Investigating the potential role of vitamin E in modulating the immunosuppressive effects of tylvalosin and florfenicol in broiler chickens

Enhancing poultry health and productivity through the liver-gut axis with integrated nutritional and immunological approaches: a mini-review

The liver-gut axis plays a central role in maintaining the health and productivity of poultry. In addition, the liver-gut axis serves as a key regulator of digestion, metabolism, immunity, and detoxification. The gut, with its diverse microbiota, is the primary site for nutrient absorption and immune modulation, while the liver metabolizes nutrients, detoxifies harmful substances, and acts as a frontline defense against pathogens translocated from the gut. Disruptions in this interconnected system, including gut dysbiosis or liver inflammation, can lead to compromised immunity and reduced productivity. This mini-review explores integrated nutritional and immunological strategies aimed at optimizing the liver-gut axis to enhance poultry performance. Nutritional interventions, such as the use of flavonoids, vitamins, amino acids, micronutrients, probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics, have demonstrated their potential to support liver and gut health. Dietary components such as phytogenic additives, fiber, and fatty acids further contribute to immune modulation and systemic health. Immunological approaches, such as beta-glucans and in ovo stimulation, and molecular approaches, including advanced genetic techniques, offer additional avenues for improving disease resistance and organ function. Despite notable advancements, challenges including antibiotic resistance, environmental stressors, and implementation costs persist. Emerging technologies like metagenomics, metabolomics, and precision breeding offer innovative solutions to enhance liver-gut interactions. This review underscores recent advancements in understanding the liver-gut axis and calls for holistic strategies to improve sustainable poultry production. Future research should integrate these approaches to enhance resilience, productivity, and sustainability in the poultry industry.

Strategies for enhancing immunity against avian influenza virus in chickens: A review

Poultry infection with avian influenza viruses (AIV) is a continuous source of concern for poultry production and human health. Uncontrolled infection and transmission of AIV in poultry increases the potential for viral mutation and reassortment, possibly resulting in the emergence of zoonotic viruses. To this end, implementing strategies to disrupt the transmission of AIVs in poultry, including a wide array of traditional and novel methods, is much needed. Vaccination of poultry is a targeted approach to reduce clinical signs and shedding in infected birds. Strategies aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of AIV vaccines are multi-pronged and include methods directed towards eliciting immune responses in poultry. Strategies include producing vaccines of greater immunogenicity via vaccine type and adjuvant application and increasing bird responsiveness to vaccines by modification of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) microbiome and dietary interventions. This review provides an in-depth discussion of recent findings surrounding novel AIV vaccines for poultry, including reverse genetics vaccines, vectors, protein vaccines and virus like particles, highlighting their experimental efficacy among other factors such as safety and potential for use in the field. In addition to the type of vaccine employed, vaccine adjuvants also provide an effective way to enhance AIV vaccine efficacy, therefore, research on different types of vaccine adjuvants and vaccine adjuvant delivery strategies is discussed. Finally, the poultry gastrointestinal microbiome is emerging as an important factor in the effectiveness of prophylactic treatments. In this regard, current findings on the effects of the chicken GIT microbiome on AIV vaccine efficacy are summarized here.

Study on the mechanism of Salvia miltiorrhiza polysaccharides in relieving liver injury of broilers induced by florfenicol

In order to explore the transcriptomics and proteomics targets and pathways of Salvia miltiorrhiza polysaccharides (SMPs) alleviating florfenicol (FFC)-induced liver injury in broilers, 60 1-day-old broilers were randomly divided into 3 groups: control group ( GP1) was fed tap water, FFC model (GP2) was given tap water containing FFC 0.15 g/L, and SMPs treatment group (GP3) was given tap water containing FFC 0.15 g/L and SMPs 5 g/L. Starting from 1 day of age, the drug was administered continuously for 5 days. On the 6th day, blood was collected from the heart and the liver was taken. Then 3 chickens were randomly taken from each group, and their liver tissues were aseptically removed and placed in an enzyme-free tube. Using high-throughput mRNA sequencing and TMT-labeled quantitative proteomics technology, the transcriptome and proteome of the three groups of broiler liver were analyzed, respectively. The results of the study showed that the liver tissue morphology of the chicks in the GP1 and GP3 groups was complete and there were no obvious necrotic cells in the liver cells. The liver tissue cells in the GP2 group showed obvious damage, the intercellular space increased, and the liver cells showed extensive vacuolation and steatosis. Compared with the GP1 group, the daily gain of chicks in the GP2 group was significantly reduced (P < 0.0 5 or P < 0.01). Compared with the GP2 group, the GP3 group significantly increased the daily gain of chicks (P <0.0 5 or P <0.01). Compared with the GP1 group, the serum levels of ALT, AST, liver LPO, ROS, and IL-6 in the GP2 group were significantly increased (P < 0.0 5 or P < 0.01), and the contents of T-AOC, GSH-PX, IL-4, and IL-10 in the liver were significantly decreased (P < 0.0 5 or P < 0.01). After SMPs treatment, the serum levels of ALT, AST, liver LPO, ROS, and IL-6 were significantly reduced (P < 0.0 5 or P < 0.01), and the contents of T-AOC, GSH-PX, IL-4, and IL-10 in the liver were significantly increased (P < 0.0 5 or P < 0.01). There were 380 mRNA and 178 protein differentially expressed between GP2 group and GP3 group. Part of DEGs was randomly selected for QPCR verification, and the expression results of randomly selected FABP1, SLC16A1, GPT2, AACS, and other genes were verified by QPCR to be consistent with the sequencing results, which demonstrated the accuracy of transcriptation-associated proteomics sequencing. The results showed that SMPs could alleviate the oxidative stress and inflammatory damage caused by FFC in the liver of chicken and restore the normal function of the liver. SMPs may alleviate the liver damage caused by FFC by regulating the drug metabolism-cytochrome P450, PPAR signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, glutathione metabolism, and other pathways.

