Blood parameters and hepatic histopathology of broilers fed rations supplemented with essential oils

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the hematological profile, hepatic function, and histopathology of mixed-sex broilers fed rations supplemented with microencapsulated essential oils from Cymbopogon flexuosus (lemon grass) and Lippia rotundifolia (chá-de-pedestre). One hundred and fifty Cobb chicks were housed in cages from 1 to 42 days of age in a completely randomized design, with six replicates with five chickens in each of five treatments (150 total chicks): basal diet without antibiotic growth promoter (negative control), diet with enramicina and salinomycin (positive control), diet with lemon grass essential oil, diet with L. rotundifolia essential oil, and diet with a mixture of lemon grass and L. rotundifolia essential oils. Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) were significantly lower in untreated broilers (negative control group). Gender was not associated with erythrogram values, but aspartate aminotransferase activity (AST) was higher in females. Gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) was higher in chicks in the group that received rations with lemon grass oil. Broilers that received L. rotundifolia oil developed more hepatic lesions, although no effect of sex was observed related to the lesion score. Biliary hyperplasia and fibroplasias were observed in all groups, with higher histopathology scores in broilers that received diets containing L. rotundifolia oil. Mixed-sex broilers fed rations supplemented with lemon grass and L. rotundifolia essential oils have normal complete blood counts and unspecific hepatic lesions and are characterized by lipidosis, hyperplasia of the bile ducts, and fibroplasia.

Essential oils as valuable feed additive: A narrative review of the state of knowledge about their beneficial health applications and enhancement of production performances in poultry

“…There was a statistically significant difference between the MCV and MCH of the negative control group and the treatment group (broilers). Histopathology scores were greater in broilers given L. rotundifolia oil supplements, but these changes were seen in all groups (Santos et al 2019). EOs of lemon grass and L. rotundifolia are sometimes used as a substitute for increasing performance because of their antimicrobial qualities (Souza et al 2015;Assis et al 2017;Azevedo et al 2017).…”