whole of the experiment (P < 0.05), and the same effect was observed for the 2% reduced CP diet only in the grower and entire experiment (P < 0.05). The same negative effects of lower dietary CP were also found for feed conversion ratio (FCR) (P < 0.05). The SAA supplements improved weight gain in the starter and the whole experimental period (P < 0.05). Feed intake did not show any change following SAA incorporation; however, SAA had a significant positive effect on FCR (P < 0.05). The only significant effect of experimental factors on small intestine morphology was a higher villus thickness in birds fed 2% less CP compared to the control (P < 0.05). The lower dietary CP led to increased serum cholesterol, triglyceride and HDL-c concentrations (P < 0.05). The serum total protein and albumen in the group fed 2% less CP was higher than the two other groups (P < 0.05). The only effect of SAA was an increased serum HDL level (P < 0.05). The results suggest that SAA supplementation could compensate for the negative effects of 2% but not the 4% lower dietary CP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nutritional requirement of fish larvae remains a limiting factor in advanced aquaculture. Micronutrients are crucial for early development, but their dietary inclusion level in the larval feed of carps has not been standardized. The present study was executed to determine the optimum dietary inclusion level of organic and inorganic selenium in the larval feed of Rohu, Labeo rohita. A 35-day feeding trial in triplicate under semi-control conditions was conducted in 21 troughs divided into seven groups. Each trough (capacity 4.0 L) contained 200 larvae (average body weight 0.4 mg). The first group (control) was reared on nano-particulate basal diet (CP 50%), while three groups Se-Na(0.5), Se-Na(1), and Se-Na(1.5) were fed basal diet supplemented with graded levels (0.5–1.5 mg/kg diet) of inorganic form of Se, sodium selenite (Se-Na). The last three groups (Se-Met(0.5), Se-Met(1), and Se-Met(1.5)) were fed organic form of dietary Se, selenium methionine (Se-Met) at the same inclusion level as Se-Na. Results indicated the curvilinear relationship of dietary Se levels with body weight, activity of digestive enzymes (protease, amylase, lipases, and trypsin), and antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, POD, and GSH-Px) activity, intestinal villi, width, and absorptive area. A positive correlation was observed with up to 0.5 and 1 mg/kg diet of Se-Na and Se-Met, respectively; however, above these levels, a negative impact was observed. The upregulation of growth hormone mediator (IGF-1) and downregulation of heat shock protein (HSP-70) also followed a similar trend in response to Se-Na and Se-Met inclusion. Based on the results, 1 mg/kg diet Se-Met could be considered the optimum level and is recommended for the early rearing of rohu larvae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Antimicrobial resistance in poultry farms is a significant global public health concern that has led farmers to explore alternative antibiotics, such as prebiotics in poultry production. This study aimed to examine the antimicrobial activity of ethanolic shallot extract (ESE) and the effects of adding shallot powder (SP) to broiler feed on broiler growth, immune response to Newcastle disease virus (NDV) vaccination, and gastrointestinal tract bacteria. Materials and Methods: We determined the antimicrobial effects of ESE against Escherichia coli O157:H7 (EOH) and Lactobacillus acidophilus TISTR 2365 (L2365) using the agar well diffusion method. We used a complete randomized design to assign 120 1-day-old Arbor Acre chicks to six groups with four replicates of five broiler chickens over 42 days. The treatment groups were as follows: T1-basal diet (B) + NDV vaccination (positive control), T2-B (negative control), T3-B + 2 g SP per kg of feed, T4-B + 2 g SP per kg of feed + NDV, T5-B + 4 g SP per kg of feed, and T6-B + 4 g SP per kg of feed + NDV. Results: The minimum inhibitory concentrations of ESE on EOH and L2365 were 62.50 and 125.00 mg/mL, respectively. The body weight gain, average daily gain, and feed conversion ratio in the 4 g SP of T5 and T6 groups were significantly improved compared with the other groups (p < 0.05). The immune organ (IO) and thymus gland weights in the T4 group were significantly greater than those observed in the positive and negative control groups (p < 0.05). The IO weights of the bursae of Fabricius and spleen tended to be greater in the T4 group than in the other groups. T5 group broilers had the highest ratio of villus height to crypt depth. The humoral immunity titers against NDV vaccination were improved in the SP-supplemented groups compared with the non-supplemented groups (p > 0.05). SP supplementation reduced the levels of coliform (p < 0.05) and E. coli in the broiler intestine by adding 4 g of SP per kg of feed. However, L2365 was more tolerant to ESE in vitro and tended to increase in line with increased SP levels. Conclusion: ESE showed strong antimicrobial activity to reduce harmful bacteria, and SP supplementation may exhibit prebiotic effects to increase broiler chicken growth, immunity, and microbial balance.

A factorial experiment with a completely randomized design was carried out to examine the effects of reducing dietary crude protein (CP) and incorporating threonine, arginine, valine, isoleucine, and tryptophan synthetic amino acids supplements (SAA) on broiler chickens. The experiment involved 180 Ross 308 broilers divided into six treatments with six replicates each. The experimental treatments were as follows: 1- Standard diet, 2- Standard diet + SAA, 3- Diet with 2% reduced CP, 4- Diet with 2% reduced CP + SAA, 5- Diet with 4% reduced CP, and 6- Diet with 4% reduced CP + SAA. The 4% CP reduction diet decreased body weight gain in the starter and finisher periods (P < 0.05). The 4% lower CP also decreased feed intake in the grower, finisher and whole of the experiment (P < 0.05), and the same effect was observed for the 2% reduced CP diet only in the grower and entire experiment (P < 0.05). The same negative effects of lower dietary CP were also found for feed conversion ratio (FCR) (P < 0.05). The SAA supplements improved weight gain in the starter and the whole experimental period (P < 0.05). Feed intake did not show any change following SAA incorporation; however, SAA had a significant positive effect on FCR (P < 0.05). The only significant effect of experimental factors on small intestine morphology was a higher villus thickness in birds fed 2% less CP compared to the control (P < 0.05). The lower dietary CP led to increased serum cholesterol, triglyceride and HDL-c concentrations (P < 0.05). The serum total protein and albumen in the group fed 2% less CP was higher than the two other groups (P < 0.05). The only effect of SAA was an increased serum HDL level (P < 0.05). The results suggest that SAA supplementation could compensate for the negative effects of 2% but not the 4% lower dietary CP.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of in ovo injection and post-hatch supplementation of Citrus aurantiifolia seed on hatchability, growth performance, antioxidant capacity, immune organs weight, and intestinal morphology of Cobb 500 broilers chickens. On day 18 of incubation, 450 fertile eggs were randomly allocated into three sets: non-injected group, 0.5 µg/ml Citrus aurantiifolia seed extract (CASE) group and 0.75 µg/ml CASE group. After hatch, each set was allocated into two groups (5 replicates of 10 birds/replicate each) and was fed on a standard diet with or without Citrus aurantiifolia seed powder (CASP) supplementation (5 g/kg). The groups were divided as follows: IoCA0-C, IoCA0-CA, IoCA5-C, IoCA5-CA, IoCA75-C and IoCA75-CA where IoCA0-C was: non-injected group fed standard diet (negative control group), IoCA0-CA: non-injected and fed CASP supplemented diet (positive control group), IoCA5-C: 0.5 µg/ml of CASE-injected and fed standard diet, IoCA75-C: 0.75 µg/ml of CASE-injected and fed standard diet, IoCA5-CA: 0.5 µg/ml of CASE-injected and fed CASP supplemented diet and IoCA75-CA: 0.75 µg/ml of CASE-injected and fed CASP supplemented diet. The results revealed that the interaction between CASE in ovo injection at 0.5 µg/ml and dietary CASP supplementation at 5 g/kg in the diet increased body weight and weight gain (p

Recently, the intervention of herbal plants in the fish diet has drawn a lot of interest due to their unique nutritional value and pharmacological properties. To assess the impact of dietary incorporation of Egyptian mallow, Malva parviflora leaves powder (MPLP), a 10-week feeding trial was carried out on Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). The assessment encompassed the effects on growth, digestive/absorptive efficiency, biochemical, and immuno-antioxidant responses. Four treatments containing a total of 200 fish (n = 50 fish/treatment; five replicates/treatment; 10 fish/replicate) with an average weight of 37.50 ± 0.22 g (means ± SE) were randomly assigned. The MPLP was added to the basal diet at 0 (control diet, MPLP0), 5 (MPLP5), 10 (MPLP10), and 15 (MPLP15) g/kg diet concentrations and served to the fish for 10 weeks. After the trial, the fish were exposed to pathogenic yeast (Candida albicans) and bacterium (Streptococcus agalactiae) infection. Results displayed that MPLP-incorporated diets significantly (P < 0.05) enhanced the growth, intestinal digestive enzymes (amylase and lipase), and intestinal morphometrics (villous length and width and goblet cell count). The increases were in a level-dependent way, and the MPLP15 diet showed the highest values. Dietary MPLP notably (P < 0.05) enhanced growth hormone and declined leptin hormone, glucose, and cholesterol levels. Moreover, the immunological (serum bactericidal activity, myeloperoxidase, and complement 3) and antioxidant (catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and total antioxidant capacity) biomarkers were augmented in the MPLP-fed groups in a level-dependent way (P < 0.05). Fifteen days post-infection with C. albicans and S. agalactiae, the survival rates among the infected fish enhanced as dietary MPLP levels rose; the MPLP15 group had the highest survival rates (90.91 and 81.82%), respectively. Overall, dietary MPLP intervention can boost the growth, digestive capacity, disease resistance, and immune-antioxidant status of Nile tilapia. These