Utjecaj eteričnog ulja bijeloga pelina (Artemisia absinthium) na antioksidativni status tovnih pilića invadiranih oocistama Eimeria spp.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Artemisia absinthium essential oil (AAEO) on the enzymatic activity of superoxide-dismutase (SOD), glutathione-peroxidase (GSHPx), glutathione-reductase (GR), peroxidase (POD) and xanthine-oxidase (XOD) and the content of lipid peroxides (LPx) and glutathione (GSH) in broilers infected with an oocyst mixture of Eimeria tenella, Eimeria mitis and Eimeria necatrix, compared to coccidicide salinomycine. The investigation was carried out on 240 Arbour acres broilers of both sexes. Broilers were distributed completely randomly into four treatment groups: treatment group A was uninfected and untreated; treatment group B was infected and kept untreated; treatment group C preventively received coccidicide salinomycine in a dose of 60 mg/kg of feed and inoculated with an oocyst mixture on the 21st day-of-age; treatment group D received AAEO in their feed in a dose of 3 g/kg and were infected with the oocyst mixture on the 21st day of age. During the study, bloody diarrhoea was observed from the 3rd to 9th day after the challenge. After six days of infection, the most intensive bloody diarrhoea was noticed in the un-medicated treatment group. In order to evaluate the effects of essential oil on poultry coccidiosis induced by Eimeria spp., oocysts per gram of faeces (OPG) were also investigated in all treatment groups. During the experiment, the oocyst output and mortality rate were significantly lower (P<0.05) in the AAEO treatment group (D2) in comparison to the positive control (B), while significant excretion of oocysts was noticed in the faeces of non-treated broilers infected with Eimeria spp. The broilers treated with salinomycin (C2) showed complete reduction of oocysts in their faeces at 30 days of age. The results obtained in this study indicate changes in the content and the activity of the non-enzymatic and enzymatic antioxidative protective systems in blood hemolysates of infected chickens. The positive preventive effects of AAEO, applied in a concentration of 3g/kg of feed, were high on the antioxidative system of erythrocytes. On the basis of the obtained results, it was concluded that AAEO was effective in lowering the intensity of bloody diarrhoea, as well in reducing the oocyst output of the preventively treated and infected broilers; hence it may be used as a prophylactic feed additive. Moreover, AAEO showed an important role in the activation of antioxidative protection systems in infected broilers, which is of great interest since free radicals and lipid peroxides, formed