Sex and Tomato Flour Supplementation Influence Hepatic Function, Intestinal Morphometry, and Performance in Broilers

Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) is widely used in poultry production due to its beneficial effects on liver health, immune function, and overall performance. It contains silymarin, a bioactive compound with potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and hepatoprotective properties. The present study was carried out to evaluate the influence of milk thistle on the production performance of broilers. Vencobb 430Y broiler birds (n=300) were reared for five weeks. The day-old birds were randomly divided into five equal groups (A, B, C, D and E) of 60 birds each. Each group was further subdivided into six replicates of ten birds each. Group A served as the control, was supplemented with Herbal choline without Milk thistle at 250 g/T feed. Groups B, C, D, and E, were supplemented with the Herbal choline fortified with 2%, 4%, 6%, and 8% Milk thistle, respectively, at 250 g/T. This graded inclusion allowed assessment of the dose-dependent influence of Milk thistle on the performance and physiological responses of broilers. The performance parameters like live weight, gain in weight, feed consumption and feed conversion ratio were recorded and evaluated every week. The parameters for serum lipid profile, liver histomorphology and intestinal morphometry were evaluated at the end of the trial. The results at the end of five weeks suggested that the cumulative live weights at the end of five weeks were significantly higher (P=0.05) in the birds from the treatment groups as compared to the control group. A similar trend was observed in the gain in weight and feed consumption of the birds. These results were reflected in the feed conversion ratio, which was significantly better (P=0.05) in the birds from all the treatment groups as compared to the birds from control group A. Significant differences (P=0.05) were reported in liver histomorphology and intestinal morphometry values. However, the serum lipid values reported non-significant differences (P=0.05). The mortality rate reported was well within the standard limits. Thus, inclusion of milk thistle in the diet of broilers significantly improves the growth performance of broilers with better profit margins without any negative effects.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of in ovo injection with glycerol (GLY) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I) on hatchability, biochemical parameters, intestinal morphometry, performance, and carcass characteristics of broiler chickens. A total of 400 fertilised eggs were distributed into five experimental groups. The treatments were arranged as non-injected (control), saline solution injected (0.9% NaCl solution), GLY solution injected (10 nmol/ml), IGF-I solution injected (100 ng/ml), and GLY + IGF-I solution injected. At 17.5 d of incubation, 0.5 ml of each solution was injected into the amniotic fluid of each egg of the injected groups. The injection of different solutions did not influence the hatchability and incubation time of the eggs. Compared to intact eggs, IGF-I and IGF-I+ GLY increased (p < 0.01) the blood IGF-I at hatching. Higher hepatic glycogen was observed (p < 0.05) with GLY or IGF-I. The tested substances decreased (p = 0.02) the fructose 1,6-biphosfate phosphatase activity but did not affect glycaemia. No difference in performance was observed in the first week. Higher feed intake and weight gain with lower feed conversion ratio was obtained ( p < 0.05) with IGF-I at 14 d. At 21 d, higher weight gain was obtained (p = 0.05) with IGF-I, GLY, IGF-I, and GLY + IGF-I, resulting (p < 0.01) in birds with greater weight gain at 35 and 42 d of age. GLY provided higher villus height in the ileum at hatching and at 7 d of age. The tested solutions increased the relative weight of the liver at hatching. At 42 d of age, no carcass characteristics were influenced. It is concluded that GLY and IGF-I, together or separately, can be used in the in ovo feeding to improve the post-hatch performance of broilers, without affecting hatchability and carcass composition.

Two experiments were conducted to study the effects of a blend of oregano essential oil (OEO) (as a source of natural antibacterial growth-promoting substances) and attapulgite (as a source of toxin-binder and as an antidiarrhoeal agent) on growth performance, intestinal microbiota, and intestinal morphometry in broiler chickens (Ross-308). In the first trial, the control group was fed a basal diet without antibiotic growth promoters, and the experimental group was fed the basal diet supplemented with 5% OEO (OEO) (Ecodiar ® powder at 150 g/tn) and 80% attapulgite 80% (Ultrafed ® at 6 kg/tn) blend. In the second trial, the experimental group was given the basal diet supplemented with 5% OEO (Ecodiar ® powder at 300 g/tn) and 80% attapulgite (Ultrafed ® at 3 kg/tn) blend. Intestinal microbiota was enumerated by conventional techniques with selective agar media at the end of the trial at both ileum and caecum, and intestinal morphology was assessed in the duodenum, jejunum and ileum. Results showed that in the first trial, despite the positive impact on daily gain and feed-to-gain ratio, growth performance was not affected by the blend with OEO and attapulgite. Furthermore, no effect was found on intestinal morphometry. However, the counts of lactic acid bacteria were increased significantly, and coliforms were decreased in caecal contents. In the second trial, a positive impact was noticed on daily gain and feed-to-gain ratio by the high OEO and low attapulgite blend. Dietary supplementation of OEO and attapulgite increased ileal villus height and lactic acid bacteria significantly and reduced coliforms in ileal and caecal contents compared with the control group. In conclusion, the combination of OEO at 15 mg/kg and attapulgite at 2.4 g/kg exerted a positive effect on growth performance, ileal villus height and intestinal microbiota of broilers. Keywords: Gut microflora, intestinal architecture, magnesium aluminium silicate, oregano