positive effects may contribute to a sustainable aquaculture industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: With the increasing cost of bulk raw materials and advancements in the feed enzyme industry, corn distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) have shown more opportunities for use in broiler diets. Supplementation with multiple enzymes could mitigate anti-nutritional factors in DDGS, enhance nutrient digestibility, and thereby increase its utilization in broiler diets, leading to reduced feed costs. This study evaluated the effects of multienzyme supplementation on growth performance, nutrient utilization, intestinal morphology, and pellet quality in broiler chickens fed diets containing conventional levels of DDGS (C-DDGS) and higher levels of DDGS (H-DDGS). Materials and Methods: A total of 800 1-day-old Cobb 500 chicks was assigned to four dietary treatments with eight replicates of 25 birds each: C-DDGS (5% DDGS in Starter and 10% in Grower), C-DDGS + Enzyme (C-DDGS diet supplemented with multienzyme), H-DDGS (10% and 20%) + Enzyme (H-DDGS diet supplemented with multienzyme, 10% DDGS in Starter and 20% in Grower), and H-DDGS (15% and 30%) + Enzyme. Results: The C-DDGS + enzyme diet increased (p < 0.05) body weight gain (BWG), reduced the feed conversion ratio, enhanced (p < 0.05) digestibility of dry matter (DM), crude protein, and hemicellulose (HC), and improved (p < 0.05) intestinal villus height and villus: crypt ratio of broilers. The H-DDGS (10% and 20%) + enzyme diet exhibited no difference in (p > 0.05) growth performance, nutrient digestibility (except HC), and intestinal morphological parameters, whereas the H-DDGS (15% and 30%) + enzyme diet decreased (p < 0.05) feed intake and BWG and reduced (p < 0.05) energy and DM digestibility by impact (p < 0.05) intestinal morphology compared with the C-DDGS enzyme-free diet. The H-DDGS diet had lower (p < 0.05) pellet hardness and poorer durability than the C-DDGS diet. Conclusion: Supplementing multienzyme in the C-DDGS (5% and 10%) diet improved growth performance from day 0 to 28 and diminished growth performance in the H-DDGS (15% and 30%) diet by influencing intestinal morphology and feed pellet quality in broiler chickens. In addition, when supplemented with multienzyme, the dietary DDGS level can be safely included at levels of 10% in 0–7 days and 20% in 8–28 days of age.

Introduction: Antibiotics have been used for many years in animal production to treat infectious diseases and as growth promoters. However, the misuse of antibiotics causes problems such as bacterial antibiotic resistance. Also, the possible accumulation of antibiotic residues in livestock products is risky for consumers. After the ban on the use of antibiotic growth promoters in 2006, there was a need to use substitutes in animal feed to replace antibiotics. These alternatives include prebiotics, probiotics, phytobiotics and synbiotics. Probiotics are live microorganisms that, when consumed in sufficient amounts, have beneficial effects on the host by creating a microbial balance in the gut. The purpose of probiotics is to create a competition between the species that are naturally present in the intestinal flora of broilers. The most important advantage of probiotics is that they do not remain in animal products. Prebiotics are feed compounds that are not digested by the host when consumed but can support beneficial bacteria. These compounds are short-chain carbohydrates such as non-digestible oligosaccharides that cannot be digested by animal enzymes. Compounds containing prebiotics and probiotics used in nutrition are called synbiotics. Phytobiotics include a wide range of plant-derived products with bioactive compounds. Plant feed additives (PFAs) are widely effective in improving gut health, increasing digestibility and thus growth performance. These bioactive compounds include secondary metabolites (phenolic and flavonoid). In recent years, various marine organisms have been considered as valuable biological compounds for livestock. Marine algae, due to a wide range of bioactive components such as flavonoid, carotenoid, phenolic compounds, tocopherol, peptide and various sulfated and carboxylated polysaccharides such as alginate and fucoidan with antibacterial, antifungal and antiviruses have beneficial effects on health. Brown macroalgae such as Sargassum angustifolium have beneficial effects on health due to a wide range of bioactive components such as fucoidan, fucose sulfate and polysaccharides. Also, this group of algae is a rich source of sodium alginate oligosaccharides.Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted in the form of a completely randomized design, lasted for 42 days at the Ali Abad Kamin research farm of the Fars Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, Shiraz, Iran. A total of 240 Ross 308 broilers were distributed in five treatments, four replications and 12 birds per replication. The dietary treatments included: 1 basal diet, without additives, 2 basal diet + 0.05% Oxytetracycline, 3 basal diet + 0.2% brown algae Sargassum and treatments 4 and 5 the basal diet was + 1% and 1.5% of synbiotics Limax, respectively. Ingredients and chemical composition of the ration are presented in (Table 1). At the end of each period, chickens in each group were weighed and the average body weight gain (g/b) in each period was calculated. Feed intake in each period was calculated and expressed as g/b/d. Based on weight gain and feed intake in each period, the FCR values of each group were calculated. Tow representative chickens from each group were selected for carcass analysis representing the average weight and variability of each group. The data obtained on various parameters studied during this experimental trial were analyzed statistically with SAS software.Results and Discussion: The results showed that the treatments had no significant effect on the feed conversion ratio of the birds. In the finisher period (25-42 days) and total period (1-42 days), oxytetracycline and Limax 1% treatments had the highest and lowest average daily weight gain, respectively. There wasn't any significant difference between average daily weight gain of the oxytetracycline treatment and other experimental treatments. In the finisher period, the highest amount of feed intake was for the control treatment and the lowest for the Limax 1% treatment (P

Although β-glucan has diverse benefits for fish health, the potential adverse impacts of excessive supplementation are poorly understood. This study investigated the optimal dosage of β-glucan for coral trout and explored the adverse effects of excessive supplementation. The results revealed that moderate β-glucan supplementation (1) significantly enhanced the weight gain rate and specific growth rate (SGR); (2) significantly improved the intestinal villus length (0.10%), muscle thickness (0.05–0.15%), and α-amylase and chymotrypsin activities (0.05–0.15%); (3) significantly increased liver catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR), alkaline phosphatase, complement 3, immunoglobulin M (IgM), lysozyme, serum superoxide dismutase, CAT, glutathione peroxidase, GR, total antioxidant capacity, acid phosphatase, complement 4, and IgM activities and significantly reduced malondialdehyde contents; (4) upregulated genes in the liver associated with copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD-1), manganese superoxide dismutase (SOD-2), CAT, GSH-Px1a, ACP6, AKP, LZ-c, IgM, C3, and C4-b. However, 0.20% β-glucan significantly inhibited the growth performance of coral trout compared with 0.10% β-glucan. Thus, 0.10% β-glucan represents the optimal dosage for promoting growth, antioxidant activity, and immune responses in coral trout, while higher β-glucan levels weakened these beneficial effects. With an SGR established by a cubic regression analysis, the optimal level of β-glucan for maximal growth of coral trout is 0.082%. This study provides new insights into the health impacts of β-glucan on fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have demonstrated that postbiotics possess bioactivities comparable to those of probiotics. Therefore, our experiment aimed to evaluate the effects of postbiotics derived from Enterococcus faecium on the growth performance and intestinal health of growing male minks. A total of 120 growing male minks were randomly assigned to 4 groups, each with 15 replicates of 2 minks. The minks in the 4 groups were fed a basal diet supplemented with 0 (control), 0.05, 0.1, and 0.15% postbiotics derived from E. faecium (PEF), respectively. Compared to the control, PEF improved feed/gain (F/G) during the first 4 weeks and the entire 8 weeks of the study (p < 0.05); in addition, 0.1% PEF improved average daily gain (ADG) during the first 4 weeks and the entire 8 weeks of the study (p < 0.05), while 0.15% PEF improved ADG during the first 4 weeks of the study (p < 0.05). Consequently, 0.1% PEF minks displayed greater body weight (BW) at weeks 4 and 8 (p < 0.05), and 0.15% PEF minks had greater BW at week 4 (p < 0.05) than minks in the control. Furthermore, compared to the control, both 0.05 and 0.1% PEF enhanced the apparent digestibility of crude protein (CP) and ether extract (EE) (p < 0.05) in the initial 4 weeks, while both 0.1 and 0.15% PEF enhanced the apparent digestibility of CP and DM in the final 4 weeks (p < 0.05). Additionally, trypsin activity was elevated in the 0.1 and 0.15% PEF groups compared to the control (p < 0.05). In terms of intestinal morphology, PEF increased the villus height and villus/crypt (V/C) in the jejunum (p < 0.05), and both 0.1 and 0.15% PEF decreased the crypt depth and increased the villus height and V/C in the duodenum (p < 0.05) compared to the control group. Supplementation with 0.1% PEF increased the SIgA levels but decreased the IL-2, IL-8, and TNF-a levels in the jejunum (p < 0.05). Compared to the control, E. faecium postbiotics decreased the relative abundances of Serratia and Fusobacterium (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the results indicate that the growth performance, digestibility, immunity, and intestine development of minks are considerably affected by E. faecium postbiotics. In particular, dietary supplementation with 0.1% E. faecium postbiotics provides greater benefits than supplementation with 0.05 and 0.15%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Zinc (Zn) is an