Effects Of Microencapsulated Enterococcus Fecalis And The Extract Of Camellia Oleifera Seed On Growth Performance,Immune Function And Intestinal Mucosal Barrier Function In Broilers

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of microencapsulated Enterococcus fecalis and the extract of Camellia oleifera seed meal on growth performance,immune function and intestinal mucosal barrier functions in broilers.Experiment 1: The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of microencapsulated Enterococcus fecalis(MEF)and the extract of Camellia oleifera seed meal(ECOS)on growth performance,morphological parameters,intestinal mucosal immunity and gene expressions related to barrier functions of the intestinal mucosa in broiler chickens.160 one-day old Arbor Acres male broilers were randomly allotted to 4 treatments;birds were fed a basal diet;MEF group,birds were fed a basal diet supplemented with 10 g MEF/kg of diet(1× 109cfu/g MEF);ECOS group,birds were fed a basal diet supplemented with 300 mg ECOS/kg of diet;MIX group,birds were fed a basal diet supplemented with MEF and ECOS.Each treatment contained 8 replicates of 5 chicks.The results indicated that,compared with control groups,diet supplemented with MEF significantly improved FCR from days 22 to 42,and significantly improved ADG from days 0 to 42.Diet supplemented with MEF significantly increased villus height and villus height to crypt depth ratio in jejunum and ileum,the concentration of s Ig A,and significantly up-regulated the gene expression of occludin and claudin-1 in jejunum and ileum mucosa.Compared with control groups,diet supplemented with ECOS had no significant effect on FCR,ADG,ADFI.Diet supplemented with ECOS had no significant effect on villus height,villus height to crypt depth ratio in jejunum and ileum,the concentration of s Ig A,and the gene expression of occludin and claudin-1 in jejunum and ileum mucosa.Compared with control groups,diet supplemented with MIX did not significantly improve FCR ADG and ADFI.Diet supplemented with MIX significantly increased villus height and villus height to crypt depth ratio in jejunum and ileum,the concentration of s Ig A,and significantly up-regulated the gene expression of occludin and claudin-1 in jejunum and ileum mucosa.In summary,The results showed that MEF can significantly improve growth performance,morphometric parameters of jejunum and ileum,the concentration of s Ig A,and m RNA expression of occludin and claudin-1 in jejunum and ileum mucosa.Experiment 2: The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of microencapsulated Enterococcus fecalis(MEF)and the extract of Camellia oleifera seed meal(ECOS)on growth performance,organ index,blood characteristics,and cecal microflora in broilers challenged with Escherichia coli K88.240 one-day old male Arbor Acre broilers were randomly divided into 5 treatments: negative control(NC),birds were fed a basal diet and not challenged with E.coli K88;positive control(PC),birds were fed a basal diet and challenged with E.coli K88;MEF group,birds were fed a basal diet supplemented with 1g MEF/kg of diet(5 × 1010cfu/g MEF)and challenged with E.coli K88;ECOS group,birds were fed a basal diet supplemented with 500 mg ECOS/kg of diet and challenged with E.coli K88;MIX group,birds were fed a basal diet supplemented with MEF and ECOS and challenged with E.coli K88.From day 7 to 15,birds were orally challenged with 1.0 m L E.coli K88(1 × 109 cfu/m L).The results indicated that,compared with PC groups,diet supplemented with MEF significantly increased BW,serum Ig A and serum Ig M level at day 21 and significantly increased liver index,the population of cecal Lactobacillus at day 21 and 28.Compared with PC groups,diet supplemented with ECOS significantly increased BW,serum Ig A,spleen index,bursa index at day 21,significantly increased liver index at day 28,significantly decreased the population of cecal E.coli at day 21 and 28.Compared with PC groups,diet supplemented with MIX significantly serum Ig A level,spleen index,bursa index at day 21,significantly increased liver index at day 28,significantly decreased the population of cecal E.coli at day 1 and 28.In summary,the results indicated that dietary supplementation of MEF and ECOS can promote growth performance,improve immune functions,and benefit the cecal microflora in E.coli K88-challenged chickens.However,there was no significant interaction between MEF and ECOS.In conclusion,diet supplemented with MEF can improve feed conversion efficiency,increase the concentration of s Ig A,up-regulate the gene expression of tight junction protein,and enhance the intestinal mucosal barrier functions.In addition,MEF and ECOS can promote growth performance,improve immune functions,and benefit the cecal microflora in E.coli K88-challenged chickens.