Three hundred thirty-day-old unsexed commercial broiler chicks (Vencobb-400) with initial average body weight of 44.04±0.42g were allocated into five experimental groups, in a completely randomized design (CRD) with 21-day experiment. Groups were formed according to dose of supplemental L-threonine in various rations i.e., 100% NRC specification, 100% threonine of Vencobb-400 strain specification, 110% threonine of Vencobb-400 strain specification, 120% of threonine of Vencobb-400 strain specification and 130% threonine of Vencobb-400 strain specification. Average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily body weight gain (ADG), cumulative feed conversion ratio (CFCR), carcass characteristics, immune response, intestinal morphometry and biochemical profile were studied. The ADFI and ADG increased linearly and quadratically as dietary threonine levels were increased. However, the CFCR did not differ (p˃0.05) among the groups. Though the carcass weight and drumstick yield did not differ (p˃0.05) among the groups, the relative breast yield increased linearly (p=0.007). The relative dressing yield and relative thigh weight increased linearly (p=0.05 and p=0.03, respectively). The relative weight of immune organs like bursa and thymus increased linearly. The mean total serum immunoglobulin, ND-ELISA titre and the mean lymphocyte proliferation response index increased linearly, whereas mean phagocytic activity index of neutrophil increased linearly (p<0.001) and quadratically (p=0.001). The mean villus height (VH), crypt depth (CD), villus surface area and mean goblet cell number/villus increased linearly and quadratically, whereas the villus width (VW) and goblet cell density increased quadratically. The serum glucose increased linearly (p=0.001), whereas serum total protein concentration and serum globulin level increased both linearly and quadratically. The albumin: globulin ratio tended to decrease linearly. There was a significant decrease (p<0.05) in serum cholesterol and VLDL cholesterol level. However, a linear increment (p=0.04) in the blood serum HDL cholesterol level with a linear reduction (p=0.01) in the blood serum LDL cholesterol was noticed.

SUMMARY During intensive livestock and poultry production, various stress factors such as high stocking density, environmental fluctuations, and nutritional imbalance can lead to liver and intestinal dysfunction in broilers. There is a close physiological connection between these two organs. Impairment of the intestinal barrier may allow gut-derived endotoxins to enter the portal circulation, thereby triggering inflammatory responses in the liver. Conversely, abnormalities in liver function can affect gut homoeostasis through the secretion of bile and the release of inflammatory mediators. These interactions form the gut–liver axis and play a key role in regulating the body’s nutritional metabolism, immune responses, and antioxidant defences. As the central hub of energy metabolism and redox regulation, mitochondria are essential for maintaining the functionality of the gut–liver axis and constitute the gut–liver–mitochondrial axis. This axis not only influences energy production and cellular signalling but also mediates the effects of gut-derived signals on liver mitochondrial function, thereby affecting the health of the whole organism. At present, research on the gut–liver–mitochondrial axis has mainly focused on humans and mammalian models, while studies in poultry remain limited and the underlying mechanisms are largely undefined. This review systematically summarises the structural characteristics and functional relationships of the gut–liver–mitochondrial axis in broilers, with a particular focus on its roles in regulating nutritional metabolism, immune responses, and antioxidant defences. Furthermore, it explores how nutritional factors – including plant extracts, probiotics, gut microorganisms, and trace elements – can improve health and growth performance in broilers by modulating the gut–liver–mitochondrial axis. This aims to provide a reference for further investigations into the role of the gut–liver–mitochondrial axis in maintaining health in broilers.

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.

The current study evaluated the effects of parsley essential oil on broiler growth performance, carcass features, liver and kidney functions, immunity and antioxidant activity, and lipid profile. A total of 160 unsexed 7-day broiler chicks (Cobb500) were distributed into five groups; each group contained five replicates with eight birds each. The treatments were (1) basal diet (no additive, T1), (2) basal diet +0.5mL parsley essential oil/kg (T2), (3) basal diet + 1mL parsley essential oil/kg (T3), (4) basal diet +1.5mL parsley essential oil/kg (T4), and (5) basal diet +2mL parsley essential oil/kg (T5). According to GC-MS analysis, parsley oil contains D-limonene, hexadecanoic acid, α-cyclocitral, globulol, α-pinene, myristicin, cryophyllene, bergapten, α-chamigrene, etc. The current results indicated that the most abundant molecules in parsley oil were D-limonene (18.82%), oleic acid (14.52%), α-cyclocitral (11.75%), globulol (11.24%), α-guaiene (7.34%), apiol (5.45%), and hexadecanoic acid (4.69%). Adding parsley essential oil to the broiler diet quadratically increased body weight (BW) during 1-3weeks of age. The T5 group recorded the highest value (869.37 g) of BW in comparison to other treatments and the control group. The cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and total immunoglobulin, including immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) levels in the birds fed parsley essential oil were not affected. The T3 group recorded the highest value (159 ng/mL) of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the lowest value (2.01 ng/mL) of malondialdehyde (MDA) when compared to the control and other treatment. In conclusion, we recommend using parsley oil at levels of 1mL/kg diet of broiler chicks.