essential microelement for normal poultry production. This study determined the microbiota, intestinal morphology and immune status after supplementation with two different doses of Zn in pigeons. The results revealed that Zn can increase the average daily gain and ileal gene expression and improve the serum immune indices and feces microbiota profiles. Our findings provides scientific basis for the application of Zn in pigeon production. We aimed to explore the effects of two different doses of Zn on the fecal microbiota in pigeons and the correlation between these effects and intestinal immune status. Zn doses affected pigeon growth performance, and pigeons in the T60 (60 mg/kg Zn) and T90 (90 mg/kg Zn) groups exhibited higher villus height and crypt depth in duodenum and ileum compared to the control group, respectively. Supplementation with Zn increased the expression of the IL8, CD798, TJP and NKTR genes (p < 0.05), while enhancing serum immunoglobulin (Ig) G, IgM, and IgA concentrations compared to the control pigeons (p < 0.05). T60 treatment reduced relative Actinobacteriota abundance, while Lactobacillus spp. abundance was highest in the T90 group compared to the two other groups. The core functional genera significantly associated with immune indices in these pigeons were Rhodococcus erythropolis and Lactobacillus ponti. Our findings will help facilitate the application of dietary Zn intake in pig production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TGase-7S gels prepared after different HIU pretreatment times were used to intervene in healthy mice to analyze their effects on growth characteristics and intestinal morphology, and 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing was applied to fecal samples to investigate the effects of the gel on the structure and diversity of intestinal flora in mice. The results showed that the intestinal tissues of mice in different treatment groups showed better integrity, and the intake of gel increased the length of small intestinal villi in mice, among which the 30-gel group had the highest value of villi length (599.27 ± 44.28) μm (p < 0.05) and showed the neatest and tightest arrangement, indicating that the intake of gel did not have adverse effects on the intestinal tract. The effect of gel ingestion on the diversity of the intestinal microbial community structure was more significant, positively promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria such as Desferriobacterium, Synechococcus, and Bifidobacterium. In addition, the ingestion of the gel improved the intestinal health of mice by altering the physiological functions of the intestinal flora and modulating their participation in various metabolic pathways. The above findings provide some theoretical value for the safety of 7S gel in food applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Probiotics are a group of active microorganisms that form colonies within the body and alter the composition of the flora in a specific area to provide benefits to the host. In this study, a total of 96 DurocxLandracexYorkshire weaned piglets with an initial body weight (BW) of 8.56±0.53kg were employed in a randomized complete block design for a 28-day experiment. Pigs were randomly divided into two treatment groups: the control group (CON) and the complex probiotic group (CON+0.2% probiotics), respectively. The study found that through the 28-day experiment, the average daily gain (ADG) of the complex probiotic group was significantly higher than that of the CON (p <0.05). However, compared with the CON, the feed conversion efficiency significantly decreased on days 0-14 (p <0.05). The addition of dietary complex probiotic significantly increased the villus height (VH) of duodenum and ileum, acetate, propionate, butyrate, and total short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in feces, and decreased fecal methyl mercaptans, acetic acid, and CO2 (p <0.05). It concluded that feeding weaned piglets 0.2% complex probiotic increased the VH of duodenum and ileum, as well as changed the content of SCFAs in feces. This ultimately led to an increase in ADG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of heat stress (HS) on production is intricately linked with feed intake. We investigated the effects of HS on intestines and diencephalic genes in Pekin ducks. One hundred and sixty adult ducks were allocated to two treatment rooms. The control room was maintained at 22°C and the HS room at 35°C for the first 10 h of the day then reduced to 29.5°C. After 3 weeks, 10 hens and 5 drakes were euthanized from each room and jejunum and ileum collected for histology. Brains were collected for gene expression analysis using qRT‐PCR. Intestinal morphology data were analyzed with two‐way ANOVA and diencephalic gene data were analyzed with Kruskal–Wallis test. There was an increase in villi width in the ileum (p = .0136) and jejunum (p = .0019) of HS hens compared to controls. HS drakes showed a higher crypt depth (CD) in the jejunum (p = .0198) compared to controls. There was an increase in crypt goblet cells (GC) count in the ileum (p = .0169) of HS drakes compared to HS hens. There was higher villi GC count (p = .07) in the jejunum of HS drakes compared to controls. There was an increase in the crypt GC density (p = .0054) in the ileum, not jejunum, of HS drakes compared to HS hens. Further, there were no differences in the proopiomelanocortin gene expression in either sex but there was an increase in the expression of neuropeptide Y (NPY) gene in HS hens (p = .031) only and a decrease in the corticotropin releasing hormone gene in the HS drakes (p = .037) compared to controls. These data show that there are sex differences in the effect of HS on gut morphology while the upregulation in NPY gene may suggest a role in mediating response to chronic HS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experiment aimed to study the differences in intestinal morphological structure, short-chain fatty acids, and gut microbiota among pigs with different growth rates. Fifty piglets with similar dates and body weights were selected, and determined the growth index data for all pigs at the ages of 60 and 240 days, and the average daily gain (ADG) was calculated. Four pigs with the highest ADG were selected as the high daily weight gain group (HW group), and the four pigs with the lowest ADG were selected as the low daily weight gain group (LW group). Intestinal morphology, the content of short-chain fatty acids in the intestinal contents, and differences in the microbiota were measured. The results showed that in terms of intestinal morphological structure, the relative weight of the large intestine in the HW group was significantly lower than that in the LW group (P<0.05), while the weight, length, intestinal density, and length of the small intestine were all higher than those in the LW group. In terms of short-chain fatty acids in the intestinal contents, the content of acetic acid in the ileum and colon of the HW group was significantly higher than that in the LW group (P<0.05), while the content of valeric acid in the ileum and butyric acid in the colon was significantly lower than that in the LW group (P<0.05). Alpha diversity analysis of the microbial community structure showed that the Ace index in the ileum of the HW group was significantly lower than that in the LW group (P<0.05). Microbial composition analysis showed that there were two different phyla in ileum and genus, with 14 different genera respectively. The study indicates that there is a certain correlation between the weight, length, and density of the intestine and the growth rate of pigs, the content of volatile fatty acids such as acetic acid, valeric acid, and butyric acid, as well as the gut microbiota, have a regulatory effect on the growth rate of pigs, but the specific mechanisms still need further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction1: Antibiotics have been used for many years in animal production to treat infectious diseases and as growth promoters. However, the misuse of antibiotics causes problems such as bacterial antibiotic resistance. Also, the possible accumulation of antibiotic residues in livestock products is risky for consumers. After the ban on the use of antibiotic growth promoters in 2006, there was a need to use substitutes in animal feed to replace antibiotics. These alternatives include prebiotics, probiotics, phytobiotics and synbiotics. Probiotics are live microorganisms that, when consumed in sufficient amounts, have beneficial effects on the host by creating a microbial balance in the gut. The purpose of probiotics is to create a competition between the species that are naturally present in the intestinal flora of broilers. The most important advantage of probiotics is that they do not remain in animal products. Prebiotics are feed compounds that are not digested by the host when consumed but can support beneficial bacteria. These compounds are short-chain carbohydrates such as nondigestible oligosaccharides that cannot be digested by animal enzymes. Compounds containing prebiotics and probiotics used in nutrition are called synbiotics. Phytobiotics include a wide range of plant-derived products with bioactive compounds. Plant feed additives (PFAs) are widely effective in improving gut health, increasing digestibility and thus growth performance. These bioactive compounds include secondary metabolites (phenolic and flavonoid). In recent years, various marine organisms have been considered as valuable biological compounds for livestock. Marine algae, due to a wide range of bioactive components such as flavonoid, carotenoid, phenolic compounds, tocopherol, peptide and various sulfated and carboxylated polysaccharides such as alginate and fucoidan with antibacterial, antifungal and antiviruses have beneficial effects on health. Brown macroalgae such as Sargassum angustifolium have beneficial effects on health due to a wide range of bioactive components such as fucoidan, fucose sulfate and polysaccharides. Also, this group of algae is a rich source of sodium alginate oligosaccharides. Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted in the form of a completely randomized design, lasted for 42 days at the Ali Abad Kamin research farm of the Fars Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, Shiraz, Iran. A total of 240 Ross 308 broilers were distributed in five treatments, four replications and 12 birds per replication. The dietary treatments included: 1 basal diet, without additives, 2 basal diet + 0.05% Oxytetracycline, 3 basal diet + 0.2% brown algae Sargassum and treatments 4 and 5 the basal diet was + 1% and 1.5% of synbiotics Limax, respectively. Ingredients and chemical composition of the ration are presented in (Table 1). At the end of each period, chickens in each group were weighed and the average body weight gain (g/b) in each period was calculated. Feed intake in each period was calculated and expressed as g/b/d. Based on weight gain and feed intake in each period, the FCR values of each group were calculated. Tow representative chickens from each group were selected for carcass analysis representing the average weight and variability of each group. The data obtained on various parameters studied during this experimental trial were analyzed statistically with SAS software. Results and Discussion: The results showed that the treatments had no significant effect on the feed conversion ratio of the birds. In the finisher period (25-42 days) and total period (1-42 days), oxytetracycline and Limax 1% treatments had the highest and lowest average daily weight gain, respectively. There wasn't any significant difference between average daily weight gain of the oxytetracycline treatment and other experimental treatments. In the finisher period, the highest amount of feed intake was for the control treatment and the lowest for the Limax 1% treatment (P<0.05). The highest value of production index was belonged to oxytetracycline and Limax treatments was 1.5% (295 and 272, respectively). The highest abdominal fat percentage in the day 42 was related to Oxytetracycline treatment and the lowest was related to Limax treatment of 1.5% (P<0.05). The highest villus width in the day 42 was belonged to Limax treatment of 1 and 1.5% and the lowest was belonged to Oxytetracycline, control and Sargassum treatments (P<0.05). The treatments did not show a significant difference in the feed conversion ratio. The highest value of production index was observed in oxytetracycline and Limex 1.5% treatments (295.25 and 271.71, respectively). Conclusion: The final result is that the two oxytetracycline and 1.5% of synbiotics Limax treatments shown the highest average daily weight gain and the production index among the experimental treatments. Also, the maximum width of villi and its absorption surface of villus was related to Limax treatment of 1.5%. Therefore, despite the problems of using antibiotics in the diet of birds, Limax synbiotic supplement can be a suitable substitute for oxytetracycline antibiotic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The drawbacks of using antibiotics as feed additives for blue foxes have gradually become apparent; moreover, thymol has wide-spectrum antimicrobial activity and has the potential to replace antibiotics in various animals. However, there are few reports on the effects of thymol on blue foxes. Methods: This study aimed to investigate the effects of different concentrations of thymol on the growth performance, apparent nutrient digestibility, serum biochemical indicators, intestinal morphology, and gut microbiota of blue foxes. Twenty-four male blue foxes (120 ± 5 d) of similar weight (6.05 ± 0.16 kg) were randomly divided into 4 groups. 0, 100, 200, and 300 mg/kg thymol were added to the basal diets of groups C, L, M, and H, respectively. Results: Compared with those in the C group, the addition of 100 mg/kg thymol to the diet significantly increased organic matter (OM) digestibility, crude protein (CP) digestibility, immunoglobulin (Ig) A, IgM, the VH of the duodenum, the CD of the jejunum, the VH of the ileum, and the VH/CD of the ileum (P < 0.05) and strongly significantly increased IgG (P < 0.01). The addition of 200 mg/kg thymol to the diet increased the VH/CD of the duodenum (P < 0.05). The addition of 300 mg/kg thymol to the diet significantly increased the VH and CD of the jejunum (P < 0.05). The addition of 200 mg/kg and 300 mg/kg thymol to the diets increased the final weight (FW) (P < 0.05). Adding 100 mg/kg thymol significantly increased the levels of interleukin-4 (IL- 4) and catalase (CAT) compared with those in the other groups (P < 0.05). 16S rRNA gene detection revealed that thymol can change the abundances of Bifidobacterium, Fusobacterium, Allobaculum, Streptococcus, Megasphaera, and Lactobacillus in the gut. Conclusion: The addition of thymol to diets can increase the abundance of Bifidobacterium, Fusobacterium, and Allobaculum, which may contribute to improving the growth performance of blue foxes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experiment aims to study the effects of Morinda officinalis polysaccharide (MOP) added to the feed on the intestinal morphology, intestinal immune barrier function, and cecal microbiota of Wenchang chickens. Six hundred healthy female Wenchang chickens aged six days old were randomly divided into five groups, with eight replicates per group and 15 chickens per replicate. The control group was fed a basic diet, while each experimental group added 250, 500, 1 000, 2 000 mg/kg of MOP to the basic diet. The experiment lasted for 40 days. The results showed that compared with the control group, the villus height/crypt depth of the duodenum and jejunum in each experimental group were significantly increased (P<0.05), and the 500, 1 000, 2 000 mg/kg MOP groups significantly improved the villus height/crypt depth of the ileum (P<0.05). The relative expression of Occludin mRNA in the duodenum in the 250, 500, 1 000 mg/kg MOP groups was significantly increased (P<0.05), and the relative expression of TNF-α mRNA in the duodenum in the 1 000, 2 000 mg/kg MOP groups was significantly reduced (P<0.05). The number of observed species and the Ace index in the cecum in the 250, 500 mg/kg MOP groups were significantly increased (P<0.05). The Shannon index in all the experimental groups was significantly increased (P<0.05), the Simpson index in the 2 000 mg/kg MOP group was significantly increased (P<0.05), the Chao1 index in the 250, 500, 1 000 mg/kg MOP groups was significantly increased (P<0.05). The relative abundance of Campylobacter in the cecum in all the experimental groups was significantly reduced (P<0.05), the 1 000, 2 000 mg/kg MOP groups significantly reduced the relative abundance of the Bifidobacterium in the cecum (P<0.05), and significantly increased the relative abundance of the beneficial bacteria Parabacteroides (P<0.05). The addition of 2 000 mg/kg MOP in the feed significantly reduced the relative abundance of Streptococcus (P<0.05). The 250, 2 000 mg/kg MOP groups significantly reduced the relative abundance of Bacteroides (P<0.05), and significantly increased the relative abundance of the CHKCI001 genus (P<0.05). The study indicates that the addition of an appropriate amount of MOP to the feed of Wenchang chickens can improve intestinal mucosal morphology, increase the expression of the tight junction protein Occludin mRNA, reduce the expression of the inflammatory factor TNF-α mRNA, increase the Alpha-diversity and evenness of cecal microbiota, increase the content of beneficial bacteria in the intestine, and promote intestinal health. The appropriate amount of MOP is 500 mg/kg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In this study, the effects of different levels of wheat inclusion on growth performance and intestinal homeostasis in broilers were evaluated. We first analyzed the effects of dietary wheat ratio on liver function, serum glycolipid profile, and bone turnover, and showed that the dose of wheat in the diets of broilers had no deleterious effects on animal health. We also found that replacing corn with 55% wheat in the diet of broilers increased body weight and feed consumption, with improved intestinal morphology and cecal microbiota composition. These data indicated that the replacement of corn with 55% wheat in the diet promoted the growth performance of 21-day-old broilers via improving intestinal morphology and cecal microbiota. Replacing corn with different levels of wheat in the iso-energy and -protein diet of broilers and the impacts on growth performance and intestinal homeostasis of broilers under the condition of supplying the multienzyme complex were evaluated in this study. A total of 480 10-day-old male broilers were assigned randomly to the low-level wheat group (15% wheat and 35.18% corn), the medium-level wheat group (30% and 22.27%), and the high-level wheat group (55.77% wheat without corn) until 21 d. The different levels of wheat supplementation did not affect hepatic function, serum glycolipid profile, or bone turnover. The replacement of corn with 55% wheat in the diet of broilers increased the body weight at 21 d and feed intake during 10 to 21 d (both p < 0.05), with a comparable feed conversion ratio. Compared with the low-wheat group, the dietary addition of medium or high wheat levels notably increased the ratio of villus height to crypt depth in the duodenum (p < 0.05) and the ileal villus height (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, the supplementation of medium and high wheat in the diet increased the proportion of Bacteroidetes, and a diet with high wheat proportion elevated the content of Firmicutes when compared to the low-level wheat group (both p < 0.05). In addition, the diet containing 30–55% wheat enhanced the anti-inflammatory capability in both the ileum and the serum. These findings suggest that the replacement of corn with 55% wheat in the diet improved the growth performance of 21-day-old broilers, which might be linked to the alteration in intestinal morphology and cecal microbiota. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to explore the effects of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (BA) as one woody forage addition (as a probiotic, 1 × 107 CFU/g) on tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Woody forage is one kind of fishery feed that could significantly enhance the growth, feed utilization, and digestibility of tilapia. At first, tilapia was divided into eight groups and fed with control, control + BA, Moringa oleifera, M. oleifera + BA, Neolamarckia cadamba, N. cadamba + BA, Broussonetia papyrifera, and B. papyrifera + BA diets, respectively. After dieting for 8 weeks, the intestinal morphology of tilapia in the eight groups was observed, and the effects of the B. amyloliquefaciens addition and wordy forage on the intestine functions were analyzed by two-way ANOVA. As no significant negative effects were found on the woody forage on tilapia, the villus height, density and width, and epithelial goblet cells in the posterior intestines of tilapia with BA supplementation were greater than those in the groups without BA supplementation, suggesting B. amyloliquefaciens SCAU-070 could promote the growth and development of tilapia intestinal tracts. Furthermore, it was found that B. amyloliquefaciens SCAU-070 enhanced the antioxidation capacity of tilapia posterior intestine tissue by promoting the activity of superoxide dismutase and content of malondialdehyde. In addition, the result of high-throughput sequencing (16S rDNA) showed that the beneficial bacteria Cetobacterium and Romboutsia in the probiotic groups increased significantly, while the potential pathogenic bacteria Acinetobacter decreased significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of acid hydrolyzed processing on the nutritional value of soybean meal (SBM) and its influence on the growth performance, intestinal morphology, microbial population, digestive enzymes activity, and nutrient digestibility in broiler chickens fed with diets containing different levels of crude protein. A total of 300 one-day-old male broiler chickens were used in a design with 6 treatments and 5 replicates per each during 1 to 42 days of age. This experiment was conducted as a completely randomized design with a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement of treatments including two types of SBM (raw and treated with 0.50% citric acid) and three inclusion rates of crude protein (90, 95 and 100 % of requirements). The results showed that acid-treated SBM improved feed conversion ratio in broilers compared to raw-SBM group (P < 0.05). The decrease of protein requirements up to 90% declined growth performance of broilers compared to 95 and 100 % of requirements (P < 0.05). The villus length was greater in broiler chickens fed with acid-treated SBM compared with raw-SBM group (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, reduction of protein requirements decreased the villus length, the ration of villus length to crypt depth and villus surface in broilers (P < 0.05). Acid processing of SBM increased digestibility coefficient of crude protein and protease and amylase activity in broiler chickens (P < 0.05). In addition, a decrease in protein digestibility and enzyme activity was observed in broilers fed low protein (90 % of the requirements) diet (P < 0.05). Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that acid processing of SBM improved its nutritional quality. Also, use of acid-treated SBM increased growth performance, intestinal morphometric indices, digestive enzymes activity and nutrient utilization in broiler chickens. In addition, reducing of crude protein requirements up to 95% in diets containing citric acid-treated SBM had not negative impact on growth performance in broiler chickens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IntroductionThe present study aimed to evaluate the effects of substituting fish meal with pork meal in feed on the growth performance, feed utilization, intestinal morphology, and immune function of Penaeus monodon.MethodsA total of 600 uniformly sized juvenile shrimp with an initial weight of 1.20 ± 0.03 g were randomly assigned to four groups, with each group consisting of six replicates of 25 shrimp each. Fish meal protein was replaced with 0%, 5%, 10%, and 15% pork meal, and crystalline amino acids and fish oil were supplemented accordingly. The groups were designated as P0, P5, P10, and P15, and the study duration was 70 days.ResultsResults indicated no significant difference in specific growth rate (SGR) between the P5 and P10 groups compared to the P0 group. However, the SGR in the P15 group was significantly lower than that in the P5 and P10 groups. Feed conversion rates (FCRs) for the P5 and P10 groups were comparable to the P0 group, whereas the P15 group showed a significantly higher FCR than the other groups. There were no significant differences in whole body composition among all the groups. Apart from alanine, the amino acid composition of muscles did not differ significantly among all the groups. Results of enzyme activity in plasma revealed that the replacement of fish meal with pork meal reduced levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Specifically, levels of AST in the P5 and P15 groups were significantly lower compared to the P0 and P10 groups. Histological examination of midgut tissues showed that villus height initially increased and then decreased with higher replacement ratios. The P5 group had the highest villus height, while the P15 group had the lowest villus height. Analysis of gene expression related to liver immune functions indicated that genes in TLR signaling pathway were significantly elevated in the P15 group compared to the other groups.DiscussionIn conclusion, even with the supplementation of crystalline amino acids and fish oil, pork meal should not replace more than 10% of fish meal in the feed of P. monodon to maintain optimal growth and feed efficiency.

ABSTRACT: Periplaneta americana residue is a byproduct of using Periplaneta americana in pharmaceutical research and development for extracting active ingredients. Three hundred Three-yellow chickens were selected for the experiment and randomly divided into 6 groups (5 replications per group, 10 chickens per replicate): the control group (group A) was fed a basal ration, and the experimental groups (groups B, C, D, E, and F) were fed experimental diets in which P. americana residue replaced puffed soybean meal at proportions of 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100%, respectively, for a period of 42 d. The aim was to assess the impact of different levels of P. americana residue on the growth, survival, intestinal morphology, digestive enzyme activity, intestinal flora, and intestinal transcriptional responses of Three-yellow chickens. The results indicated that the increase in P. americana residue levels had a linear and quadratic impact on the average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR), respectively. The ADG was notably greater in the 40% group than in the 100% group, while the FCR was significantly lower in the 20% and 40% groups than in the 100% group (P < 0.05). Protease, lipase, and amylase activities exhibited a quadratic increase with increasing concentrations of P. americana residue (P < 0.05). Protease and lipase activities were notably greater in the 20% and 40% groups than in the 0% group (control group), amylase activity was significantly greater in the 40% group than in the 0% group (control group) (P < 0.05). Duodenal crypt depth (CD) decreased quadratically with increasing P. americana residue (P < 0.05). The duodenal villus height/crypt depth ratio (V/C) was significantly lower in the 100% group than in the 60% group (P < 0.05). The intestinal villus height (VH) increased quadratically with increasing levels of P. americana residue. The VH in the 60% group was significantly greater than that in the 0% (control group), 20, 80, and 100% groups (P < 0.05). The Chao and Ace indices demonstrated linear and quadratic increases with increasing levels of P. americana residue, while the Pd index showed a quadratic increase with increasing levels of P. americana residue (P < 0.05). The relative abundance profile of Lactobacillus exhibited a linear and quadratic decrease with increasing levels of P. americana residue, with the 100% group showing a significantly lower abundance than the 0% (control group) and 40% groups (P < 0.05). The transcriptome results showed that P. americana residue could enhance the digestive system by promoting vitamin, fat, carbohydrate digestion and absorption, cholesterol metabolism, etc. In conclusion, P. americana residue can replace puffed soybean meal without negatively affecting the growth performance of three-yellow chickens. The low and medium groups had positive effects on the growth performance, digestive enzyme activity, intestinal morphology, intestinal flora, and substance digestion and absorption of three-yellow chickens. The recommended replacement of P. americana residue for puffed soybean meal in the diets of three-yellow chickens ranged from 20% to 60%.

In order to investigate the effect of long-term consumption of yak milk on the intestinal flora and metabolism and to explore the correlation between acclimation to monodiet and yak milk intake in high-altitude pastoral areas, this study used metagenomics and metabolomics to evaluate the gut microbial community structure and metabolites of mice fed yak milk or Holstein cow milk. Results showed that compared with the control group (normal saline solution), at the phylum level, ingestion of yak milk improved the relative abundance of Actinobacteria (33.27%), Bacteroidetes (24.31%) and Verrucomicrobia (11.08%), while ingestion of Holstein cow milk increased the relative abundance of Firmicutes (43.74%) and Bacteroidetes (24.75%). At the genus level, yak milk consumption increased the relative abundance of Ackermania (11.80%), Bacteroides (6.09%) and Limosilactobacillus (4.77%), while Holstein cow milk consumption increased the relative abundance of Lactobacillus (28.62%), Duncaniella (6.15%) and Limosilactobacillus (6.49%). Both yak and Holstein cow milk up-regulated carbohydrate and nucleotide metabolism. Furthermore, yak milk significantly up-regulated amino acid metabolism, cofactor and vitamin metabolism, energy metabolism, the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, and the biosynthesis and metabolism of peptidoglycan. Metabolomics revealed that yak milk increased the contents of metabolites such as VB1, (+/-) 12 (13)-DiHOME, coenzyme Q2 and sulfonymethazine, as well as steroid hormone biosynthesis, cofactor biosynthesis, 2-oxyarboxylate metabolism, VB6 metabolism and phenylalanine metabolism in mice. Investigation of intestinal tissue morphology showed that the intestinal wall became thicker with increasing diversity and richness of the gut microbiota and the intestinal villi became longer and denser without deformity or breakage. In conclusion, yak milk has a positive effect on the intestinal flora and metabolism in mice, and this study provides a scientific basis for further development and utilization of yak milk.

