The experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of Cinnamomum zeylanicum essential oil on antioxidant status of chickens. Thirty-two female Ross 308 hybrid broilers were fed one of four diets supplemented with 0%, 0.1%, 0.05% and 0.025% of essential oil for 38 days. Blood, liver, kidney and duodenal epithelium were collected for the subsequent evaluation of antioxidant status. Feeding of adiet supplemented with 0.1% of essential oil significantly decreased the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) in plasma and duodenal mucosa in comparison with the control group (0%). The activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were significantly higher in blood of chicks fed the diet containing 0.1% of essential oil. Diets containing 0.05% and 0.025% of essential oil reduced alanine amino transferase (ALT) activity in plasma in comparison with the control group. Blood phagocytic activity significantly increased in chickens fed the diet supplemented with 0.1% and the index of phygocytic activity was affected by the diet containing 0.025% of essential oil in comparison with the control group. The present investigation shows that Cinnamomum zeylanicum essential oil exhibits a significant antioxidant activity in fattening chickens and can be used as a source of antioxidant in dietary supplement.

No abstract

Faixová, Z., ·. Faix, ª. Leng, P. Váczi, Z. Maková, R. Szabóová: Haematological, Blood and Rumen Chemistry Changes in Lambs Following Supplementation with Se-yeast. Acta Vet Brno 2007, 76: 3-8 The effects of feed supplementation with organic form of selenium (Se) on ruminal enzyme activities (ALT, AST, GGT, ALP and GDH), blood enzyme activity (GPx), serum enzyme activities (LDH, CK) and haematological indicators were examined in lambs. Ten animals were divided into two groups and fed experimental diets for 3 months. The first group received a basic diet (BD) providing a daily intake 50.6 µg of Se only. The diet for the second group consisted of BD supplemented with selenium 0.3 mg·kg -1 DM in the form of Se-enriched yeast and giving a total daily intake 278 µg of Se per animal. Lambs of the second group which were fed additional Se had increased concentrations of Se in plasma (P < 0.001), greater activity of blood glutathione peroxidase (GPx) (P < 0.001) and lower activity of creatine kinase (CK) (P < 0.05) in serum. The activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (P < 0.001) and glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) (P < 0.001) in ruminal fluid were found to be significantly higher in Se-yeast group of lamb compared with the group given BD with no differences for Se concentration in ruminal fluid and ALT, AST and GGT activities. Total erythrocyte count and osmotic resistance of red blood cells were significantly higher (P < 0.01) in selenium-supplemented animals. White blood cell count was increased in lambs given BD (P < 0.05). It was concluded that Se supplementation can influence ruminal enzyme activities and cell membrane resistance of lambs.

The gastrointestinal tract, like the urinary, respiratory, reproductive tracts and the surface of the eye, has large surface areas which are in contact with the exterior environment. The mucosal tissues in the gastrointestinal tract are exposed to large number of exogenous, water or food born microbiota. Therefore, they serve as access routes for different types of bacteria, parasites, viruses, enzymes and toxins. In order to protect the mucosal tissues against pathogens and aggressive enzymes, which are necessary in digestive processes, they are covered by a resident microbial flora and also by a viscoelastic adherent mucous gel layer. The mucus layer acts as the first line of defense against threats and also as a positive environment for beneficial endogenous microbiota adapted for symbiotic living. The quantity and quality of mucus layers varies throughout the gastrointestinal tube and is often changed and disrupted during the occurrence disease. A disturbed mucus layer in the intestine can result in changes in the whole organism, such as: impaired immunity, loss of weight and weak food conversion, which is important, especially in food animals. That is why several researchers have focused on these changes, both in humans and other animals, to find out methods and countermeasures, which will facilitate the best protection for the mucus layer in the intestine. In this review, we describe the composition and function of the mucus layer and mucins in the intestine.

The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of feeding a diet supplemented with different forms of selenium on the rumen fluid, blood and serum enzyme activity and osmotic fragility of red blood cells in sheep. The experiment was carried out on 18 sheep of the Valashka breed at the age of 18 months, divided into 3 groups. The first group was given basal diet (BD) with a Se content of 0.17 mg/kg of dry matter (DM). The second group received BD supplemented with 0.4 mg Se/kg of (DM) in the form of sodium selenite. The third group received BD supplemented with 0.4 mg Se/kg of (DM) in the form of Se-yeast extract. Duration of the trial was 12 weeks. Selenium concentration in blood and total rumen fluid were elevated in both supplemented groups with the highest values in Se-yeast-treated sheep. Blood glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity was significantly increased, regardless of the source of selenium. Osmotic resistance of red blood cells was not affected by selenium supplementation. The results indicate that feeding a diet supplemented with selenium from Se-yeast or selenite improved selenium status in blood and total rumen fluid. Selenium from sodium selenite was as effective as selenium from Se-yeast in the availability of selenium for the blood GPx activity. The effect of selenium supplementation on the ruminal enzyme activity depends on the selenium form; GGT and GDH were significantly higher in the Se-yeast supplement group, AST and ALP were significantly higher in the selenite supplement group. Rumen, blood enzymes, ruminantSelenium is an essential trace element which plays an important role in the antioxidative, reproductive, endocrine and immune systems of species.In most European Union countries the natural Se content in feed is only 0.03-0.12 mg/kg of dry matter (Pappas et al. 2008). The intake of such feeds can result in serious Se deficiencies and health problems especially in young growing and highly producing animals.For this reason commercial animal feeds are routinely supplemented with various Se sources up to the maximum European Union authorized total Se content of 0.5 mg/kg of feed.Currently, sodium selenite (Na 2 SeO 3 ) and sodium selenate (Na 2 SeO 4 ) as inorganic and selenium-enriched yeast (Se-yeast) as organic Se are principal selenium supplements of animal feed.It is established that selenocompounds from dietary inorganic and organic Se sources follow different metabolic pathways (Qin et al. 2007;Wang et al. 2009). Intestinal absorption of Se is much lower in ruminants than in nonruminants. For selenite, the absorption is 79% and 80% in poultry and swine, respectively, whereas only 29% in sheep. For selenomethionine and selenate the absorption is higher than 90% in monogastrics and poultry. Low absorption of selenium in ruminants is believed to result from reduction of dietary selenium (selenite and selenate) to unsoluble forms such as elemental selenium or selenides in the rumen environment (Mehdi et al. 2013).

