Abstract
This study was conducted to determine the optimal dose of the oral solution of the ultrasonic extract of Radix dichroae (UERD) and to provide experimental support for a safe clinical dose for anticoccidial treatment of broiler chickens. Radix dichroae root extracts were prepared using the ultrasonic extraction method. The anticoccidial activity of the oral solution prepared from the ultrasonic extract of Radix dichroae roots was tested in broiler chickens following oral infection with a field isolate of E. tenella. Ninety Lingnan yellow broiler chickens (14 days old) were randomly divided into nine groups (n = 10), including six UERD oral solution treatments (0.25, 0.50, 1.50, 2.50, 3.50, and 5.00%), a toltrazuril group (0.10%), an E. tenella-infected control group, and a healthy control group. All groups were inoculated orally with 7 × 104 sporulated E. tenella oocysts (Guangdong strain) except for the healthy control group. The chickens in the seven drug-treated groups were administered a UERD oral solution or toltrazuril in drinking water for 7 days. The anticoccidial efficacy of the UERD oral solution was evaluated by the bloody diarrhoea severity level, relative body weight gain (rBWG), lesion score, oocyst per gram (OPG), and anticoccidial index (ACI). Compared with the infected control group, there were no significant differences in the groups treated with UERD oral solution or toltrazuril with regard to the lesion changes in the caecal regions (P > 0.05); however, the blood contents, OPG, and oocyst score in three UERD oral solution treatment groups (0.50, 1.50, and 2.50%) were significantly reduced, and the bloody diarrhoea was also alleviated. The ACI in three UERD oral solution treatment groups (0.50%, ACI = 143.7; 1.50%, ACI = 151.0; and 2.50%, ACI = 144.3) was higher than that in the toltrazuril group (ACI = 127.0), and the rBWG in the 1.50% UERD oral solution treatment group (95.0%) was similar to that in the healthy control group (100%), which was also 12.5% higher than that in the toltrazuril group (82.5%). The findings of this study demonstrated that the UERD oral solution (0.50% ～ 2.50% dose range) showed better prevention, anticoccidial efficacy, and growth promotion effects than toltrazuril (0.10%), and the 1.50% dose level of UERD oral solution in water is the clinically recommended dose according to the present study conditions.
Highlights
Chicken coccidiosis is an intestinal disease caused by intracellular protozoan parasites belonging to the genus Eimeria, and the most severe harm to chickens is always caused by Eimeria tenella (E. tenella) [1,2,3], resulting in extensive destruction of the caecal epithelium, haemorrhagic faeces, reduced body weight gain, and feed conversion, as well as increased morbidity and mortality
Considering that the constituents in the oral solution could more access and interact with the parasites than the constituents remaining in the powder solid, the production technique was optimized to prepare an oral solution with the ultrasonic extract of Radix dichroae (UERD) to improve the treatment effects and ease of use in clinical settings. erefore, the objective of this study was to determine the potential anticoccidial activity of UERD oral solution; a pathological model of chicken coccidiosis was reproduced after E. tenella (Guangdong strain) was inoculated artificially into chickens to further explore the efficacy of the oral solution prepared with UERD, as well as to determine the optimal dose in clinical practice
Growth Promotion. e relative body weight gain (rBWG) of group C administered 1.50% UERD oral solution (95.0%) was similar to that of group Healthy control (HC) (100%), which was 12.5% higher than that of group drug control (DC) (0.10% toltrazuril; 82.5%). e chickens in the groups treated with 0.50, 1.50, and 2.50% UERD oral solution and 0.10% toltrazuril had no significant difference in the mean final weights compared with group HC, while there was a significant difference compared with group Infected control (IC) (P < 0.05)
Summary
Chicken coccidiosis is an intestinal disease caused by intracellular protozoan parasites belonging to the genus Eimeria, and the most severe harm to chickens is always caused by Eimeria tenella (E. tenella) [1,2,3], resulting in extensive destruction of the caecal epithelium, haemorrhagic faeces, reduced body weight gain, and feed conversion, as well as increased morbidity and mortality. Radix dichroae has anticoccidial properties in chickens when used as a single herb or as the main herb in an herbal formulation complex during treatment; the content of the active ingredients (i.e., the total alkaloids and β-dichroine) in the crude extract of Radix dichroae in the above coccidiostats (single Radix dichroae or Radix dichroae complex) has always been lower. Erefore, in this study, the total alkaloids as active ingredients were extracted from the dried roots of Radix dichroae using a modified phytomedicine extraction separation technique to increase the content of β-dichroine therein. Considering that the constituents in the oral solution could more access and interact with the parasites than the constituents remaining in the powder solid, the production technique was optimized to prepare an oral solution with the ultrasonic extract of Radix dichroae (UERD) to improve the treatment effects and ease of use in clinical settings. Employing a standard parasitological procedure as an alternate phytomedicine and prescription would contribute to the control of chicken coccidiosis
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