【Objective】The study aimed to explore the effects of Enterococcus faecium extracellular vesicles (Efm-EV) on growth performance, immunity, intestinal morphology and fecal microbiota in mice, providing theoretical basis for the application of E. faecium as a microbial feed additive in animal production.【Method】A total of 20 male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into control group and experimental group with 10 replicates per group and 1 mouse per replicate. The experiment lasted for 5 days. Mice in the experimental group were given 500 μg Efm-EV suspension every other day by intragastric administration, with 150 μL for each mouse, and mice in the control group were given the same volume of PBS. Daily feed intake, and body weight at the beginning and end of the experiment of each mouse were recorded, average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI) and feed/gain (F/G) of mice were calculated accordingly.【Result】Compared with the PBS treatment group, no significant change was observed in the final body weight (FBW), ADG, ADFI and F/G of mice in the Efm-EV treatment group. The serum immunoglobulin A (IgA) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels in the Efm-EV group were significantly decreased compared with those in PBS treatment group (P < 0.05), while the serum interleukin-10 (IL-10) level was significantly increased (P < 0.05), and there was no significant difference in serum tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) level. Compared with the PBS treatment, Efm-EV treatment significantly increased duodenal villus height/crypt depth ratio (VH/CD) (P < 0.05). There were no significant changes in villus height (VH), crypt depth (CD) of duodenum, and VH, CD and VH/CD of jejunum and ileum. Efm-EV intragastric administration increased the number of Firmicutes and decreased the number of Bacteroidetes at the phylum level, increased the abundance of Lachnospiraceae and decreased the abundance of Muribaculaceae at the family level, significantly increased the abundance of Ruminococcaceae UCG009 at the genus level (P < 0.05).【Conclusion】Intragastric administration of Efm-EV can improve the anti-inflammatory level, the duodenal morphology and the relative abundance of Ruminococcaceae UCG009 in mice.

Abstract Background Optimal gut health is important to maximize growth performance and feed efficiency in broiler chickens. A total of 1,365 one-day-old male Ross 308 broiler chickens were randomly divided into 5 treatments groups with 21 replicates, 13 birds per replicate. The present research investigated effects of microbial muramidase or a precision glycan alone or in combination on growth performance, apparent total tract digestibility, total blood carotenoid content, intestinal villus length, meat quality and gut microbiota in broiler chickens. Treatments included: NC: negative control (basal diet group); PC: positive control (basal diet + 0.02% probiotics); MR: basal diet + 0.035% microbial muramidase; PG: basal diet + 0.1% precision glycan; and MRPG: basal diet + 0.025% MR + 0.1% PG, respectively. Results MRPG group increased the body weight gain and feed intake (P

This study aimed to investigate the dose-effect of iron on growth performance, antioxidant function, intestinal morphology, and mRNA expression of jejunal tight junction protein in 1- to 21-d-old yellow-feathered broilers. A total of 720 1-d-old yellow-feathered male broilers were allocated to 9 treatments with 8 replicate cages of 10 birds per cage. The dietary treatments were consisted of a basal diet (contained 79.6 mg Fe kg–1) supplemented with 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, 160, 320, 640, and 1,280 mg Fe kg–1 in the form of FeSO4·7H2O. Compared with the birds in the control group, birds supplemented with 20 mg Fe kg–1 had higher average daily gain (ADG) (P

Introduction: Application of suitable feed additives can increase feed utilization, improve production and improve health. Years ago, growth-promoting antibiotics were used at high levels in diets to increase poultry performance (Ronquillo & Hernandez, 2017). However, its remnants remain in the animal's body and create microbial resistance in the animal, and humans also develop microbial resistance by consuming it. Therefore, there is a need to find substances that can replace antibiotic growth stimulants in the diet. The aim of these alternatives is to increase performance while protecting the environment and animal health (Ogbuewu, koro, Mbajiorgu, & Mbajiorgu, 2019). Therefore, probiotics such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast have been investigated as a feed additive to improve the performance and health of animals (Al-Khalaifah, 2018). It is thought that probiotics improve performance by affecting the natural microbial community and improving the absorption process in the intestine (Sohail et al., 2011). Also, symbiotic are able to work both in the small intestine and in the large intestine and have the effect of probiotics and prebiotics at the same time (Ai et al., 2011; Bengmark, 2002). Gut cognition can affect the amount of nutrient absorption (Miles, Butcher, Henry, & Littell, 2006; Rahimi, Grimes, Fletcher, Oviedo, & Sheldon, 2009) and as a barrier against disease agents (Brown, 2011). Saccharomyces cerevisiae, also known as baker's yeast, is a type of yeast that is added to food formulas in poultry diets (Elghandour et al., 2020). Saccharomyces cerevisiae contains significant levels of digestible proteins, vitamins, magnesium and zinc, whose wall has many features such as polysaccharide α-D-mannan, chitin and β-D-glucan (Alizadeh et al. ., 2016) which plays an important role in beneficial microbial balance in the gut, tissue proliferation in the gut and lymphocytes (Council, 1994). In most studies, no reliable results were obtained with diets supplemented with yeast. Beneficial effects on animal health and performance may be due to the use of detectable yeast strains and levels, diet compositions, animal species and their age (Bolacali & İrak, 2017). Therefore, in order to investigate the potential effects of using commercial yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae in Japanese quail diet as a feed additive on growth performance, some serum parameters, intestinal morphology and the number of Clostridium perfringens and E-coli bacteria. It was done in the waste.Materials and Methods This experiment was conducted in order to investigate the effect of different levels of Chitacell commercial yeast on performance, carcass characteristics, intestinal morphology and blood parameters in the form of a completely randomized design with 7 treatments, 6 replications and 12 chicken in each experimental unit and a total of 504 chicken. One day Japanese quail mixed of two sexes was performed. At the end of the experiment (d 35), 2 Japanese quails from each replicate were weighed and slaughtered. Visceral and lymphoid organs were also weighed and recorded. About 8g of the contents from duodenum, jejunum and ileum were collected in 80 mL physiological saline for pH value measurement. Blood samples were collected from the same Japanese quails used for carcass traits and were centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 10 min, then stored for later analysis at -20°C. In order to measure E. coli and C. Perfringens bacteria in feces, standard plate counting method was used. And also Duodenum specimens were collected and fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin solution for 24 h, then embedded in paraffin and sectioned at 4 μm. The following parameters were measured: (i) villous height (VH), (ii) depth of crypt (CD) and (iii) ratios of VH/CD.Results and Discussion: The effects of different levels of commercial yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae on the growth performance of Japanese quail chicks are reported in Table 2. The results of this study show that the experimental treatments had no significant effect on feed consumption. The group fed with 0.75, 1.1, 1.25 and 1.5 percent of yeast could significantly increase weight compared to the control group (P

This experiment aimed to investigate the effects of in-ovo injection of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on growth performance and β-defensin (AvBD1 and AvBD2) genes expression in broilers. A total of 400 fertile eggs (Cobb 500) were randomly assigned to 4 treatments, each having five replicates of 20 eggs. CLA was injected into the air sack on 18 d of incubation (150 and 300 mg/egg; CLA150 and CLA300). Two groups of diluent injected and non-injected were also included as controls. Hatchlings were further evaluated in a 42-d rearing period. Data were analyzed using a completely randomized design. Results showed that the hatchability was not significantly affected by the treatments. The growth performance in the CLA300 group was improved (P < 0.05) compared to both controls. CLA300 increased (P < 0.05) the jejunal villus length on 42 d, leading to a significant increase in villus absorptive surface area (P < 0.05) compared to CLA150 or controls. Abdominal fat weight in the CLA300 group was significantly decreased on 42 d (P < 0.05). The expression of β-defensins was detectable in all groups on 21 and 42 d, irrespective of treatment and age. Differences in AvBD1 gene expression in chicks from different treatments were not significant on 21 d, but the expression level in CLA received groups was more than controls at 42 d (P < 0.05). AvBD2 gene expression in CLA-treated birds was increased compared to controls on 21 d, but only the CLA300 group showed a significant increase compared to both controls on 42 d (P < 0.05). Research highlights: in ovo feeding 300 mg CLA per egg into the air sac decreased abdominal fat pad, improved growth performance and villous absorptive surface area of the jejunum and increased AvBD1 and AvBD2 gene expression in broilers.

SUMMARY: This experiment aimed to assess the effects of combining early or late feeding programs with prebiotics on the growth performance, carcass characteristics, blood metabolites, mucin-2 gene expression, and intestinal morphology of broiler chickens. A total of 720 day-old male and female (50:50) broiler chicks were randomly assigned to a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement with 24 experimental units (pens) and 30 birds/pen for 6 wk. Six treatments consisted of 2 feeding programs (early: fed at hatchery; or late: 48 h feed deprivation) and 3 levels of prebiotic supplementation (none, recommended dosage, or 3 times the recommended dosage). Late access to feed during the starter phase resulted in decreased feed intake (FI) and weight gain (WG), as well as increased feed conversion ratio (FCR) (P < 0.05). During the entire rearing period, broilers in the early feeding program, fed diets without prebiotics had higher mortality rates compared to other treatment groups (P < 0.05). Also, the feeding programs and inclusion of prebiotics in the diets did not have a significant effect on FI, WG, or FCR. In both feeding programs, the supplementation of prebiotic resulted in improved ileal morphology indicators and increased mucin-2 gene expression (P < 0.05). The use of prebiotic in both the early and late access to feed groups led to decreased serum levels of triglycerides and uric acid (P < 0.05). In conclusion, late access to feed negatively affected the early growth performance of broiler chicks. Prebiotic supplementation positively influenced mucin-2 gene expression, especially in early feeding programs. Early feed access combined with prebiotics improved intestinal health compared to late access. While prebiotic did not affect overall growth performance, it reduced mortality rates. Further studies are recommended.