Faix Š., Š. Juhas, Z. Faixová: The Effect of Essential Oil Intake on Changes of Plasma Antioxidant Status in Mice. Acta Vet. Brno 2007, 76: 357-361.The aim of this study was to determine the effects of four essential oils intake by feed, namely Origanum vulgare, Thymus vulgaris, Cinnamomum zeylanicum Ness, and Syzygium aromaticum on antioxidant status in mice in vivo. Essential oils were in the aether oleum form. They were diluted with ethanol absolute mixed with ground pelett (0.1, 0.25, 0.57 and 1% concentration) and thereafter ethanol was evaporated. SOD, GPx activities and TAS were measured in erythrocytes and plasma spectrophotometrically with Ransod, Ransel and TAS kits from RANDOX, respectively. GPX activity showed a signifi cant increase in 0.25% and 0.1% concentration of Origani aetheroleum. The GPx activities were decreased in 1% concentration of Thymi aetheroleum and 0.57% concentration of Cinnamomi aetheroleum and 0.57% concentration of Caryophylli aetheroleum. The total antioxidant status showed a signifi cant decrease in 1 % concentration of Origani aetheroleum and signifi cantly increased in 0.1% concentration. The same results were found in Thymi aetheroleum. Cinnamomi aetheroleum and Caryophylli aetheroleum had not effect on total antioxidant status. SOD activities were not signifi cantly changed after intake of essential oils. In conclusion, our results showed, that concentration of essential oil is very important for antioxidant status and also for metabolism of mice, because a high dose of essential oil has adverse effect on metabolism of mice, representated by a lower growth of the body weight. On the other hand, essential oils at lower concentrations have positive effect on antioxidant status of mice.

In vitro incubation experiments were conducted to evaluate the influence of several metal ions on urease, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gammaglutamyltransferase (GGT) and glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) enzyme activities of rumen fluid. Rumen fluid was collected from eight fistulated ewes and strained through a cheesecloth. Magnesium, copper and cadmium were each added to 10 ml of rumen fluid to obtain final concentrations of 5 mmol . l -1 . After the addition of each metal ion, the mixture was shaken and incubated for 30 min at 37 °C prior to enzyme activity assay in the rumen fluid with or without metal ions using spectrophotometric methods. Cadmium was found to inhibit urease, GDH, and GGT activity but on the other hand, it stimulated ALT and AST activity. Copper inhibited both GDH and urease activity with no significant differences for ALT, AST and GGT. Magnesium had stimulatory effect on activity of GGT and GDH. The results of this experiment indicate that metal ions copper, cadmium, and magnesium each affect some ruminal enzyme activity which play an important role in metabolism of nitrogenous substances and may further alter the nitrogen metabolism in the rumen of sheep. , cadmium, magnesium, ruminal enzyme, nitrogen metabolism, rumen, urease Nutritional requirements of ruminants are different from those of monogastric animals. Rumen microbes can synthesize enough amino acids and peptides from the inorganic nitrogen in ammonia or other nitrogen source and carbon skeletons and sulphur precursors. Ammonia assimilation by rumen microbes depends on rumen pH (Veth et al. 1999), rumen ammonia concentration (Mehrez et al. 1977) and ruminal ammonia-assimilating enzyme activity. CopperSeveral ammonia-assimilation reactions by rumen bacteria are known. Enzyme glutamate dehydrogenase plays an important role in maintaining the balance between ammonia-and α-amino-nitrogen of the rumen. Alanine represents the amino acid found in the highest concentration in the intracellular pool of free amino acid rumen bacteria. Rumen bacteria possess effective mechanisms for alanine synthesis from ammonia (e.g., alanine dehydrogenase and alanine aminotransferase). Both alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase belong to the most common transaminases in the rumen. Glutamate concentration by rumen bacteria depends on gamma-glutamyltransferase activity. This enzyme plays an important role in some peptide and amino acid tranfers through the rumen wall and in the formation of an intracellular pool of glutamate as well.In the recent past, factories producing copper and mercury have altered the agricultural environment. Jenãík et al. (2001) reported that soil and plant biomass sample analyses from localities situated maximally 10 km from the copper and formerly mercury producing factories showed significant soil and biomass contamination by mercury, lead, cadmium, copper, and zinc ions. Magnesium-processing industry pollutes its surounding by magnesium fly ash which may increase the risk ...

No abstract