Supplementing Garlic Nanohydrogel Optimized Growth, Gastrointestinal Integrity and Economics and Ameliorated Necrotic Enteritis in Broiler Chickens Using a Clostridium perfringens Challenge Model.

Doaa Ibrahim,Tamer Ahmed Ismail,Shaimaa A Abd El-Kader,Marwa I Abd El-Hamid,Sara E Shahin,Dalia Ibrahim Mohamed,Eman Khalifa

doi:10.3390/ani11072027

Abstract

Simple SummaryNecrotic enteritis (NE) is one of the most serious diseases in terms of economic losses. Aspects related to application of nanotechnology to control outbreaks of NE due to Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) are not completely understood. Hence, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the beneficial effects of garlic nano-hydrogel (G-NHG) on the performance, intestinal integrity, economic returns and alleviation of the intestinal C. perfringens levels using an NE challenge model in broiler chickens. Dietary inclusion of 400 mg/kg of G-NHG improved body weight gain (BWG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR). The digestive enzymes and tight junction and gut barrier-related genes expression were negatively impacted post C. perfringens challenge, resulting in a decrease in BWG with an increase in FCR. Meanwhile, G-NHG supplementation decreased C. perfringens levels, mortality rates and intestinal lesion score, and thereby improved intestinal permeability measurements, which consequently resulted in improved growth performance parameters. In conclusion, G-NHG markedly ameliorated the negative effects of C. perfringens challenge, which positively reflected on the growth performance of challenged birds, suggesting its beneficial effects in controlling C. perfringens infection in broiler chickens.Necrotic enteritis (NE) caused by Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) results in impaired bird growth performance and increased production costs. Nanotechnology application in the poultry industry to control NE outbreaks is still not completely clarified. Therefore, the efficacy of dietary garlic nano-hydrogel (G-NHG) on broilers growth performance, intestinal integrity, economic returns and its potency to alleviate C. perfringens levels using NE challenge model were addressed. A total of 1200 male broiler chicks (Ross 308) were assigned into six groups; four supplemented with 100, 200, 300 or 400 mg of G-NHG/kg diet and co-challenged with C. perfringens at 21, 22 and 23 d of age and two control groups fed basal diet with or without C. perfringens challenge. Over the total growing period, the 400 mg/kg G-NHG group had the most improved body weight gain and feed conversion efficiency regardless of challenge. Parallel with these results, the mRNA expression of genes encoding digestive enzymes (alpha 2A amylase (AMY2A), pancreatic lipase (PNLIP) and cholecystokinin (CCK)) and intestinal barriers (junctional adhesion molecule-2 (JAM-2), occludin and mucin-2 (Muc-2)) were increased in groups fed G-NHG at higher levels to be nearly similar to those in the unchallenged group. At 14 d post challenge, real-time PCR results revealed that inclusion of G-NHG led to a dose-dependently decrease in the C. perfringens population, thereby decreasing the birds’ intestinal lesion score and mortality rates. Using 400 mg/kg of G-NHG remarkably ameliorated the adverse effects of NE caused by C. perfringens challenge, which contributed to better growth performance of challenged birds with rational economic benefits.

Highlights

Gut health encompasses a variety of physiological and functional features essential for a cost-effective and higher growth rate, especially in intensive poultry production systems.The small intestine is the principal site for regulating an animal’s digestion and absorption, it tightly regulates the passage of pro-inflammatory molecules, microorganisms and toxins to act as a barrier against pathogens and toxins
The body weight gain (BWG) of broiler chickens was significantly (p < 0.05) increased in all groups supplemented with garlic nano-hydrogel (G-NHG), except for the group fed 100 mg/kg of G-NHG
G-NHG-supplemented group, while it was not affected by dietary G-NHG in other groups

Summary

Introduction

Gut health encompasses a variety of physiological and functional features essential for a cost-effective and higher growth rate, especially in intensive poultry production systems.The small intestine is the principal site for regulating an animal’s digestion and absorption, it tightly regulates the passage of pro-inflammatory molecules, microorganisms and toxins to act as a barrier against pathogens and toxins. Necrotic enteritis (NE), especially necro-hemorrhagic enteritis, is one of the most infectious diseases that threatens the poultry industry [3], resulting in a great economic burden in terms of treatment costs and estimated productivity losses of 6 billion US dollars worldwide [4]. It is a result of over proliferation of Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens), which represents the most common member of the normal intestinal microbiota of poultry. The principles are described, as is a mechanism by which new toxinotypes can be proposed and subsequently approved

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