Research On The Effects Of Areca Nut Extract On Chicken Coccidian And Its Preliminary Mechanisms

Objective:Coccidiosis is the most important parasitic disease of the poultry production industry,resulting from an intracellular protozoan parasite of the genus Eimeria Schneider..Due to increasing resistance to conventional anti-coccidial drug and drug residue problem appeared in poultry products,it is necessary to find a new secure anti-coccidial drug.As it has a broad prospect that plant extracts as drugs preventing and controlling coccidia,Areca nut located in the first of four southern medicinal plants(Areca nut,Alpinia oxyphylla,Amomum villosum and Morinda officinalis)has a great number of active ingredients,mainly containing arecoline,flavonoids,tannins,triterpenes,steroids and so on.In this study,Areca nut extract is used as a kind of potential herbal feed additives,aiming at provide a scientific basis that can prevent and control coccidiosis.Method:(1)The coccidial model of Wenchang chickens was established.(2)The three extracts which were used different ways from Areca nut powders by supercritical CO2,70 percent ethanol and water respectively,effected severally on sporulation of oocysts.(3)The areca nut extract which had the greatest effective of inhibiting oocysts sporulation were selected.The effects of it on the growth performance,anti-coccidial efficacy and blood parameters of Wenchang chickens infected Eimeria tenella were investigated during the feeding trial,exploring its preliminary mechanisms.Results:(1)It was the best artificially coccidial model of Wenchang chickens which were 15-day-old inoculated one million oocysts of sporulated Eimeria tenella.(2)Compared to the control group,2,4 mg/ml areca nut extracts using supercritical CO2 method were the significantly decrease the number of oocysts of Eimeria tenella and the rate of oocysts sporulation in vitro(P<0.05).(3)100,200 and 300 mg/kg areca nut extracts which were added to basal diet had middle anti-coccidal effect.200 mg/kg areca nut extract more significantly decreased the number of oocysts per gram in the feces than the other groups during day 8-11 post-inoculation(P<0.05).(4)It was indicated that 100,200 and 300 mg/kg areca nut extracts which were added to basal diet had alleviated injure of caecal histological structure in Wenchang chickens infected by Eimeria tenella,using haematoxylineosin(HE)staining to analyze pathological changes in the caecum of chickens.However,it was barely significant difference between them.(5)Dietary supplementation with 100,200 mg/kg areca nut extracts could improve immunity of the chickens infected with Eimeria tenella by increasing the cytokine concentrations of IL-2?IFN-?.TNF-?and MIF.Conclusion:100-300mg/kg areca nut extract added in the basal diet could improve growth performance of Wenchang chickens by relieving symptoms of coccidian.