as a result of lower food intake and exhaustion of the organism induced by diarrhoea, could cause cellular membrane damage.U radu je istražen utjecaj eteričnog ulja bijeloga pelina (Artemisia absinthium) (AAEO) na enzimsku aktivnost superoksid dismutaze (SOD), glutation peroksidaze (GSHPx), glutation reduktaze (GR), peroksidaze (POD) i ksantin-oksidaze (XOD), kao i sadržaj lipidnih peroksida (LPx) i glutationa (GSH) u tovnim pilićima inficiranim smjesom oocista Eimeria tenella, Eimeria mitis i Eimeria necatrix u odnosu na kokcidiostatik salinomicin. Istraživanje in vivo provedeno je na 240 pilića Arbor acres, oba spola. Pilići su bili podijeljeni u četiri skupine. Skupina A je bila neinficirana i netretirana (negativna kontrola). Skupina B je bila inficirana i netretirana (pozitivna kontrola). Skupina C je preventivno dobivala kokcidiostatik salinomicin u količini od 60 mg/kg hrane te je bila inokulirana kokcidijama 21. dana starosti. Skupina D je u hrani dobivala AAEO u količini 3 g/kg te je 21. dana starosti bila inficirana mješavinom oocisti Eimeria sp. Tijekom istraživanja krvava dijareja javljala se od 3. do 9. dana nakon infekcije. Šest dana nakon inficiranja, najintezivnija krvava dijareja zapažena je u netretiranih pilića. U cilju procjene djelovanja eteričnog ulja bijeloga pelina na kokcidiozu kod peradi izazvanu Eimeria oocistama, broj oocista po gramu fecesa (OPG) također je bio istražen u svim skupinama. Tijekom pokusa utvrđeno je da je broj oocista i razina smrtnosti bila znatno niža (P<0,05) u AAEO skupini (D2) u usporedbi s pozitivnom kontrolom (B), dok je značajno izlučivanje oocista uočeno u fecesu pilića koji nisu bili tretirani. Pilići koji su dobivali salinomicin (C2) pokazali su potpunu redukciju oocista u fecesu 30. dana starosti. Rezultati dobiveni u ovoj studiji pokazali su promjene u sadržaju i aktivnosti neenzimskih i enzimskih sustava zaštite u krvi inficiranih tovnih pilića. Zapaženi su pozitivni učinci preventivne primjene AAEO u koncentraciji 3 g/kg hrane na antioksidativni sustav eritrocita. Na osnovi dobivenih rezultata zaključeno je da je eterično ulje Artemisia absinthium vrlo učinkovito u smanjenju jačine krvavog proljeva kao i u smanjenju broja oocista u pilića koji su preventivno tretirani s AAEO. Stoga se može zaključiti da eterično ulje bijeloga pelina može biti davano kao profilaktički dodatak hrani za životinje. Također, AAEO ima pozitivan utjecaj na aktiviranje antioksidativnog sustava zaštite u krvi pilića, što je vrlo značajno s obzirom na to da slobodni radikali i lipidni peroksidi, koji nastaju kao rezultat manjeg unosa hrane i iscrpljenosti organizma uzrokovanog dijarejom, mogu izazvati oštećenje stanične membrane

