Background & Aim: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are commonly used in clinical medicine. The adverse effects they produce in the gastroINTESTINAL tract however, often limit their utility. Oxidative stress has been shown to occur in the small intestine in response to the oral administration of indomethacin. In view of this, the effect of thyme essential oil, an agent with anti-oxidant properties, was evaluated on indomethacin-induced small INTESTINAL damage in a rat model.Experimental: The chemical composition of thyme essential oil was identified by gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Tissues MORPHOLOGY affected by indomethacin, with and without treatment with thyme, was measured.Results & Discussion: The small intestine MORPHOLOGY (villus height, villus width, and crypt depth and crypt width of duodenum, jejunum and ilea) from indomethacin-treated animals with thyme oil was significantly improved than those from indomethacin animals. Treatment with thyme oil was found to ameliorate these drug-induced changes.Recommended applications/industries: The essential oil of thyme appears to hold promise as an agent that can potentially reduce non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs induced small INTESTINAL damage.

The effect of dose and regimen of organic acids on micro-flora and MORPHOLOGY of small intestine were studied in a total of 300 male day old broiler chicks using completely randomized design. Salkil had no significant effects on the number of villi per view field and percent of convoluted villi. Salkil had a significant effect on the number of tongue, ridge shaped (P<0.01) and leaf shaped (P<0.05) villi. Salkil had no significant effect on the villus dimensions. In conclusion consumption of Salkil had no effect on decreasing of microbial load of feeds. Also anti-Salmonella efficiency of Salkil in feed was not proved. In this research, consumption of Salkil in used levels has not adverse effects on performance and development of INTESTINAL mucosal tissue until 49 days.

In this experiment, 560 day old male broilers (Ross 308) in a completely randomized design were used to study the effect of two fiber sources (processed fiber and corn hull) at inclusion levels of 3, 4, and 5 g/kg of diet on the performance and INTESTINAL MORPHOLOGY. In all three sections of small intestine the maximum number goblet cells, villus height and ratio of villus height to crypt depth and minimum crypt depth were observed in processed fiber groups especially at 5 g/kg of processed fiber. Growth rate and feed efficiency were improved when diets contained 5 g/kg of processed fiber (P<0.01). It was shown that there were an increasing linear regression between levels of processed fiber inclusion in the diet and goblet cell numbers, villus height and ratio of villus height to crypt depth in all INTESTINAL sections and body weight gain. A similar but decreasing linear regression was observed for feed efficiency. There was an increasing linear response between corn hull levels and crypt depth, feed efficiency and feed intake. A decreasing linear response was evidenced for villus height and ratio of villus height to crypt depth. In conclusion, the processed fiber behaves in a different manner from conventional fiber in terms of small INTESTINAL MORPHOLOGY and performances. The superior performance of processed fiber fed birds could be attributed to healthier small intestine, especially at supplementation level of 5 g/kg.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary garlic on the growth performance, INTESTINAL mucosa MORPHOLOGY, and pulmonary hypertensive response in broiler chickens with pulmonary hypertension induced by 3, 5, 3′-l triiodothyronine. Chicks were reared for 42 days and treated with triiodothyronine (1.5 mg/kg diet) and 0 (control), 0.2, 0.6 or 1% garlic powder. INTESTINAL segments (duodenum, jejunum and ileum) were dissected to assess villus variables. The proportion of chickens with RV/TV ≥ 0.29 was lower in all garlic treatments than control (P<0.05). Body weight of chickens fed 0.2 and 0.6% garlic increased compared to control (P<0.05). The duodenal and jejunal villus length, width (at 42 days), and surface area (at 28 and 42 days) were significantly higher in most garlic-fed groups than control (P<0.05). Ileal villus length, surface area (in 0.6% garlic group), and width (in 0.6 and 1% garlic groups) also increased in chickens fed garlic supplement at 42 days compared to control (P<0.05). It is concluded that supplementation of garlic (especially concentrations of 0.6 and 1%) in broiler chickens with developmental pulmonary hypertension could modulate pulmonary hypertensive response and improve INTESTINAL mucosa MORPHOLOGY.

