Abstract
Simple SummaryToday, there are increased demands for consumers to use natural products as alternative additives in broiler feeding. In this study, we evaluated the effects of propolis and bee pollen as potential new additives on liver pathology in broilers. The results of this study showed that supplementation of broilers with propolis and/or bee pollen has a strong protective effect on liver pathology. Thus, these natural agents can be used as alternative additives in modern broiler production. Such an approach will enable the production of chicken meat enriched with bioactive substances from propolis and/or bee pollen, such as flavonoids, that have been proven beneficial for human health.One of the major problems in intensive breeding of chickens is liver damage. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of dietary supplementation with propolis and bee pollen on liver pathology in broiler chickens. The study was conducted on 200 Ross 308 chickens equally distributed by sex that were divided into five groups. Throughout the whole study, the control group of chickens was fed with a basal diet, while the experimental groups of chickens were fed with the same diet further supplemented with propolis and bee pollen, each supplement given separately or in combination in a certain proportion. The study showed that the clusters of lymphocytes in the hepatocytes, the vacuolar degeneration and necrosis of the liver parenchyma, the bile ductule hyperplasia, and the various forms of pathological changes in the liver arteries and veins were more frequent in liver tissue samples of the control group compared to liver tissue samples of all the experimental groups (p < 0.001). The study further showed that all the previously mentioned histopathological lesions of liver tissue were always more extensive in the liver tissue samples of the control group than in the liver tissue samples of all the experimental groups (p < 0.001). The supplementation of broiler chickens with propolis and/or bee pollen has a strong protective effect on liver pathology in broiler chickens.
Highlights
Propolis is a natural resinous bee product [1]
The histological analysis of liver tissue samples further revealed that vacuolar degeneration and necrosis of the liver parenchyma were more frequent and in greater extent in liver tissue samples of the control group (p < 0.001; Fisher’s exact test) (Table 2)
Considering the results of the histological analysis of the liver of broiler chickens on the 42nd day of the feeding period, this study showed that that the clusters of lymphocytes among the hepatocytes, the vacuolar degeneration and necrosis of the liver parenchyma, the bile ductule hyperplasia, and various forms of pathological changes in the liver arteries and veins were more frequent in liver tissue samples of the control group compared to samples of all the experimental groups (p < 0.001)
Summary
Propolis is a natural resinous bee product [1]. It is more than 50% composed of lipophilic substances such as leaves, plant resins and balsams, plant latex, and vegetable glue. The other components are waxes (30%), essential and aromatic oils (10%), and pollen (5%). Propolis contains minerals (such as Mg, Ca, K, Na, Cu, Zn, Mn, and Fe), vitamins (such as B1, B2, B6, C, and E), fatty acids, and some enzymes [3]. About 250 chemical compounds of great variety have been found in pollen including carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, macroelements, microelements, antibiotics (i.e., inhibins), hormones, enzymes, organic acids, essential oils, rutin, etc. Bees collect pollen from flowers and mix it with their own digestive enzymes
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