Potencijal pelina (Artemisia absinthium) kao dodatak u hranidbi kunića: utjecaj na kontrolu kokcidioze, antioksidacijski sustav i proizvodna obilježja

The objective of the study was the investigation of dietary inclusion of Artemisia absinthium as a potential anticoccidial drug in rabbit diet, as well as a growth promoter and antioxidant in rabbit nutrition. The in vivo investigation was carried out on 120 male New Zealand white rabbits. The rabbits were distributed into four dietary treatments with ten replicates each. Two levels of whole wormwood plant were used: 100 g/kg (WW100) and 200 g/kg (WW200). The control treatment (C) was basal diet, and one treatment (CR) received chemical coccidiostat robenidine, supplemented in the amount of 6 g/kg. The rabbits were given ad libitum access to water and feed throughout the entire trial period. Feed intake was measured on a daily basis, while body weight was monitored at an individual level during the entire experimental period every seven days, for a total of 77 days. Blood and liver samples were collected for enzyme analyses, where oocyst counts were determined in 1 g of rabbit feces. At the end of the trial, the addition of 200 g/kg of wormwood led to the highest body weight (3047 g), as well to the lowest feed conversion ratio (3.20 kg/kg) with significant differences compared to the control treatment (3.75 kg/kg). The highest recorded glutatione reductase value was with treatment WW100, with significant differences to other experimental treatments. Consumption of coccidiostat and dried wormwood plant in different levels led to a notably lower malondialdehyde content in liver homogenate compared to the control treatment. Finally, the lowest number of oocysts was found in the treatment receiving wormwood in a concentration of 100 g/kg. On the basis of the results achieved, it may be noticed that wormwood supplementation in the diet of rabbits has a positive influence on growth performance, as well on antioxidative systems in rabbits. Subsequently, it was shown that wormwood can successfully be used in reducing the number of oocysts in rabbits.Cilj je ovog rada bio istražiti dodatak pelina (Artemisia absinthium) u hranidbi kunića kao potencijalni antikokcidiostatik, ali i kao promotor rasta i antioksidans. Pokus je izveden in vivo na 120 bijelih novozelandskih kunića muškog spola, a bio je ponovljen četiri puta pri čemu je formirano 10 skupina. Korištene su dvije koncentracije cijele biljke pelina: 100 g/kg (WW100) i 200 g/kg (WW200). Kunići u kontrolnoj skupini (C) bili su hranjeni smjesama bez ikakvih dodataka, dok je u hranidbi pokusnih kunića (CR) dodan kemijski kokcidiostatik robenidin u količini od 6 g/kg. Voda i hrana bili su im dostupni ad libitum tijekom cijelog pokusnog razdoblja. Utrošak hrane bio je mjeren na dnevnom razini, dok je tjelesna težina bila praćena na individualnoj razini tijekom cijelog pokusa svakih sedam dana, ukupno 77 dana. Uzorci krvi i jetre bili su prikupljeni za enzimske analize, dok je broj oocista utvrđen po 1 g fecesa. Na kraju ekperimenta utvrđeno je da je dodatak 200 g/kg pelina doveo do najveće tjelesne mase kunića (3047 g) i do najmanje konverzije hrane (3,20 kg/kg) koja se značajno razlikovala u usporedbi s kontrolom (3,75 kg/kg). Najveća zabilježena vrijednost glutation reduktaze bila je u tretmanu WW100 sa značajnim razlikama u odnosu na druge eksperimentalne tretmane. Upotreba kokcidiostatika i osušene biljke pelina u različitim koncentracijama dovela je do znatno manjeg sadržaja malondialdehida u homogenatu jetre u usporedbi sa kontrolnim tretmanom. Također, najmanji broj oocista bio je zabilježen u tretmanu u kome je pelin dodan u koncentraciji od 100 g/kg. Na osnovi postignutih rezultata, može se primijetiti da dodatak pelina u hranidbi kunića ima pozitivan utjecaj na njihova proizvodna obilježja, kao i na antioksidacijske sustave. Također, ustanovljeno je da se pelin može uspješno koristiti za smanjivanje broja oocista

