The objective of the present research was to assess the dietary supplementation of three formulations of essential oils (EO) in chickens under heat stress (HS). Day-of-hatch Cobb 500 chicks (n = 500) were randomly distributed into four groups: 1. HS control + control diets; 2. HS + control diets supplemented with 37 ppm EO of Lippia origanoides (LO); 3. HS + control diets supplemented with 45 ppm LO + 45 ppm EO of Rosmarinus officinalis (RO) + 300 ppm red beetroot; 4. HS + 45 ppm LO + 45 ppm RO + 300 ppm natural betaine. Chickens that received the EO showed significant (p < 0.05) improvement on BW, BWG, FI, and FCR compared to control HS chickens. Average body core temperature in group 3 and group 4 was significantly (p < 0.05) reduced compared with the HS control group and group 2. Experimental groups showed a significant reduction in FITC-d at 42 days, a significant increase in SOD at both days but a significant reduction of IFN-γ and IgA compared with HS control (p < 0.05). Bone mineralization was significantly improved by EO treatments (p < 0.05). Together these data suggest that supplemental dietary EO may reduce the harmful effects of HS.

The objective of the present research was to evaluate dietary supplementation of essential oils from Lippia origanoides (LEO) on necrotic enteritis (NE). Chickens were randomly assigned to three groups. Group 1: negative control; Group 2: positive control challenged with Salmonella typhimurium (day 1), Eimeria maxima (day 18), and C. perfringens (CP, days 22-23); Group 3: dietary supplementation LEO and challenged. On d 25 of age, serum samples were collected to evaluate fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran (FITC-d), superoxide dismutase (SOD), gamma interferon (IFN-γ), Immunoglobulin A (IgA). Group 3 showed a significant reduction of the harmful effects of induced infection/dysbiosis and a significant reduction in NE lesion scores, morbidity and mortality compared with the positive challenge control group (p < 0.05) compared with Group 2. Digested feed supernatant, supplemented with LEO and inoculated with CP, reduced CP burden (p < 0.05). Group 3 also exhibited a significant reduction in FITC-d, IFN-γ and IgA compared with Group 2. However, a significant increase SOD was observed in Group 3 compared with both control groups. Further investigation to compare the effect of LEO and the standard treatment of clostridial NE is required.

ResumenLos probióticos y prebióticos actualmente se postulan como una alternativa potencial de reemplazo a los antibióticos utilizados como subterapéuticos, a modo de promotores de crecimiento. Su ventaja es que no dejan residuos en el huevo ni en la carne del ave, y no generan riesgo de resistencia antibiótica en la microbiota humana. El uso de los microorganismos probióticos, principalmente bacterias productoras de ácido láctico en la alimentación de las aves, contribuye al mantenimiento de la integridad y estabilidad de la flora intestinal. Esto dificulta la proliferación de microorganismos perjudiciales, lo cual ayuda a prevenir la aparición de enfermedades y a mejorar el rendimiento productivo. Sin embargo, en cuanto a su efecto como promotor de crecimiento, los resultados son contradictorios, en gran medida debido a la variedad de microorganismos y dosis que se pueden suministrar, al tipo de aves utilizadas, a los métodos de administración, a la composición de las dietas de alimentación de las aves y a las condiciones ambientales en que se realizan los bioensayos. Por lo tanto, y debido a la necesidad de prescindir de los antibióticos como promotores de crecimiento, es indispensable continuar investigando y ampliando el conocimiento de estos aditivos, mediante la realización de bioensayos que permitan determinar las cepas bacterianas y los métodos de administración más idóneos en los linajes de aves modernas bajo producción intensiva. El objetivo de esta revisión es presentar un análisis de las condiciones en las que estas sustancias actúan, y explicar por qué a veces sus efectos son insignificantes.Palabras clave: aves, gastrointestinal, lactobacilos, microbiota, producción. Probiotics in poultry farming: A review AbstractProbiotics and prebiotics are currently postulated as a potential replacement alternative to sub-therapeutic antibiotics as growth promoters. The advantage is that these agents do not leave residues in the egg or meat of the poultry, and do not cause risk of developing antibiotic resistance in human microbiota. The use of probiotic microorganisms, mainly lactic acid-producing bacteria in poultry feeding, contributes to maintaining the integrity and stability of the intestinal flora. This hampers the proliferation of harmful microorganisms, which helps to prevent the onset of disease and improves productive performance. Nevertheless, regarding their effect as growth promoters, results are contradictory, largely because of the variety of microorganisms and doses that can be administered, the type of poultry used, methods of administration, diet compositions, and environmental conditions in which bioassays are performed. Therefore, given the need to eliminate antibiotics as growth promoters, it is essential to continue researching and expanding our knowledge of these additives, by conducting bioassays to determine bacterial strains and the most suitable methods of administration in modern poultry lineages under intensive production. The objective of this review is to present an analysis of ...

Weight-related disorders affect more than half of the adult population worldwide; they are also concomitant with a state of chronic low-grade inflammation manifesting in abnormal cytokine production. The present study evaluated the effect of polyphenol and flavonoid extract from Passiflora ligularis (granadilla) on low-grade inflammation and body weight in overweight Wistar rats. To induce weight-gain, rats were fed a chow diet with 30% sucrose water and supplemented with 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0 g/L polyphenol extracts (n = 16). The design was a 3 +1 factorial model performed for 42 days (granadilla polyphenols, 3 levels of supplementation, and 1 control group). In addition to total polyphenol and total flavonoid content, the major identified and quantified polyphenol, via UHPLC, was ferulic acid. Interleukin 6 (IL-6), and cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were evaluated in serum. A decline in the concentration of TNF-α and in weight-gain was found in P. ligularis (granadilla) groups treated with the 2.5 g/L dose. Consumption of polyphenol extracts from granadilla inhibits interleukin-activity as an indicator of inflammation and aids in body-weight control, considering similar food intake, in overweight Wistar rats.

Los ácidos orgánicos son una alternativa de reemplazo a los antibióticos promotores de crecimiento utilizados en la industria avícola moderna, por ser agentes que no dejan residuos en la carne de los animales y no generan ningún riesgo para la salud humana. El uso de ácidos orgánicos en la alimentación de las aves, contribuye al mantenimiento de la integridad y estabilidad de la biota intestinal; además, dificulta la proliferación de microorganismos patógenos, ayuda a prevenir la aparición de enfermedades y a mejorar el rendimiento productivo. Sin embargo, los resultados experimentales en la dieta de las aves son diversos y contradictorios, inducidos por diferencias en factores tales como: el tipo y la dosis del ácido orgánico, la composición de la dieta y las condiciones ambientales de cría en las que se realizan los ensayos. El objetivo de esta revisión es presentar un análisis de los diferentes resultados experimentales al incluir ácidos orgánicos en la dieta del pollo de engorde, con respecto a la fisiología intestinal, los parámetros productivos y hematológicos.