Histomorphological studies of broiler chicken fed diets supplemented with either raw or enzyme treated dandelion leaves and fenugreek seeds

Abstract

Aim:Herbal plants and their derived products are extensively used particularly in many Asian, African, and other countries of the world as they are considered as ideal feed additives because of their non-residual effect and ability to influence the ecosystem of gastrointestinal microbiota in a positive way. Further, the enzymatic treatment of these herbs helps in their efficient utilization by the host. Dandelion leaves and fenugreek seeds have been reported to have positive effect in terms of improving the performance of broiler chicken, but not much literature is available regarding their effect on gut histomorphology; therefore, the present study was conducted to explore the effect of these herbs either alone or in combination with or without enzyme treatment on histomorphology of liver and small intestine of broiler chicken.Materials and Methods:To achieve the envisaged objective, 273-day-old commercial broiler chicks were procured from a reputed source and reared together until 7 days of age. On the 7th day, the chicks were individually weighed, distributed randomly into 7 groups of 3 replicates with 13 chicks each. Birds in the control group were fed diets without additives (T1). The other six treatment groups were fed the basal diet supplemented with 0.5% dandelion leaves (T2), 1% fenugreek seeds (T3), combination of 0.5% dandelion leaves and 1% fenugreek seeds (T4), enzyme treated dandelion leaves 0.5% (T5), enzyme treated fenugreek seeds 1% (T6), and combination of enzyme treated dandelion leaves (0.5%) and (1%) fenugreek seeds (T7). The histomorphological study of liver and small intestines was conducted among different treatment groups.Results:The results revealed the hepato-protective nature of both dandelion leaves and fenugreek seeds either alone or in combination with or without enzyme treatment when compared with the control group. Moreover, the histomorphological findings of jejunum revealed the beneficial effect of dandelion leaves, fenugreek seeds and enzymes on the intestinal mucosa in terms of cellular infiltration, architecture of villi, villus height/crypt depth ratio, thereby improving the intestinal health.Conclusion:The dandelion leaves and fenugreek seeds have hepato-protective nature and beneficial effect on the intestinal morphology particularly when included along with enzymes in the diet of broiler chicken.

Effects of Inclusion of Different Doses of Persicaria odorata Leaf Meal (POLM) in Broiler Chicken Feed on Biochemical and Haematological Blood Indicators and Liver Histomorphological Changes

“…The microscopic characteristics of the hepatic tissues showed positive impacts on the histomorphologies of the livers, as seen in Figure 1b-d compared to Figure 1a (control group). The histomorphological changes in the present study were comparable to the previous study by Quereshi et al [80], in which the hepatoprotective effects of fenugreek seeds and dandelion leaves in broiler chickens resulted in normal architecture of the hepatic parenchyma. Additionally, the hepatoprotective effects of these phytobiotics were suggested to be due to the presence of flavonoids in dandelion leaves and fenugreek seeds.…”

Effect of Mint Leaves with or without Enzyme Supplementation on Blood Biochemistry, Carcass Characteristics and Sensory Attributes of Broiler Chicken

“…Mint also contains polyphenolic compounds and hence could possess strong antioxidant properties (Dorman et al, 2003). Further, the supplementation of enzyme in poultry diets has been reported to improve the performance (Yousuf et al, 2012) by degrading non-starchy polysaccharides and improving their digestion; having beneficial effect on gut morphology and thus improving absorption of nutrients (Tufarelli et al, 2007;Yousuf et al, 2011;Qureshi et al, 2016a). In view of such beneficial effects of mint and enzyme, a study was conducted to evaluate the efficiency of mint leaves, with or without enzyme supplementation on blood biochemistry, carcass characteristics and sensory attributes of broiler chicken.…”

Molecular and morphometric changes in the small intestine during hot and cold exposure in thermally manipulated broiler chickens

“…Moreover, CD and the VH: CD ratio are especially important indicators of the cellular turnover at the villous surface. It was previously reported that longer villi and greater villous surface area suggest an enhanced nutrient absorption capability [ 113 - 115 ]. If the CD is deeper, this might indicate a rapid metabolism to maintain the intestinal villi renewal [ 113 , 115 ].…”

“…It was previously reported that longer villi and greater villous surface area suggest an enhanced nutrient absorption capability [ 113 - 115 ]. If the CD is deeper, this might indicate a rapid metabolism to maintain the intestinal villi renewal [ 113 , 115 ]. Any shortening in the VH or CD could result in a decreased nutrients absorption capability of the intestine [ 114 , 116 ].…”