Utjecaj eteričnog ulja bijeloga pelina (Artemisia absinthium) na antioksidativni status tovnih pilića invadiranih oocistama Eimeria spp.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Artemisia absinthium essential oil (AAEO) on the enzymatic activity of superoxide-dismutase (SOD), glutathione-peroxidase (GSHPx), glutathione-reductase (GR), peroxidase (POD) and xanthine-oxidase (XOD) and the content of lipid peroxides (LPx) and glutathione (GSH) in broilers infected with an oocyst mixture of Eimeria tenella, Eimeria mitis and Eimeria necatrix, compared to coccidicide salinomycine. The investigation was carried out on 240 Arbour acres broilers of both sexes. Broilers were distributed completely randomly into four treatment groups: treatment group A was uninfected and untreated; treatment group B was infected and kept untreated; treatment group C preventively received coccidicide salinomycine in a dose of 60 mg/kg of feed and inoculated with an oocyst mixture on the 21st day-of-age; treatment group D received AAEO in their feed in a dose of 3 g/kg and were infected with the oocyst mixture on the 21st day of age. During the study, bloody diarrhoea was observed from the 3rd to 9th day after the challenge. After six days of infection, the most intensive bloody diarrhoea was noticed in the un-medicated treatment group. In order to evaluate the effects of essential oil on poultry coccidiosis induced by Eimeria spp., oocysts per gram of faeces (OPG) were also investigated in all treatment groups. During the experiment, the oocyst output and mortality rate were significantly lower (P<0.05) in the AAEO treatment group (D2) in comparison to the positive control (B), while significant excretion of oocysts was noticed in the faeces of non-treated broilers infected with Eimeria spp. The broilers treated with salinomycin (C2) showed complete reduction of oocysts in their faeces at 30 days of age. The results obtained in this study indicate changes in the content and the activity of the non-enzymatic and enzymatic antioxidative protective systems in blood hemolysates of infected chickens. The positive preventive effects of AAEO, applied in a concentration of 3g/kg of feed, were high on the antioxidative system of erythrocytes. On the basis of the obtained results, it was concluded that AAEO was effective in lowering the intensity of bloody diarrhoea, as well in reducing the oocyst output of the preventively treated and infected broilers; hence it may be used as a prophylactic feed additive. Moreover, AAEO showed an important role in the activation of antioxidative protection systems in infected broilers, which is of great interest since free radicals and lipid peroxides, formed as a result of lower food intake and exhaustion of the organism induced by diarrhoea, could cause cellular membrane damage.U radu je istražen utjecaj eteričnog ulja bijeloga pelina (Artemisia absinthium) (AAEO) na enzimsku aktivnost superoksid dismutaze (SOD), glutation peroksidaze (GSHPx), glutation reduktaze (GR), peroksidaze (POD) i ksantin-oksidaze (XOD), kao i sadržaj lipidnih peroksida (LPx) i glutationa (GSH) u tovnim pilićima inficiranim smjesom oocista Eimeria tenella, Eimeria mitis i Eimeria necatrix u odnosu na kokcidiostatik salinomicin. Istraživanje in vivo provedeno je na 240 pilića Arbor acres, oba spola. Pilići su bili podijeljeni u četiri skupine. Skupina A je bila neinficirana i netretirana (negativna kontrola). Skupina B je bila inficirana i netretirana (pozitivna kontrola). Skupina C je preventivno dobivala kokcidiostatik salinomicin u količini od 60 mg/kg hrane te je bila inokulirana kokcidijama 21. dana starosti. Skupina D je u hrani dobivala AAEO u količini 3 g/kg te je 21. dana starosti bila inficirana mješavinom oocisti Eimeria sp. Tijekom istraživanja krvava dijareja javljala se od 3. do 9. dana nakon infekcije. Šest dana nakon inficiranja, najintezivnija krvava dijareja zapažena je u netretiranih pilića. U cilju procjene djelovanja eteričnog ulja bijeloga pelina na kokcidiozu kod peradi izazvanu Eimeria oocistama, broj oocista po gramu fecesa (OPG) također je bio istražen u svim skupinama. Tijekom pokusa utvrđeno je da je broj oocista i razina smrtnosti bila znatno niža (P<0,05) u AAEO skupini (D2) u usporedbi s pozitivnom kontrolom (B), dok je značajno izlučivanje oocista uočeno u fecesu pilića koji nisu bili tretirani. Pilići koji su dobivali salinomicin (C2) pokazali su potpunu redukciju oocista u fecesu 30. dana starosti. Rezultati dobiveni u ovoj studiji pokazali su promjene u sadržaju i aktivnosti neenzimskih i enzimskih sustava zaštite u krvi inficiranih tovnih pilića. Zapaženi su pozitivni učinci preventivne primjene AAEO u koncentraciji 3 g/kg hrane na antioksidativni sustav eritrocita. Na osnovi dobivenih rezultata zaključeno je da je eterično ulje Artemisia absinthium vrlo učinkovito u smanjenju jačine krvavog proljeva kao i u smanjenju broja oocista u pilića koji su preventivno tretirani s AAEO. Stoga se može zaključiti da eterično ulje bijeloga pelina može biti davano kao profilaktički dodatak hrani za životinje. Također, AAEO ima pozitivan utjecaj na aktiviranje antioksidativnog sustava zaštite u krvi pilića, što je vrlo značajno s obzirom na to da slobodni radikali i lipidni peroksidi, koji nastaju kao rezultat manjeg unosa hrane i iscrpljenosti organizma uzrokovanog dijarejom, mogu izazvati oštećenje stanične membrane