Effects of honeybee venom supplementation in drinking water on growth performance of broiler chickens

Bamboo leaf flavonoids ameliorate cyclic heat stress-induced oxidative damage in broiler liver through activation of Keap1-Nrf2 signaling pathway.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of supplementation of organic minerals on the productive performance and bone quality of broilers from 1 to 21 days of age and the intestinal health in situations of enteric challenge from 21 to 28 days of age. In a completely randomized design, with two treatments composed for minerals as sulfate and Carbo-Amino-Phospho-Chelate (CAPC), a total of 900 male broiler chicks were allocated to nine replicates and 18 experimental units with 50 birds each. 640 birds at 21 days of age were transferred to experimental cages and distributed in a completely randomized design, in factorial 2 × 2 (minerals as sulfate and CAPC × with and without enteric challenge), obtaining 4 treatments with 16 replicates and 10 birds each. In the same day of change, the group of challenged broilers received a commercial vaccine for coccidiosis that covers the Eimeria sp. At 7 days, the supplementation with CAPC minerals resulted in higher (p&lt;0.05) weight gain and better feed conversion in relation to the inorganic source. The deposition of minerals evaluated in the tibia of broilers was not influenced (p&gt;0.05) by the source of minerals, with the exception of Cu and Mn, whose deposition was greater (p&lt;0.05) in the bones of poultries supplemented with inorganic source of minerals. There was higher (p&lt;0.05) length and width of the villi and increase in the ratio villus: crypt in response to the intestinal spoliation with CAPC supplementation when compared to the inorganic source.

Penthorum chinense Pursh compound flavonoids supplementation alleviates Aflatoxin B1-induced liver injury via modulation of intestinal barrier and gut microbiota in broiler

Does dietary supplementation with lettuce seed oil enhance broiler performance, immunity, lipid profile, liver and kidney functions, antioxidant parameters, and intestinal microbiota?

The objective of this work was to study the responses of modern broiler chicks to stocking density, green tea, commercial Multi enzymes (Optizyme® p-5) and their interaction on productive performance, carcass characteristics, chemical composition of liver and plasma constituents. Commercial breeds (Lohman) of broiler chicks were housed at different densities of 10, 14 and 18 bird/m during the period from 2 7 to 43 days of age. Chicks within each density were fed four experimental diets; one of them was used as a control diet. In the other three diets the control diet was supplemented with green tea (5g/kg feed) or Multi enzymes (1 g /kg feed), or mixture of both. Therefore, there were 12 experimental treatments in which each treatment was replicated four times. Results could be summarized as follows: Stocking density had no significant effect on growth of broiler chicks, feed intake and feed conversion ratio (FCR) during 7-43 days of age, except for increasing stocking density of 18 bird/m during only the period from 22 to 43 days of age 2 while reduced growth and feed intake significantly. Addition of green tea, Multi enzymes or their mixture had no significant effect on growth, feed intake and FCR of broiler chicks. There were significant interactions among stocking density and feed additives. The best dressing percentage was obtained from group stocked at 14 bird/m and fed the control diet. Also, hind part weight and % were the highest of birds stocked at 10/m 2 2 and fed diet supplemented with Multi enzymes or those stocked at 14 bird/m and fed the control diet. There 2 diet, while addition of green tea, Multi enzymes and their mixture improved front part % significantly compared to the control diet. A mixture of green tea and Multi enzymes significantly increased liver%, while Multi enzymes decreased significantly absolute and heart % compared to the control group. A mixture of green tea and Multi enzymes significantly decreased intestinal weight and % compared with the control diet without or with green tea. Stocking density had no significant effect on chemical composition of liver and plasma constituents of broiler chicks as well as liver functions as judged by plasma ALT and AST activities during the experimental period. Green tea had no significant effect on chemical composition of liver and plasma total protein and its fraction, total lipids and cholesterol and plasma AST and ALT activities. In conclusion broiler chicks could be stocked up to 14 bird/m without adverse effect on growth performance, while addition 2 of green tea, Multi enzymes or their mixture had no enhancing effect on growth performance of broiler stocked at different densities.

Long-term Engraftment of Multipotent Mesenchymal Stromal Cells That Differentiate to Form Myogenic Cells in Dogs With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

An F-FDG PET/CT was performed on a 43-year-old woman with photosensitive skin rash, abnormal liver function, and pancytopenia, which demonstrated prominent hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, and diffuse liver F-FDG avidity. The liver biopsy revealed intrahepatic cholestasis with biliary fibrosis resulting from the deposition of protoporphyrin. X-linked erythroid-specific 5-aminolevulinate synthase gene analysis proved the diagnosis of X-linked protoporphyria.