Effect of Enterococcus faecium AL41 and Thymus vulgaris essential oil on small intestine integrity and antioxidative status of laying hens.
We investigated the effect of Enterococcus faecium on phagocytic activity, antioxidative status in vivo and the effect of E. faecium and 0.4% concentration of Thymus vulgaris essential oil (EO) on the duodenal tissue integrity in vitro in laying hens. The birds were fed the same standard diets and were divided into four groups. E. faecium was added to the drinking water for the second and fourth groups. EO was added to special chambers for measuring trans-epithelial electrical resistance (TEER) for the third and fourth groups only. TEER was lower in groups where EO was added, but in the group with E. faecium TEER was not changed significantly. Our results show that EO at 0.4% concentration may negatively affect intestine integrity, and the probiotic strain E. faecium AL41 is able to eliminate this effect and can strengthen non-specific immunity. To confirm our findings further histopathological investigations of intestinal tissue are needed.
Placha
I
I
Institute of Animal Physiology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Soltesova 4, 040 01 Kosice, Slovak Republic. placha@saske.sk
Simonova
M Pogany
MP
Cobanova
K
K
Laukova
A
A
Faix
S
S
D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism; D002645:Chickens; D016984:Enterococcus faecium / Q000145:classification*; D005260:Female; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000187:drug effects*; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D046930:Thymus Plant / Q000737:chemistry*
D000975:Antioxidants; D009822:Oils, Volatile; D010938:Plant Oils; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase