An Extract of Artemisia argyi Leaves Rich in Organic Acids and Flavonoids Promotes Growth in BALB/c Mice by Regulating Intestinal Flora

Abstract

In the context of global restrictions on the use of antibiotics, there has been increased research on natural plant-based ingredients as additives. It has been proved that many natural active ingredients contained in plants have positive effects on animal growth regulation. Artemisia argyi (A. argyi) is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, and its extracts have been reported to have a variety of biological activities. Therefore, in order to explore the potential of the active extract of Artemisia argyi leaves (ALE) as a plant source additive, mice were fed with ALE at different concentrations for 60 days. Finally, the effects of ALE were evaluated by the growth indexes, blood indexes, and intestinal microflora changes of the mice. It was found that a medium concentration of ALE (150 mg/kg) could promote growth, and especially improved the feed efficiency of the mice. However, high concentrations of ALE (300 mg/kg) had some negative effects on the growth of mice, especially liver damage, which significantly increased AST and ALT levels in the blood. Therefore, the 150 mg/kg ALE treatment group was selected for 16S rDNA analysis. It was found that ALE could play a positive role by regulating the proportion of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes in the intestinal tract. In particular, it can significantly up-regulate the quantities of Akkermansia and Bifidobacterium. These results suggest that ALE at appropriate concentrations can positively regulate animal growth.

The Role of Supplementing a Complex Phytobiotic Feed Additive Containing (Castanea sativa mill) Extract in Combination with Calcium Butyrate, Zinc–Methionine and Essential Oils on Growth Indicators, Blood Profile and Carcass Quality of Broiler Chickens

“…It is probable that higher dosages of phytobiotics of 100–1000 g/t for up to 7 days tend to manifest themselves more as anti-nutritional substances that prevent the normal colonization of the gastrointestinal tract with normal microflora. The negative effect of higher doses of tannin extracts can be explained by a significant decrease in feed intake, which leads to a decrease in body weight gain, which is consistent with the results of studies [ 6 , 7 , 11 , 39 ]. The positive effect of the low doses of chestnut tannins on body weight and FCR was found in young birds.…”

“…Modern industrial poultry farming, both urgent and broiler, is widely used all over the world by many approaches or alternative natural feed additives in feed to increase productivity, improve animal welfare and, ultimately, achieve the sustainability of animal husbandry [ 2 , 3 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 33 ]. Of course, the ban on the use of antibiotics when feeding poultry and other types of productive farm animals has positively affected the increase in alternative sources of biologically active substances, such as pro- and prebiotics [ 10 , 11 , 22 , 27 ], enzymes [ 11 , 34 ], symbiotics [ 27 , 34 ], organic acids [ 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 ], essential oils [ 10 , 11 , 13 , 20 ], medicinal herbs [ 36 , 40 , 41 ], phytobiotics [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 11 , …”

Blend of Cinnamaldehyde, Eugenol, and Capsicum Oleoresin Improved Rumen Health of Lambs Fed High-Concentrate Diet as Revealed by Fermentation Characteristics, Epithelial Gene Expression, and Bacterial Community

“…Perilla frutescens leaf (mainly contains phenolic compounds and flavonoids) increased the relative abundance of Acetitomaculum in the rumen of cows, which was consistent with our results [38]. The enrichment of Olsenella in the feces of Artemisia argyi leaves extract (rich in organic acids and flavonoids)-supplemented mice [39]. Moreover, Olsenella was positively correlated with the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 levels [40].…”

Effect of Fermented Artemisia argyi on Egg Quality, Nutrition, and Flavor by Gut Bacterial Mediation

“…Remarkably, among all of these tests, the lower AAF-added group (B group) exhibited a better effect on the egg production and body health of the hens, such as the TC content significantly descending in the B group, whereas the TG content significantly ascended in the C group (higher AAF-added group), which was related to hyperlipidemia amelioration [51,52]. This might be attributed to the high concentration of A. argyi (leaves, 300 mg/kg) causing in vivo injury of the animals (e.g., mice), while the lower concentration (150 mg/kg) had a positive effect on the growth performance [53]. A similar adverse effect of A. argyi ferment extract on hens also determined that a higher dosage of AAF stimulated the immune response of hens (contents of Ig A and Ig M upregulated, while the content of Ig G downregulated).…”