Abstract
This study was designed to assess the effectiveness of an authorized commercial standardized mixture of Artepillin-C, methyl-salicylates, flavonoids and curcuminoids (PHYTO AX'CELL™) provided intermittently during 8 weeks (wk) of trial to laying hens raised in enriched cages during the peak of the production, in the reduction of inflammation status, improving the immune response, and egg quality. In this study, 764 Lohmann LSL-White hens on the first day (d) of the 26th wk of age (T0), were randomly assigned to 2 replicated experimental groups, control and treated (n=382 each). The treatment was supplied in drinking water, as follows: 26th to 27th wk (T1, 14 d) first treatment administration at a dose of 1 mL/L (0.5 mL/L only the first d of the treatment); 28th to the 31st wk (T2, 4 wk of withdrawal period); 32nd to 33rd wk (T3, 14 d) second treatment at a dose of 1 mL/L, until the end of the trial (T4). At T0, mid-T3 and T4, 13 hens per group were sampled for serum biochemical analyses (metabolic profile, H/L ratio) and weighed, and 60 eggs per group were analyzed for quality parameters. At T4, 13 hens per group were sacrificed for histological investigations and gut IgA quantification. The treatment reduced the mortality rate in the treated group (0.00%) compared to the control (2.61%). An improvement in intestinal IgA production and immune reactivity in the treated hens was observed with a significant fluctuating trend of the heterophil, lymphocyte and their ratio (P < 0.05). The egg quality was improved by the treatment, with positive effects in the Haugh unit, shell weight and thickness (P < 0.05). A T4, significant reduction in duodenal and rectal pH was observed in the treated group (P < 0.05), without intestinal inflammation score changes, body weight, serum biochemistry, interleukin levels, and infectious bronchitis virus titers (P > 0.05). From the results, PHYTO AX'CELL™ improved the well-being and physical condition of laying hens raised in cages, modulating the immune system with a positive production of intestinal IgA, and egg quality parameters important for commercial purposes.
Keywords:
Egg production; Gut health; Hen welfare; Inflammatory markers; Plant bioactive compounds.