This study aimed to evaluate the insecticidal and repellent effects of tea tree, Melaleuca alternifolia (Myrtales: Myrtaceae), and andiroba, Carapa guianensis (Sapindales: Meliaceae), essential oils on two species of fly. For in vitro studies, free-living adult flies were captured and reared in the laboratory. To evaluate the insecticidal effects of the oils, adult flies of Haematobia irritans (L.) and Musca domestica L. (both: Diptera: Muscidae) were separated by species in test cages (n = 10 per group), and subsequently tested with oils at concentrations of 1.0% and 5.0% using a negative control to validate the test. Both oils showed insecticidal activity. Tea tree oil at a concentration of 5.0% was able to kill M. domestica with 100.0% efficacy after 12 h of exposure. However, the effectiveness of andiroba oil at a concentration of 5.0% was only 67.0%. The insecticidal efficacy (100.0%) of both oils against H. irritans was observed at both concentrations for up to 4 h. The repellency effects of the oils at concentrations of 5.0% were tested in vivo on Holstein cows naturally infested by H. irritans. Both oils demonstrated repellency at 24 h, when the numbers of flies on cows treated with tea tree and andiroba oil were 61.6% and 57.7%, respectively, lower than the number of flies on control animals. It is possible to conclude that these essential oils have insecticidal and repellent effects against the species of fly used in this study.
This study aimed to evaluate in vitro and in vivo trypanocidal activity of free and nanoencapsulated curcumin against Trypanosoma evansi. In vitro efficacy of free curcumin (CURC) and curcumin-loaded in lipid-core nanocapsules (C-LNCs) was evaluated to verify their lethal effect on T. evansi. To perform the in vivo tests, T. evansi-infected animals were treated with CURC (10 and 100 mg kg(-1), intraperitoneally [i.p.]) and C-LNCs (10 mg kg(-1), i.p.) during 6 days, with the results showing that these treatments significantly attenuated the parasitaemia. Infected untreated rats showed protein peroxidation and an increase of nitrites/nitrates, whereas animals treated with curcumin showed a reduction on these variables. As a result, the activity of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase and catalase) differs between groups (P<0.05). Infected animals and treated with CURC exhibited a reduction in the levels of alanine aminotransferase and creatinine, when compared with the positive control group. The use of curcumin in vitro resulted in a better parasitaemia control, an antioxidant activity and a protective effect on liver and kidney functions of T. evansi-infected adult male Wistar rats.
The aim of this study was to evaluate whether injectable zinc and copper affect host immune responses and antioxidant status of newborn calves. For this study, 19 newborn calves were divided into two groups. The control group consisted of 10 animals; and the treated group consisted of nine animals that received copper edetate (Cu-ed) and zinc edetate (Zn-ed) subcutaneously at the first day of life at doses of 0.3 mg/kg and 1.0 mg/kg respectively. Blood and faecal samples were collected for laboratory analyses (seric biochemistry, proteinogram, antioxidant enzymes and parasitological examination) on days 10, 20 and 30 after birth. On day 10, treated animals showed increased levels of total proteins, as well as increased globulin levels compared to the control group, a finding probably related to the increase in ceruloplasmin and IgG heavy chain. Thirty days after mineral metaphylactic administration, IgG light chain and acid glycoprotein levels significantly increased in treated animals (p < .05). There were no significant differences between groups regarding the biochemical analyses (triglycerides, cholesterol, glucose and urea). On the other hand, the superoxide dismutase and catalase activities increased on day 10 after treatment. In the control group, eight animals showed severe diarrhoea and one died 8 days after birth. Two animals from this group showed mild diarrhoea. Only three treated animals had severe diarrhoea, and six showed signs of mild diarrhoea. All animals that showed severe diarrhoea (control = 8; treated = 3) had hyperthermia (over 39.5°C), and therefore, antibiotic therapy was administered (sulfadiazine and trimethoprim) for five consecutive days. In summary, Zn-ed and Cu-ed decreased the frequency and intensity of diarrhoea, modulated superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) enzymes and also heightened the immune responsiveness of newborn calves, suggesting a new approach to improve cattle performance and minimize the occurrence of diarrhoea.
The aim of this study was to evaluate whether a diet based on palm oil has any influence on the immune response and on the number of eggs per gram of faeces (EPG) of gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) in dairy sheep. To address this issue, 30 ewes in early lactation were confined and divided into three groups (n = 10) receiving a daily isoproteic and isoenergetic diet. Palm oil was added to the feed at different concentrations: 0% (control; group A), 4% (group B) and 6% (group C). The animals were treated with levamisole 10 days before the beginning of the experiment. Faecal samples were collected and analysed for EPG on day zero of the experiment. On days 60 and 120, individual faecal and blood samples were collected, and the FAMACHA(©) score for assessing clinical anaemia was carried out. The groups receiving palm oil showed a significant reduction in EPG in relation to the control group (A) on day 120. Serum immunoglobulin levels (IgG, IgM and IgE) and proinflammatory cytokine levels (TNF-α, IL-1 and IL-6) were significantly increased on days 60 and 120 (p < 0.05) in groups B and C. Therefore, these results suggest that palm oil stimulates the immune response in sheep, thus reducing EPG of GIN. The hypothesis that palm oil has direct anthelmintic activity should be tested in future studies.
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