Effects of dietary vitamin E supplementation on the reproductive performance of yearling female mink (Neovison vison) fed wet fish-based feed

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary vitamin E (VE) supplementation on the reproductive performance of female mink, preweaning growth performance of their kits, and antioxidative status and immune functions of dams and kits. Yearling mink dams (n = 180) were randomly assigned to five treatment groups (n = 36). The dietary treatments included a basal diet supplemented with VE at 0 (control), 80, 160, 320, or 640 mg/kg DM. Compared with the control, the addition of 160-320 mg/kg VE decreased (P = 0.0362) the percentage of pre-weaning mortality of mink kits. At weaning, the average body weight was greater (P = 0.0408) in kits fed 320 mg/kg supplemental VE. In mink dams, the addition of 80-320 mg/kg VE increased (P = 0.0125) serum SOD. Supplementation of 320 or 640 mg/kg VE decreased (P = 0.0260) serum reactive oxygen species (ROS). Furthermore, feeding a large dose of VE (640 mg/kg diet) resulted in increased (P = 0.0245) serum α-tocopherol. In mink kits, the addition of 320 or 640 mg/kg VE increased serum α-tocopherol (P = 0.0207) and IgG (P = 0.0464). Supplementation of 640 mg/kg VE decreased (P = 0.0471) serum ROS. The present results indicate that VE supplementation improved the antioxidative status of mink dams and enhanced the immune functions, decreased pre-weaning mortality and enhanced weaning weight of their kits. Taken together, the effective VE supplementation was 320 mg/kg of diet for yearling female mink.

Effects of dietary vitamin E on the growth performance, antioxidative status, and some immunological blood parameters in growing mink (Mustela vison) fed dry feed

Ninety standard dark male minks (8 wk of age) were used to investigate the effects of vitamin E (VE) supplementation on growth performance, antioxidative status, and some immunological blood parameters. The dietary treatments included a basal diet (containing 20.86 mg kg−1VE) supplemented with 0 (control), 50, 100, 200, 400, or 800 mg kg−1VE. The results showed that VE supplementation of 200–400 mg kg−1increased (P < 0.05) the body weight, average daily feed intake, average daily gain, and gain to feed ratio of the mink from days 1 to 30. At days 30 and 60, the minks fed diets supplemented with 400 mg kg−1VE had higher (P < 0.05) concentrations of serum superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase than either the control or the VE50 groups but had activity levels similar to those of the VE200 and VE800 groups. Feeding a high dose of VE (400–800 mg kg−1diet) resulted in a significant increase in the concentrations of α-tocopherol and a reduction in the reactive oxygen species content in the serum. Vitamin E supplementation of 200–400 mg kg−1increased (P < 0.05) the concentrations of immunoglobulin G, interleukin-2, and soluble CD4/soluble CD8and decreased (P < 0.05) the content of soluble CD8in the serum. Overall, the suitable level of VE supplementation was found to be 200–400 mg kg−1diet for growing mink.

Investigating the potential protective effects of natural product quercetin against imidacloprid-induced biochemical toxicity and DNA damage in adults rats

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Imidacloprid insecticide causes hepatotoxicity, renal damage and DNA damage.

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Quercetin revealed a significant protective action against the toxic effects of Imidacloprid.

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Quercetin counteracts the imidacloprid effects on liver, Kidney and DNA damage to the normal level.

Quercetin (QT) is a natural antioxidant materials that’s possesses different type of pharmacological activities. In the current study, the protective effect QT against imidacloprid (IMD)-induced toxicity in rats was studied. The experiment included thirty-six adult male rats groups treated with QT, IMD (two different doses), their combinations and control non-treated group for 21 consecutive days. Different biochemical analysis (serum liver and kidney enzymes level, cholesterol and Glucose levels) were evaluated. DNA damage using comet assay and histopathological examination of different body organs were also screened. Treatment with IMD increased ALT, AST, serum urea, creatinine, cholesterol and Glucose levels but decreased the levels of serum total protein, albumin and body weight with induction in triacylglycerol and cholesterol levels. Animals treated with QT prior to IMD administration showed normal enzymatic levels which indicating a protective effect of QT. In addition, QT protected the different body organs from the histological changes and DNA damages induced by IMD toxicity. The present results showed the protective effect of QT as a natural material against the IMD induced toxicity at different doses.