Lead (Pb) may damage the immune function in human and animal. Selenium (Se) has antagonistic effects on Pb. In our study, brown layer chickens were randomly allocated to control group, Se group (1 mg/kg Se), Se+Pb group (1 mg/kg Se and 350 mg/kg Pb), and Pb group (350 mg/kg Pb). The chickens were sacrificed on the 90th day; spleen tissues were subjected to observation of ultrastructure and detection of spleen-related indexes. The results revealed that in the Pb group, expression levels of the cytokines IL-1 and TNF-α significantly increased, and expression levels of IL-2 and INF-γ significantly decreased; activities of antioxidant enzyme GPX, SOD and CAT significantly decreased, and expression level of malondialdehyde (MDA) significantly increased; expression levels of mitochondrial fission-related genes (Mff and Drp1) significantly increased, and expression levels of mitochondrial fusion-related genes (Opa1, Mfn1 and Mfn2) significantly decreased; expression of autophagy-related genes (Beclin 1, Dynein, Atg 5, LC3-I and LC-II) was upregulated, while expression of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) was downregulated. The results of transmission electron microscopy indicated that Pb induced mitochondrial fragmentation, and triggered autophagy in the spleen of chickens. The Se and Pb co-treatment remarkably alleviated these injuries induced by Pb in the spleen of chickens. In conclusion, Pb can induce the oxidative stress to influence the mitochondrial dynamics balance and lead to autophagy, which triggers the immune dysfunction in the spleen of chickens; the Se exhibits the antagonistic effects on lead-induced autophagy by influencing mitochondrial dynamics in the spleen of chickens.
This study evaluated the impact of vaccine diluents (peptone or water) on the protective effects of Typhimurium (. Typhimurium) vaccine. Vaccinated broilers were challenged with different doses of wild-type .
Resource attractiveness and preference is determinant to assess how biodiversity is structured in different ecosystems. Necrophagy is the alternative or complementary dietary habit of dung beetles, but a few studies have focused on evaluating how different carrion types attract different species. The goal of this study was to assess the effect of carrion type on attractiveness and preference of dung beetle taxonomic diversity in a region of Central Amazon.
Coccidiosis, infection with protozoan parasites of genus Eimeria, is a major problem in poultry husbandry world-wide. The disease is currently managed by coccidiostats and live vaccines, but these approaches are not sustainable. Hence, it is important to identify new means to control the infection and/or ameliorate its detrimental effects on gut health.
This study aimed to discover how Echinacea powder extract (EPE), an antioxidant, affects the growth rate, body composition, and blood parameters in broilers as an alternative to antibiotics. In a completely randomized design study, 4 experimental groups received 280 broiler chicks, 5-days-old (Cobb 500). Each group was distributed into 7 replicates, each containing ten unsexed chicks.
