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Anticoccidial Activity of Berberine against Eimeria-Infected Chickens.

ABSTRACT: Avian coccidiosis has a major economic impact on the poultry industry, it is caused by 7 species of Eimeria, and has been primarily controlled using chemotherapeutic agents. Due to the emergence of drug-resistant strains, alternative control strategies are needed. We assessed anticoccidial effects of berberine-based diets in broiler chickens following oral infection with 5 Eimeria species (E. acervulina, E. maxima, E. tenella, E. mitis, and E. praecox). When 0.2% berberine, a concentration that does not affect weight gain, was added to the diet, the 4 groups infected with E. acervulina, E. tenella, E. mitis, or E. praecox showed significant reductions in fecal oocyst shedding (P<0.05) compared to their respective infected and untreated controls. In chickens treated 0.5% berberine instead of 0.2% and infected with E. maxima, fecal oocyst production was significantly reduced, but body weight deceased, indicating that berberine treatment was not useful for E. maxima infection. Taken together, these results illustrate the applicability of berberine for prophylactic use to control most Eimeria infections except E. maxima. Further studies on the mechanisms underlying the differences in anticoccidial susceptibility to berberine, particularly E. maxima, are remained.

SUBMITTER: Nguyen BT

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8413861 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BackgroundEimeria tenella is an obligate intracellular parasitic protozoan that invades the chicken cecum and causes coccidiosis, which induces acute lesions and weight loss. Elucidating the anticoccidial mechanism of action of green tea polyphenols could aid the development of anticoccidial drugs and resolve the problem of drug resistance in E. tenella.MethodsWe constructed a model of E. tenella infection in Wuliangshan black-boned chickens, an indigenous breed of Yunnan Province, China, to study the efficacy of green tea polyphenols against the infection. Alterations in gene expression and in the microbial flora in the cecum were analyzed by ribonucleic acid (RNA) sequencing and 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequencing. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to verify the host gene expression data obtained by RNA sequencing. Network pharmacology and molecular docking were used to clarify the interactions between the component green tea polyphenols and the targeted proteins; potential anticoccidial herbs were also analyzed.ResultsTreatment with the green tea polyphenols led to a reduction in the lesion score and weight loss of the chickens induced by E. tenella infection. The expression of matrix metalloproteinase 7 (MMP7), MMP1, nitric oxide synthase 2 and ephrin type-A receptor 2 was significantly altered in the E. tenella infection plus green tea polyphenol-treated group and in the E. tenella infection group compared with the control group; these genes were also predicted targets of tea polyphenols. Furthermore, the tea polyphenol (-)-epigallocatechin gallate acted on most of the targets, and the molecular docking analysis showed that it has good affinity with interferon induced with helicase C domain 1 protein. 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing showed that the green tea polyphenols had a regulatory effect on changes in the fecal microbiota induced by E. tenella infection. In total, 171 herbs were predicted to act on two or three targets in MMP7, MMP1, nitric oxide synthase 2 and ephrin type-A receptor 2.ConclusionsGreen tea polyphenols can directly or indirectly regulate host gene expression and alter the growth of microbiota. The results presented here shed light on the mechanism of action of green tea polyphenols against E. tenella infection in chickens, and have implications for the development of novel anticoccidial products.

Project description:Ovine Eimeria spp. infections cause reduced welfare, increased mortality, and substantial economic losses, and anticoccidials are crucial for their control. Recent reports of toltrazuril resistance in pigs, and anecdotal reports of reduced anticoccidial efficacy in lambs, necessitate evaluation of anticoccidial efficacy. Due to the substantial lifecycle differences between nematodes and coccidia, current WAAVP methods for assessing anthelmintic efficacy are not suitable for such evaluations. Faecal samples were collected from 8 pairs of twin lambs from 36 Norwegian sheep farms 6-8 days after turnout. One twin of each pair was then treated with 20 mg/kg toltrazuril and a second faecal sample from all lambs was collected 7-11 days later. Oocyst excretion rate in all samples was determined using McMasters. Suitability of treatment timing was investigated by evaluating the increase in mean log oocyst excretion in untreated lambs. Based on comparisons between groups, a threshold of ≥0.75 (13 farms) was used to identify farms where drug efficacy could be assessed with confidence, drug efficacy on farms with increases of ≥0.5 but <0.75 (7 farms) were evaluated with caution, and drug efficacy on farms with increases of <0.5 (16 farms) was not estimated. Reduction in oocyst excretion between samples from treated lambs compared with controls from the 20 farms with a threshold of ≥0.5 were then analysed using a generalised linear mixed model. The results were classified based on 95% CI obtained using parametric bootstrapping. Among these 20 farms, two exhibited reduced drug efficacy (upper 95% CI < 95%), 13 had good efficacy (lower 95% CI > 90%), and for 5 the results were inconclusive. This is the first evidence-based report of reduced anticoccidial efficacy in ovine Eimeria spp. Additionally, we highlight the problem of sub-optimal timing of treatment (16/36 farms), which could potentially result in incorrect conclusions being reached regarding lack of drug efficacy.

Project description:PurposeThe in vivo efficacy of ultrasonicated Rosmarinus officinalis ethanolic extract (UROEE) and its chitosan-loaded nanoparticles (UROEE-CsNPs) was investigated as a dietary prophylactic agent and as a therapeutic treatment against Eimeria tenella infected broiler chickens.MethodsChickens were infected with 4 × 104 E. tenella oocysts at 21 days old for primary infection and with 8 × 104 oocysts at 35 days old for secondary infection. Eleven experimental groups were conducted. Dietary addition of 100 mg/kg UROEE and 20 mg/kg for CsNPs as well as UROEE-CsNPs were included for prophylactic groups from day 1 to 42. The same doses were used for therapeutic treatment groups for 5 constitutive days. Oocyst output in feces was counted. Histopathological and immunohistochemical studies were conducted. Gene expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines as IFN-γ, IL-1β and IL-6 as well as anti-inflammatory cytokines as IL-10 and TGF-β4 was analyzed using semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR.ResultsThe results showed an efficacy of UROEE, CsNPs and UROEE-CsNPs in reduction of oocyst excretion and improving the cecal tissue architecture. CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes protein expression were reduced. E. tenella infection lead to upregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines as IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-6 and anti-inflammatory cytokines as TGF-β4 following primary infection, while their expression was downregulated following secondary infection.ConclusionThe dietary prophylactic additives and therapeutic treatments with UROEE, CsNPs and UROEE-CsNPs could decrease the inflammatory response to E. tenella as indicated by oocyst output reduction, histopathological improvements, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells protein expression reduction as well as reducing mRNA expression levels of the tested cytokines following primary and secondary infections. Consequently, these results will help to develop better-combating strategies for the control and prevention of coccidiosis on poultry farms as a dietary prophylactic agent or as a therapeutic treatment.

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Anticoccidial Activity of Berberine against Eimeria-Infected Chickens.

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