Basic chemical composition of meat and carcass quality of fattening hybrids with different slaughter weight

Meat is a very rich and universal source of nutrients. The primary importance of meat is based especially on protein content. Optimum slaughter weight has influence on the basic chemical composition of meat. Fattening pigs were classified by their weight into three groups before the slaughter day. The highest content of proteins and water was found in the part of ham and shoulder in the group of animals at 100-110 and 111-120 kg of live weight, respectively, while the lowest content was found in the part of neck in animals at 121-130 kg of live weight. The highest content of intramuscular fat and mineral substances was in animals at 121-130 kg (neck and loin), while the lowest content was in animals at 100-110 kg live weight (ham). The pH values were within the optimum limits (5.33 - 5.77). Differences between the groups for the values of proteins content, mineral substance and pH values were statistically highly significant (p<0.05; p<0.01), while for the contents of water and intramuscular fat there were no differences (p>0.05) between the groups. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR31032

The influence of single lavender essential oil in honey bee prevention of American foulbrood and overall welfare

Recently, there has been an increasing demand for natural, healthy, and safe products without residual antibiotics for human consumption, particularly bee products. Beekeepers have been struggling with this problem many years, having in mind often occurrence of American foulbrood (AFB), which is one of the most severe honey bee brood diseases, and in the past have been successfully eradicated with heavy usage of antibiotics. Such controlled, or mostly uncontrolled usage of antibiotics in fighting against American foulbrood lead to a residual quantity of antibiotic in honey. To overcome this problem, this research aimed to investigate the influence of single essential oil (Lavandula angustifolia) in protecting bees against AFB compared to the antibiotic oxytetracycline. Totally three treatments were formed artificially infected with P. larvae spore suspension, at concentration 2×109 spore/ml. The course of the disease was regularly monitored. Treatment one (T1) did not receive antibiotic therapy. Treatment two (T2) was given lavender essential oil at a concentration of 0.1% of sugar syrup. The treatment was applied for 30 days, at 48h intervals. Treatment three (T3) received antibiotics in the sugar syrup at a concentration of 0.1%, respectively. Clinical and laboratory examinations were performed on days 10, 20, 40 and 60, respectively. Besides, L. angustifolia essential oil rich in Ethanol, 2- (2-ethoxyethoxy) - (13.05%), linalool (10.71%), α-Terpinyl acetate (10.93%) and linalool acetate (9.60%), showed its positive effects against antibiotics in combat of American foulbrood, further research with a specifically designed qualitative and quantitative mixture of essential oils are more than necessary because single essential oil is not enough and didn’t show expected results

Antimicrobial activity of selected essential oils against selected pathogenic bacteria: In vitro study

The worldwide problem of infectious diseases has appeared in recent years, and an-timicrobial agents are crucial in reducing disease emergence. Nevertheless, the development and distribution of multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains in pathogenic bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella Typhi and Citrobacter koseri, has become a major society health haz-ard. Essential oils could serve as a promising tool as a natural drug in fighting the problem with these bacteria. The current study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial effectiveness of tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia (Maiden and Betche) Cheel), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.), eucalyptus (Eucalyptus obliqua L’Hér.), and lavender (Lavandula angustifolia Mill) essential oils. The antimicrobial properties of essential oils were screened against four pathogenic bacteria, E. coli, S. aureus, S. Tyhpi, and C. koseri, and two reference bacterial strains, while for the testing, the agar well diffusion method was used. Gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometric (GC–MSD) analyses were performed on essential oils. The obtained results showed that M. alternifolia essential oil is the richest in terpinen-4-ol, R. officinalis and E. oblique essential oils in 1,8-cineole, and L. angustifolia essential oil in α-terpinyl acetate. In addition, the main bioactive compounds present in the essential oil of tea tree are rich in α-pinene (18.38%), limonene (7.55%) and γ-terpinene (14.01%). The essential oil of rosemary is rich in α-pinene (8.38%) and limonene (11.86%); eucalyptus essential oil has significant concentrations of α-pinene (12.60%), p-cymene (3.24%), limonene (3.87%), and γ-terpinene (7.37%), while the essential oil of lavender is rich in linalool (10.71%), linalool acetate (9.60%), α-terpinyl acetate (10.93%), and carbitol (13.05%) bioactive compounds, respectively. The obtained results from the in vitro study revealed that most of the essential oils exhibited antimicrobial properties. Among the tested essential oils, tea tree was discovered to demonstrate the strongest antimicrobial activity. The recorded MIC of S. Typhi was 6.2 mg/mL, 3.4 mg/mL of C. koseri, 3.1 mg/mL of E. coli, and 2.7 mg/mL of E. coli ATCC 25922, compared to M. alternifolia. Similarly, only S. aureus ATCC 25923 showed antimicrobial activity towards R. officinalis (1.4 mg/mL), E. oblique (2.9 mg/mL), and L. angustifolia (2.1 mg/mL). Based on the obtained results, it is possible to conclude that tea tree essential oil might be used as an ecological antimicrobial in treating infectious diseases caused by the tested pathogens