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【Objective】The study aimed to explore the effects of Enterococcus faecium extracellular vesicles (EfmEV) on growth performance, immunity, intestinal morphology and fecal microbiota in mice, providing theoretical basis for the application of E. faecium as a microbial feed additive in animal production.【Method】A total of 20 male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into control group and experimental group with 10 replicates per group and 1 mouse per replicate. The experiment lasted for 5 days. Mice in the experimental group were given 500 μg Efm-EV suspension every other day by intragastric administration, with 150 μL for each mouse, and mice in the control group were given the same volume of PBS. Daily feed intake, and body weight at the beginning and end of the experiment of each mouse were recorded, average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI) and feed/gain (F/G) of mice were calculated accordingly.【Result】Compared with the PBS treatment group, no significant change was observed in the final body weight (FBW), ADG, ADFI and F/G of mice in the Efm-EV treatment group. The serum immunoglobulin A (IgA) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels in the Efm-EV group were significantly decreased compared with those in PBS treatment group (P ＜ 0.05), while the serum interleukin-10 (IL10) level was significantly increased (P ＜ 0.05), and there was no significant difference in serum tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) level. Compared with the PBS treatment, Efm-EV treatment significantly increased duodenal villus height/crypt depth ratio (VH/CD) (P ＜ 0.05). There were no significant changes in villus height (VH), crypt depth (CD) of duodenum, and VH, CD and VH/CD of jejunum and ileum. Efm-EV intragastric administration increased the number of Firmicutes and decreased the number of Bacteroidetes at the phylum level, increased the abundance of Lachnospiraceae and decreased the abundance of Muribaculaceae at the family level, significantly increased the abundance of Ruminococcaceae UCG009 at the genus level (P＜ 0.05).【Conclusion】Intragastric administration of Efm-EV can improve the anti-inflammatory level, the duodenal morphology and the relative abundance of Ruminococcaceae UCG009 in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study hypothesizes that a natural multicomponent emulsifier (Lipidol) could improve production performance in broiler chickens by aiding lipid digestion and addressing digestive system limitations. Objectives: The study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary emulsifier inclusion on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, intestinal morphology, faecal microbiology, blood biochemistry and liver enzyme activities of broiler chickens fed low‐energy diets. Methods: The experiment involved 144 one‐day‐old male broiler chickens split into 4 treatments. Four diets were used: standard metabolizable energy (ME) as a control diet and three low‐ME diets, reducing by 100 kcal/kg by adding 0.5, 1 and 1.5 g/kg of exogenous emulsifier (Em). Results: No significant differences were observed in body weight gain and feed intake. However, during the finisher period (25–42 days), supplementation emulsifier to low‐ME diets notably improved feed efficiency. Although crude protein, organic matter and ash digestibility remained unaffected, dry matter (DM) digestibility significantly increased in broilers fed low‐ME diets with emulsifier. Broilers receiving 0.5 g/kg of emulsifier showed the highest villus width and surface area values. Moreover, including 1.5 g/kg of emulsifier led to the highest villus height to crypt depth ratio. Faecal microbiota, blood biochemistry and liver enzyme activities showed no significant differences. Conclusions: Emulsifier supplementation compensated for the energy reduction and enhanced performance, DM digestibility and some intestinal morphology parameters in broiler chickens fed low‐ME diet. Using 0.5 g/kg of emulsifier per 100 kcal of ME reduction in broiler diets is suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Optimal gut health is important to maximize growth performance and feed efficiency in broiler chickens. A total of 1,365 one-day-old male Ross 308 broiler chickens were randomly divided into 5 treatments groups with 21 replicates, 13 birds per replicate. The present research investigated effects of microbial muramidase or a precision glycan alone or in combination on growth performance, apparent total tract digestibility, total blood carotenoid content, intestinal villus length, meat quality and gut microbiota in broiler chickens. Treatments included: NC: negative control (basal diet group); PC: positive control (basal diet + 0.02% probiotics); MR: basal diet + 0.035% microbial muramidase; PG: basal diet + 0.1% precision glycan; and MRPG: basal diet + 0.025% MR + 0.1% PG, respectively. Results: MRPG group increased the body weight gain and feed intake (P < 0.05) compared with NC group. Moreover, it significantly increased total serum carotenoid (P < 0.05) and MRPG altered the microbial diversity in ileum contents. The MRPG treatment group increased the abundance of the phylum Firmicutes, and family Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae, Oscillospiraceae, Lactobacillaceae, Peptostreptococcaceae and decreased the abundance of the phylum Campilobacterota, Bacteroidota and family Bacteroidaceae. Compared with the NC group, the chickens fed MRPG showed significantly increased in duodenum villus length at end the trial. Conclusion: In this study, overall results showed that the synergetic effects of MR and PG showed enhancing growth performance, total serum carotenoid level and altering gut microbiota composition of broilers. The current research indicates that co-supplementation of MR and PG in broiler diets enhances intestinal health, consequently leading to an increased broiler production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the digestive biology of two prevalent leiognathid species in Pranburi River estuary, Thailand: the decorated ponyfish (Nuchequula gerreoides) and the splendid polyfish (Eubleekeria splendens). A total of 632 samples collected from February to April and September to November 2017 were analysed using morphological and histological approaches. The overall structures were similar between the species: a short mucous‐cell‐rich oesophagus region, a well‐developed gastric gland uniformly present across the stomach's mucosal layer, and three finger‐like pyloric caeca between the stomach and intestine. However, there were marked differences in the mouth, gill raker, and intestinal coefficient (IC). N. gerreoides had a relatively longer mouth, smoother gill rakers, and an IC of 1.08 ± 0.01, similar to those of other carnivorous fish. In contrast, the gill raker of E. splendens had more villiform teeth that can filter‐feed better, and their IC was 2.16 ± 0.02 (i.e., longer intestine). Although digestive structures were generally similar between the ponyfishes, these differences suggest that N. gerreoides is relatively carnivorous with stronger suction, whereas E. splendens may be an omnivorous or herbivorous filter‐feeder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this experiment was to explore the effects of crude extract of Codonopsis pilosula and Astragalus membranaceus (CAE) on growth performance, serum biochemical index, immune organ index, and intestinal morphology of Sanhuang chickens. A total of 360 one-day-old Guangxi Sanhuang chicks weighing (27.0±0.5) g and in good physiological condition were randomly divided into three groups with six replicates in each group and 20 chickens in each replicate. CON group was fed a basal diet, CAE group was fed basal diet with 2.5 g/kg crude extract of Codonopsis pilosula and Astragalus membranaceus, and ANT group was fed basal diet with 0.05 g/kg chlortetracycline. The trial period was 42 days. The results showed that compared with CON group, the final weight and average daily gain of CAE group and ANT group increased significantly (P<0.05), the feed-to-weight ratio decreased significantly (P<0.05), and the mortality rate decreased by 3.33% (P>0.05). Compared with CON group, the activity of aspartate aminotransferase and the content of triglyceride and cholesterol in serum of CAE group and ANT group decreased significantly (P<0.05). Compared with CON group, CAE group and ANT group had significantly higher French capsule index (P<0.05). Compared with CON group, the villus height and villus-saphenous ratio of twelve intestines in CAE group and ANT group were significantly higher (P<0.05). The study indicates that the crude extract of Codonopsis pilosula and Astragalus membranaceus has positive effects on the growth performance, serum biochemical index, immune organ index and intestinal morphology of Sanhuang chickens, which was equivalent to the application effect of antibiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was designed to explore the effects of isoleucine (Ile) supplementation in the diet on growth performance, meat quality and intestinal morphology of broilers. A total of 10 500 one-day)old healthy Arbor Acres (AA) broilers with healthy and good conditions were randomly divided into three groups with seven replicates per group and 500 broilers per replicate. Broilers in the control group (CON group) were fed a basal diet, and those in the experimental groups were fed the basal diet supplemented with 400 mg/kg Ile (ILE400 group) and 800 mg/kg Ile (ILE800 group), respectively. The results showed as follows: compared with the control group, dietary supplementation of 400 mg/kg and 800 mg/kg Ile significantly decreased feed to gain ratio (F/G) and mortality of broilers (P<0.05), and average daily gain (ADG) of broilers in ILE400 group was significantly increased (P<0.05). Compared with control group, the values of L* and a* in breast muscle and leg muscle in ILE400 group were significantly increased (P<0.05), and the values of b* in breast muscle in ILE400 group was significantly higher than that in ILE800 group (P<0.05). Dietary 400 mg/kg and 800 mg/kg Ile supplementation signifi‐ cantly increased the crude protein content in leg muscle of broilers (P<0.05). In addition, compared with control and ILE800 groups, dietary supplementation of 400 mg/kg Ile significantly increased the mRNA relative expression level of mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase (mTOR) in breast muscle and the vil‐ lus height in small intestine (P<0.05). The mRNA relative expression level of eukaryotic translation initia‐ tion factor 4E binding protein 1 (4EBP1) in ILE400 group was significantly higher than that in ILE800 group (P<0.05). In conclusion, supplementation of 400 mg/kg Ile (total dietary Ile levels of 1.01%, 0.90% and 0.87% during the starter, grower and finisher phases, respectively) in the diet can improve the growth performance, reduce mortality of broilers, improve meat color, increase the protein content in muscle by regulating the expression of mTOR path-related genes, and improve