Institute of Animal Nutrition, Sichuan Agricultural University, Key laboratory of Animal Disease-resistant Nutrition, Ministry of Education, Sichuan Province, Chengdu 611130, China.
State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, College of Animal Science & Technology, China Agricultural University, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, China; Beijing Centre Biology Co. Ltd. Daxing District, Beijing 102218, China.
Poult Sci. 2024 Jul;103(7):103718. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2024.103718. Epub 2024 Apr 13.
In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of Scutellaria baicalensis and Lonicerae Flos (SL) extract on the growth performance and intestinal health of yellow-feather broilers following a Clostridium perfringens challenge. In total, 600 one-day-old yellow-feather broilers were divided into five treatments (6 replicate pens of 20 birds per treatment), including a control (Con) group fed a basal diet and the infected group (iCon) fed a basal diet and infected with Clostridium perfringens, the other 3 groups receiving different doses of SL (150, 300, and 450 mg/kg) and infected with Clostridium perfringens. The total experimental period was 80 d. When the birds were 24-days-old, a subclinical necrotizing enteritis model was induced by orally inoculating the birds with 11,000 oocysts of mixed Eimeria species on d 24, followed by C. perfringens (10 CFU/mL) from d 28 to 30. The birds were evaluated for parameters such as average weight gain (AWG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), mortality, feed conversion ration (FCR), intestinal lesion score, intestinal C. perfringens counts, and villus histomorphometry. Results indicated that C. perfringens infection led to reduced AWG and the levels of tight junction proteins, increased the FCR, ileum E. coli load, and intestinal permeability, causing damage to the intestinal mucosal barrier (P < 0.05). Compared with the infected group, supplementing 300 mg/kg of SL significantly increased AWG at 43 to 80 d, the ratio of villus height to crypt depth in the jejunum and ileum at 35 d, and the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in serum. It also significantly reduced the FCR at 22 to 42 d, intestinal lesion score, and the amount of C. perfringens in the ileum (P < 0.05). Additionally, compared with the infected group, the addition of 300 mg/kg SL significantly increased mRNA levels of claudin-2, claudin-3, mucin-2, and toll-like receptor 2 (TLR-2) in the ileum of infected birds at 35 d of age. In conclusion, supplementation with SL extract could effectively mitigate the negative effects of C. perfringens challenge by improving intestinal barrier function and histomorphology, positively influencing the growth performance of challenged birds.
在这项研究中，我们旨在探讨黄芩和金银花（SL）提取物对感染产气荚膜梭菌的黄羽肉鸡生长性能和肠道健康的影响。总共选择了 600 只 1 日龄的黄羽肉鸡，将其分为 5 个处理组（每个处理组 6 个重复，每个重复 20 只鸡），包括对照组（Con），基础日粮喂养；感染组（iCon），基础日粮喂养并感染产气荚膜梭菌；另外 3 个组分别接受不同剂量的 SL（150、300 和 450mg/kg）和感染产气荚膜梭菌。总的实验期为 80 天。当鸡 24 日龄时，通过口服接种 24 日龄的混合艾美耳球虫 11000 个卵囊，于 28 日龄至 30 日龄用 10 CFU/mL 的产气荚膜梭菌诱导亚临床坏死性肠炎模型。对鸡的平均体重增重（AWG）、平均日采食量（ADFI）、死亡率、饲料转化率（FCR）、肠道病变评分、肠道产气荚膜梭菌计数和绒毛组织形态学等参数进行评估。结果表明，产气荚膜梭菌感染导致 AWG 降低和紧密连接蛋白水平降低，FCR 增加，回肠大肠杆菌负荷增加，肠道通透性增加，破坏肠道黏膜屏障（P < 0.05）。与感染组相比，补充 300mg/kg 的 SL 可显著提高第 43 天至第 80 天的 AWG、第 35 天空肠和回肠绒毛高度与隐窝深度的比值以及血清中超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）的活性，同时显著降低第 22 天至第 42 天的 FCR、肠道病变评分和回肠产气荚膜梭菌数量（P < 0.05）。此外，与感染组相比，添加 300mg/kg 的 SL 可显著提高感染组第 35 天回肠 claudin-2、claudin-3、黏蛋白-2 和 Toll 样受体 2（TLR-2）的 mRNA 水平。综上所述，SL 提取物的添加可通过改善肠道屏障功能和组织形态学来有效减轻产气荚膜梭菌感染的负面影响，对感染鸡的生长性能产生积极影响。
