1. A total of 200 male Ross 308 chickens were used to evaluate the effects of a standardised combination of essential oils including 5% carvacrol, 3% cinnamaldehyde and 2% capsicum oleoresin (XT 6930; Pancosma S.A., Geneva, Switzerland) on their performance, hepatic antioxidant concentration and caecal tonsils morphometry. 2. Two diets were offered to broiler chickens from d old to 21 d of age. The control diet (C) was slightly lower in metabolisable energy (12.13 MJ/kg ME) and crude protein (215 g/kg CP) than breeders' recommendation. The second diet, made as XT 6930, was added on the top of the control diet at 100 mg/kg. Each diet was offered ad libitum to birds housed in one of 10 floor pens in a randomised complete block design. The birds were housed in 20 floor pens, 10 birds in each pen, and were allocated to 10 replicates of the two dietary treatments. 3. The concentration of antioxidants in the liver of the birds was determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) at 21 d of age. Birds fed control diet only had lower weight and converted less efficiently feed to gain compared to birds fed essential oils-supplemented diet. Feed consumption was not affected by dietary treatments. The antioxidant data showed that supplemented essential oils improved the hepatic concentration of carotenoids and coenzyme Q10 when fed to broiler chickens. The morphometry of the caecal tonsils of the birds was not influenced by dietary treatments. 4. It can be concluded that that dietary combination of essential oils, including carvacrol, cinnamaldehyde and capsicum oleoresin, improved growth, feed efficiency and the hepatic concentration of carotenoids and coenzyme Q10 when fed to broiler chickens.
Atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) has been shown to be effective in reversing renal functional impairments following renal ischemia. We studied the effects of a nonhypotensive intravenous ANF infusion (100ng/min × kg BW, 60 min) after 90 min unilateral renal arterial occlusion in anesthetized dogs with an intact contralateral kidney. ANF plasma levels remained unchanged in controls (group 1) and increased in ANF-infused animals (group 2) from 22 ± 3 to 552 ± 124 pg/ml. Blood pressure increased in both groups during renal ischemia, but returned to control values in group 2 when ANF infusion was started. Plasma vasopressin did not change in groupl, but increased in group 2 (0.77 ± 0.29 vs. 1.10 ± 0.49 pg/ml) after terminating ANF infusion. The postischemic fall in creatinine clearance (CCr) filtration fraction (FF) and renal blood flow (RBF) was prevented by infusion of ANF (Ccr: group 1, 0.16 ± 0.05 vs. group 2, 1.01 ± 0.25 ml/min × kg BW; FF: groupl, 4.0 ± 1.6 vs group2, 14.114.1%; RBF: groupl, 6.0 ± 1.2 vs. group 2,9.2 ± 1.6 ml/min × kg BW); however, the effects were limited to the time of infusion and the postischemic increase in urinary excretion of the proximal tubular enzyme N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG; group 1, 317.7 ± 163.6 vs. group 2, 672.4 ± 245.7 µU/min × kg BW) was not improved by ANF Our data suggest that infusion of ANF transiently reverses postischemic renal impairment. However, the failure to demonstrate a sustained postischemic improvement of renal functional parameters and to ameliorate massive NAG excretion casts doubt on the benefit of ANF infusion in preventing cellular damage.
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