ObjectiveThe study was designed to establish choline deficiency model (CDM) in broilers for evaluating efficacy of polyherbal formulation (PHF) in comparison with synthetic choline chloride (SCC).MethodsA total of 2,550 one-day-old Cobb 430 broiler chicks were randomly assigned to different groups in three experiments. In experiment 1, G1 and G2 served as normal controls and were fed a basal diet with 100% soybean meal (SBM) as a major protein source supplemented with and without SCC, respectively. In G3, G4, G5, and G6 groups, SBM was replaced at 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% by soy protein isolate (SPI) to induce a graded level of choline deficiency. In experiment 2, PHF (500 and 1,000 g/ton) in comparison with SCC (1,000 g/ton) were evaluated. In experiment 3, dose-response of PHF (200, 400, and 500 g/ton) with SCC (400 g/ton) was determined.ResultsReplacement of SBM by SPI produced a linear decrease in body weight gain (BWG) with a poor feed conversion ratio (FCR). 25% SBM replacement by SPI yielded an optimum negative impact on BWG and FCR; hence, it is considered for further studies. In experiment 2, PHF (500 and 1,000 g/ton) and SCC (1,000 g/ton) showed a similar performance in BWG, FCR and relative liver weight. In experiment 3, PHF produced an optimum efficacy at 400 g/ton and was comparable to SCC in the restoration of serum aspartate aminotransferase activity, abdominal fat, breast muscle lipid content and liver histopathological abnormalities.ConclusionReplacement of SBM by SPI caused choline deficiency characterised by worsening of BWG, FCR, elevation in liver enzymes and histopathological changes indicating fatty liver. CDM was found valid for evaluating SCC and PHF. It is concluded that PHF has the potential to mimic biological activities of SCC through the restoration of negative effects caused by CDM.

Arsenic exposure through drinking water causes oxidative stress and tissue damage in the kidney and brain. Curcumin (CUR) is a good antioxidant with limited clinical application because of its hydrophobic nature and limited bioavailability, which can be overcome by the encapsulation of CUR with nanoparticles (NPs). The present study investigates the therapeutic efficacy of free CUR and NP-encapsulated CUR (CUR-NP) against sodium arsenite-induced renal and neuronal oxidative damage in rat. The CUR-NP prepared by emulsion technique and particle size ranged between 120 and 140 nm, with the mean particle size being 130.8 nm. Rats were divided into five groups (groups 1-5) with six animals in each group. Group 1 served as control. Group 2 rats were exposed to sodium arsenite (25 ppm) daily through drinking water for 42 days. Groups 3, 4, and 5 were treated with arsenic as in Group 2; however, these animals were also administered with empty NPs, CUR (100 mg/kg body weight), and CUR-NP (100 mg/kg), respectively, by oral gavage during the last 14 days of arsenic exposure. Arsenic exposure significantly increased serum urea nitrogen and creatinine levels. Arsenic increased lipid peroxidation (LPO), reduced glutathione content and the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase were depleted significantly in both kidney and brain. Treatment with free CUR and CUR-NP decreased the LPO and increased the enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidant system in kidney and brain. Histopathological examination showed that kidney and brain injury mediated by arsenic was ameliorated by treatment. However, the amelioration percentage indicates that CUR-NP had marked therapeutic effect on arsenic-induced oxidative damage in kidney and brain tissues.

Microalgae have received much interest as a biofuel feedstock. However, the economic feasibility of biofuel production from microalgae does not satisfy capital investors. Apart from the biofuels, it is necessary to produce high-value co-products from microalgae fraction to satisfy the economic aspects of microalgae biorefinery. In addition, microalgae-based wastewater treatment is considered as an alternative for the conventional wastewater treatment in terms of energy consumption, which is suitable for microalgae biorefinery approaches. The energy consumption of a microalgae wastewater treatment system (0.2 kW/h/m3) was reduced 10 times when compared to the conventional wastewater treatment system (to 2 kW/h/m3). Microalgae are rich in various biomolecules such as carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, pigments, vitamins, and antioxidants; all these valuable products can be utilized by nutritional, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. There are several bottlenecks associated with microalgae biorefinery. Hence, it is essential to promote the sustainability of microalgal biorefinery with innovative ideas to produce biofuel with high-value products. This review attempted to bring out the trends and promising solutions to realize microalgal production of multiple products at an industrial scale. New perspectives and current challenges are discussed for the development of algal biorefinery concepts.

The present study was carried out to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation with vitamin E and stocking density on the mortality, body weight gain, feed conversion ratio, European production efficiency factor, heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratio and liver glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels of broilers. In total, 570 one-dayold Vencobb 400 broiler chickens were randomly assigned to three treatments, with six replicates each. G1 served as normal control and birds were provided a normal floor space (0.0465 m 2 /bird from day 1 to 21 and 0.0929 m 2 /bird from day 22 to 42) and basal diet containing vitamin E at 70 g/ton feed (n=150). G2 and G3 birds were subjected to high stocking density (0.0279 m 2 /bird from day 1 to 21 and 0.0557 m 2 / bird from day 22 to 42). G2 served as the high stocking density (HSD) control, birds were offered a basal diet with no vitamin E (n=210), whereas G3 birds were fed a basal diet containing vitamin E at 70 g/ ton feed (n=210). The birds were fed with feed and water ad libitum throughout the study period. The supplementation of vitamin E to the birds subjected to HSD had a positive effect on body weight gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR), European Production Efficiency Factor (EPEF), H/L ratio, and liver GSH and MDA levels with those subjected to HSD and not supplemented with vitamin E. The results of the present study indicate that the supplementation of vitamin E at 70g/ton of feed to broilers subjected to HSD could effectively reverse the negative effects of HSD, and improve broiler performance.

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