intestinal morphology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Application of suitable feed additives can increase feed utilization, improve production and improve health. Years ago, growth-promoting antibiotics were used at high levels in diets to increase poultry faformance (Ronquillo & Hernandez, 2017). However, its remnants remain in the animal's body and create microbial resistance in the animal, and humans also develop microbial resistance by consuming it. Therefore, there is a need to find substances that can replace antibiotic growth stimulants in the diet. The aim of these alternatives is to increase faformance while protecting the environment and animal health (Ogbuewu, koro, Mbajiorgu, & Mbajiorgu, 2019). Therefore, probiotics such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast have been investigated as a feed additive to improve the faformance and health of animals (Al-Khalaifah, 2018). It is thought that probiotics improve faformance by affecting the natural microbial community and improving the absorption process in the intestine (Sohail et al., 2011). Also, symbiotic are able to work both in the small intestine and in the large intestine and have the effect of probiotics and prebiotics at the same time (Ai et al., 2011; Benmark, 2002). Gut cognition can affect the amount of nutrient absorption (Miles, Butcher, Henry, & Littell, 2006; Rahimi, Grimes, Fletcher, Oviedo, & Sheldon, 2009) and as a barrier against disease agents (Brown, 2011). Saccharomyces cerevisiae, also known as baker's yeast, is a type of yeast that is added to food formulas in poultry diets (Elghandour et al., 2020). Saccharomyces cerevisiae contains significant levels of digestible proteins, vitamins, magnesium and zinc, whose wall has many features such as polysaccharide α-D-mannan, chitin and β-D-glucan (Alizadeh et al.., 2016) which plays an important role in beneficial microbial balance in the gut, tissue proliferation in the gut and lymphocytes (Council, 1994). In most studies, no reliable results were obtained with diets supplemented with yeast. Beneficial effects on animal health and faformance may be due to the use of detectable yeast strains and levels, diet compositions, animal species and their age (Bolacali & İrak, 2017). Therefore, in order to investigate the potential effects of using commercial yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae in Japanese quail diet as a feed additive on growth faformance, some serum parameters, intestinal morphology and the number of Clostridium fafringens and E-coli bacteria. It was done in the waste.Materials and Methods This exfaiment was conducted in order to investigate the effect of different levels of Chitacell commercial yeast on faformance, carcass characteristics, intestinal morphology and blood parameters in the form of a completely randomized design with 7 treatments, 6 replications and 12 chicken in each exfaimental unit and a total of 504 chicken. One day Japanese quail mixed of two sexes was faformed. At the end of the exfaiment (d 35), 2 Japanese quails from each replicate were weighed and slaughtered. Visceral and lymphoid organs were also weighed and recorded. About 8g of the contents from duodenum, jejunum and ileum were collected in 80 mL physiological saline for pH value measurement. Blood samples were collected from the same Japanese quails used for carcass traits and were centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 10 min, then stored for later analysis at -20°C. In order to measure E. coli and C. Perfringens bacteria in feces, standard plate counting method was used. And also Duodenum specimens were collected and fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin solution for 24 h, then embedded in paraffin and sectioned at 4 μm. The following parameters were measured: (i) villous height (VH), (ii) depth of crypt (CD) and (iii) ratios of VH/CD.Results and Discussion: The effects of different levels of commercial yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae on the growth faformance of Japanese quail chicks are reported in Table 2. The results of this study show that the exfaimental treatments had no significant effect on feed consumption. The group fed with 0.75, 1.1, 1.25 and 1.5 facent of yeast could significantly increase weight compared to the control group (P<0.05). Also, the food conversion ratio in the groups receiving 0.75 and 1 g/kg of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast feed compared to the control groups and 0.25 and 0.5 g/kg of yeast in the diet decreased significantly (<0.05). P). According to the results of this exfaiment, it has been reported that live yeast has a favorable effect on feed conversion ratio and final weight gain in broiler chickens (Borda-Molina, Seifert, & Camarinha-Silva, 2018). Abdominal fat and thymus size were significantly affected by exfaimental treatments (P<0.05). Thus, adding yeast levels higher than 0.75 g/kg reduced the fat in the ventricular area, while the size of the thymus increased compared to the control group. It has also been shown that the facentage of carcass, liver, stone, heart, spleen and bursa of Fabricius were not affected by exfaimental treatments (P<0.05). It has been reported that live yeast reduces abdominal fat and increases thymus size. In fact, yeast stimulates the intestinal immune system by acting as a non-pathogenic microbial antigen and creates an effect similar to adjuvants. By adding the level of commercial yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the amount of total protein and albumin in the blood increased significantly (P<0.05). On the other hand, cholesterol and triglyceride in the blood decreased significantly by adding different levels of commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast (P<0.05). Sufaoxide dismutase and catalase in serum increased significantly with increasing yeast consumption (P<0.05). On the other hand, interleukin 1 and 6, as well astumor necrosis factor alpha decreased significantly (P<0.05) with the increase in the level of yeast in the diet.Conclusion: Results of this research showed that the use of commercial yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has favorable effects and it can also be said that the best level used is 0.75 grams fa kilogram of feed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experimental protocol aimed to assess the influence of nucleotides and/or β-glucan on the production performance, growth-related gene expression in the broiler chickens' liver tissue, intestinal histomorphology, and some biochemical parameters. One hundred forty-four newly hatched chicks were categorized into four groups based on the supplements: a control group, a group supplemented with nucleotides (200 mg/kg diet), a group with β-glucan (1 g/kg diet), and a group with both nucleotides and β-glucan. The study's findings showed that, when compared to the control group, all dietary supplemented groups showed a substantial (P < 0.05) improvement in production parameters without having a negative impact on the general health of broilers. Additionally, the treatments positively impacted the expression of some genes associated with growth performance in the broiler chickens' liver tissue, such as the insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and growth hormone receptor (GHR). The supplemented groups also demonstrated a significant (P < 0.05) enhancement in intestinal histomorphology, characterized by increased villi length, crypt depth, and goblet cell number. Furthermore, dietary supplementation of nucleotides and/or β-glucan led to a significant (P < 0.05) elevation in total protein and albumin levels, with no significant effect on globulin, AST, and ALT. The conclusion can be drawn that adding nucleotides along with β-glucan to the diet led to enhancements in growth performance, the expression of genes related to growth (GHR and IGF-1), intestinal histomorphology, and certain biochemical parameters (specifically total protein and albumin). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Piglets are susceptible to a variety of diseases due to weaning stress and the shift in nutrient supply from milk to solid feed, resulting in lower disease resistance. Diarrhea is a common problem faced by the pig industry, which negatively impacts production costs. Zinc oxide (ZnO) is an effective feed additive to prevent diarrhea and promote the development of the immune system and the digestive system. However, high doses of ZnO cause pollution of soil and the environment. The use of ZnO is restricted in an increasing number of countries, so a low-dose, efficient alternative source of zinc is urgently needed by the industry. This study was aimed to investigate the effects of different dietary zinc sources on the diarrhea rate, intestinal morphology, immune indexes and intestinal microbial composition of weaned piglets. A total of 240 weaned piglets (Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire), at the age of 21 days, were randomly assigned to five dietary treatments for a four-week feeding trial to determine the effects of different amounts of tetrabasic zinc chloride (TBZC) supplementation on intestinal morphology, intestinal immune indices and intestinal microflora in weaned piglets, compared with the pharmacological dose of ZnO. The dietary treatments included a negative control (CON), (T1) ZnO (ZnO, 1500 mg/kg), (T2) tetrabasic zinc chloride (TBZC, 800 mg/kg), (T3) tetrabasic zinc chloride (TBZC, 1000 mg/kg), and (T4) tetrabasic zinc chloride (TBZC, 1200 mg/kg). Each treatment comprised six replicate pens, with eight pigs (four barrows and four gilts) per pen. Dietary TBZC of 1200 mg/kg improved the duodenum villus height, jejunum villus height and crypt depth of ileum, and increased the ratio of villus height to crypt depth of ileum (p < 0.05). The dietary supplementation of TBZC at a dosage of 1200 mg/kg has the potential to increase the levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulin A (IgA) in the duodenal mucosa. Furthermore, it shows a significant increase in the levels of immunoglobulin A (IgA) in the ileum. Compared with CON, TBZC significantly (p < 0.05) decreased pH values of stomach contents. It also increased the number of Firmicutes in intestinal contents. Compared with CON, the abundance of Firmicutes in jejunum contents of other treatments was significantly improved (p < 0.05), while the abundance of Proteobacteria in ileum contents of high-zinc treatments (T2 and T5) was decreased (p < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary TBZC of 1200 mg/kg improved the digestibility of crude protein in weaned piglets, altered the intestinal morphology of piglets, changed the intestinal microflora of piglets, reduced the diarrhea rate, and significantly improved the development of the small intestine of weaned piglets, and its regulation mechanism on intestinal tract needs further study. In summary, TBZC is likely to be an effective substitute source for the pharmacological dose of ZnO to control diarrhea in weaned piglets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]