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of molasses kombucha on performance, INTESTINAL MORPHOLOGY and INTESTINAL microbial population on 320 Ross male broiler chickens in a completely randomized design in 5 treatments and 4 replicate with 16 chickens in each replicate, in the starter (1-10 days old), growth (11-24), the final (25-42) and whole period (1-42). Experimental treatments include drinking water containing: 1) tap water with no kombucha, 2) 0.015 and 0.003 kombucha, respectively, during the starter and growth period, 3) 0.015, 0.003 kombucha and 0.003 three days a week, respectively during the starter, growth and finisher period 4) 0.015 Kombucha during starter and 0.003 kombucha three days a week during growth and finisher period 5) 0.015 Kombucha during starter and growth period and 0.003 kombucha three days a week during finisher. All experimental treatments had a higher body weight gain than the control group (P < 0.05). During the starter and whole periods, except for treatment 2, addition of molasses kombucha significantly improved the feed conversion ratio (P<0.05). There was a significant increase in the villus surface area of the treatments compared to the control group (P<0.05). Molasses kombucha caused a significant increase in the Lactobacillus population and decreased the total coliforms in the cecum environment (P<0.05). In conclusion, 0.015 Kombucha during starter and growth period and 0.003 kombucha three days a week during finisher can improve the performance of broiler chickens.

Background: Mushroom wastes are widely left from mushroom production industries and have been supposed to possess prebiotic, antimicrobial, antifungal and antioxidant properties. Due to difficulties with using antibiotic growth promoters in poultry diet, mushroom wastes seem to be a proper substitute for them. Therefore, present experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of oyster mushroom wastes on performance, immune responses and INTESTINAL MORPHOLOGY of broiler chickens. To conduct the trial, total of 210-day-old broiler chickens (Ross 308) were assigned to 3 dietary treatments and 5 replicates of 14 mixed birds. Subsequently, performance, immunity and INTESTINAL MORPHOLOGY parameters were evaluated throughout the experiment.Results: 1 % mushroom wastes inclusion not significantly increased body weight (BW), weight gain (WG) and feed intake (FI) of chickens (P>0.05), while using 2 % of these wastes deteriorated BW and feed conversion ratio (FCR) (P<0.05). At 28 days of age, villus height and crypt depth of jejunum were significantly increased using both levels of mushroom wastes, however, these indices impaired in ileum with the same mushroom levels (P<0.05). With the exception of antibody titer against Newcastle disease virus which was compromised using 2 %, other antibody-related parameters were not affected by supplementing 1 % mushroom wastes (P [0.05). The ratio of heterophil to lymphocyte also decreased by the waste inclusion (P<0.05).Conclusion: Mushroom wastes in 1 % inclusion are able to improve some parameters of performance and immunity of broiler chicks. Nonetheless, supplementation in 2 % might compromise the mentioned indices.

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of L-glutamine (Gln) supplementation on growth performance and small INTESTINAL MORPHOLOGY of broiler chickens. One hundred and ninety two day-old male broilers (Ross 308) were used in a completely randomized design with 4 treatments and 4 replicates with 12 birds in each replicate. Four experimental diets were formulated to be isonitrogenous and isocaloric with different levels (0, 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5%) of Gln supplementation and were fed for the first 21 days of rearing period. Results showed that body weight and average daily weight gain increased in the birds consumed 1% Gln supplemented diet compared to the control birds fed a standard corn-SBM diet (P<0.05). Birds fed diets supplemented with 1 or 1.5% Gln had heavier duodenum and jejunum relative weight compared to the control birds (P<0.05).Morphological assays showed that villus height and villus surface area of the duodenum and jejunum increased as 1 or 1.5% Gln was supplemented in broiler diets comparing to the control group (P<0.05). Goblet cells density was not significantly affected by dietary Gln inclusion. The results of this study indicated that adding 1% Gln to diet for the first 21 days of rearing period improved growth performance and small INTESTINAL MORPHOLOGY of broiler chickens.

This experiment was conducted to examine the effects of dietary nucleotides on growth, and INTESTINAL MORPHOLOGY of rainbow trout with mean initial weight of approximately 11.35±0.01 g. Five diets with 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5 or 2 g of nucleotides (NT) Kg-1 diet were fed to rainbow trout for 8 weeks. Forty fish were kept in each of the triplicate tanks designed for every treatment group. Fish fed diets with 2 g and 1.5 g NT Kg-1 for 8 weeks had highest final weight and SGR and lowest in fish fed the NT-free control diet. After 8 weeks of feeding trial, there was a significant (P<0.05) decrease in FCR between the control and the groups fed diets with 1 g, 1.5 g and 2 g NT Kg-1. The highest length of intestine epithelium cells was observed in fish fed diets with 0.2 g NT Kg-1. The results suggest that dietary nucleotides exerted positive effects on growth indices and intestine MORPHOLOGY in rainbow trout.