Effectiveness of prebiotic as an alternative to the antimicrobial growth promoter on growth performance, blood constituents, intestinal healthiness and immunity of broilers

This study was designed to compare the effect of the prebiotic and antimicrobial growth promoter [AGP] on the growth performance, blood constituents, intestinal bacteriology and histomorphometric parameters as well as humeral immunity of broiler chicks. A total of 90 unsexed commercial Cobb chicks were randomly assigned to 3 dietary treatments [control, AGP and prebiotic groups], each group contains 30 chicks. Each group subdivided into 3 replicates, 10 chicks each, and was reared for 42 days. The prebiotic supplemented group showed a significant improvement in growth performance parameters in comparison to the control and AGP-supplemented groups. Total leukcocytic count, lymphocyte percent, total protein, total globulin and gamma globulin were significantly increased in the broilers fed on prebiotics. Moreover, prebiotics supplementation significantly reduced heterophil percent, heterophil/ lymphocyte ratio [H/L ratio], albumin/globulin ratio, aspartate and alanine aminotransferase [AST and ALT], uric acid and creatinine compared to the AGP-supplemented and control groups. The AGP-supplemented group exhibited a significant reduction in the total aerobic count when compared to the control and prebiotic-supplemented groups. However, the prebiotic supplemented group showed a significant reduction in the coliform count when compared to the control and antibiotic supplemented groups. The prebiotic supplemented group induced a significant increase in the villus height [VH] all over the small intestine. In addition, it induced a significant increase in villus height: crypt depth ratio in the duodenum and jejunum in comparison to the control and antibiotic supplemented groups. However, there were no significant differences among the different groups regard to the crypt depth [CD] in the duodenum and jejunum. Prebiotics could be considered as safe and effective antimicrobial alternatives for broiler chicks' growth performance, immunity and intestinal bacteriology and morphology

possible therapeutic effect of 'chaetomium globosum' fungal extract on experimentally induced rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis [RA] is an autoimmune disease that leads to chronic inflammation in the joints with subsequent cartilage and bone destruction. RA induces a massive burden on health services worldwide. This study was designed to evaluate the possible therapeutic effect of 'Chaetomium globosum' extract in the treatment of RA in a rat model. Forty male Wistar albino rats aged 8-10 weeks were divided into four groups of 10 rats each. The control group [group I] was injected subcutaneously with 0.1 ml of saline. RA was induced in the other three groups [groups II, III, and IV] by single subcutaneous injection of 0.1 ml of complete Freund's adjuvant in the footpad of the right hind paw. Group II was induced with arthritis and left untreated. Rats in groups III and IV were treated by administering either C. globosum 10 micro g/kg or methotrexate [MTX] 0.3 mg/kg subcutaneously twice weekly for 2 weeks from day 12 after induction of arthritis. Animals of all groups were sacrificed on day 28 from the start of the experiment. The ankle joints were processed and stained with H and E, Masson's trichrome, and immunohistochemical stain for inducible nitric oxide synthase. Specimens were also processed for transmission electron microscopic study. Untreated arthritic rats revealed paw swelling, synovial hyperplasia, inflammatory infiltration, collagen accumulation, cartilage degradation, bone destruction, and significant increase in inducible nitric oxide synthase-positive chondrocytes. Transmission electron microscopic examination confirmed these results. The present study demonstrated for the first time that C. globosum significantly reduced all the clinical and histopathological changes of arthritis similar to MTX. C. globosum extract had therapeutic effects similar to the well-established drug MTX and could be devoid of its serious side effects.