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AbstractAcrylamide (AA) is a chemical substance with a potentially carcinogenic effect. Its presence in food or animal food arises from its thermal processing. The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of AA exposure (3.0 mg/ kg. b.w. /day) of pregnant dams during the second half of the pregnancy on bone development in offspring. As an model animal, guinea pig was used. While term body weight of newborns was not influenced by maternal AA treatment, shorter bones with reduced bone diaphysis cross-sectional area were observed in experimental group. Numerous negative, offspring sex-dependent effects of maternal AA exposure were observed in femoral epiphysis and metaphysis as well as the articular and growth plate cartilages. This effects resulted from the AA-inducted alterations in bone metabolism, as indicated by the changes in the expression of numerous proteins involved in bone development: receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-Β ligand (RANKL), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 2 (TIMP-2), bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), all of which expression was measured as well as distribution of immature collagen fibres was determined. Based on the results, it can be concluded that the exposure of pregnant dams to AA negatively affected the structure compact bone in bone diaphysis, microarchitecture of trabecular bone in metaphysis and epiphysis as well as the structure of the articular and growth plate cartilages in their offspring. The AA-induced bone impairment increased osteoclast differentiation, as observed through the change in the RANKL/OPG ratio, which in turn inhibited osteoblast function by decreasing the expression of other proteins. The data of the present study suggests that maternal AA exposure can result in insufficient bone gain and even bone loss after the birth.

The stomach is responsible for the processing of nutrients as well as for the secretion of various hormones which are involved in many activities throughout the gastrointestinal tract. Experimental adult male Wistar rats (n = 6) underwent a modified gastrectomy, while control rats (n = 6) were sham-operated. After six weeks, changes in small intestine (including histomorphometrical parameters of the enteric nervous plexuses) and liver morphology, immunolocalization of leptin, ghrelin and nesfatin-1 as well as proteins forming adherens and tight junctions (E-cadherin, zonula occludens-1, occludin, marvelD3) in intestinal mucosa were evaluated. A number of effects on small intestine morphology, enteric nervous system ganglia, hormones and proteins expression were found, showing intestinal enteroplasticity and neuroplasticity associated with changes in gastrointestinal tract condition. The functional changes in intestinal mucosa and the enteric nervous system could be responsible for the altered intestinal barrier and hormonal responses following gastrectomy. The results suggest that more complicated regulatory mechanisms than that of compensatory mucosal hypertrophy alone are involved.

The aim of the experiment was to assess the effect of dietary alpha-ketoglutarate (AKG) supplementation on performance, serum hormonal indices, duodenum and jejunum histomorphometry, meat quality characteristics, bone quality traits and cartilage degradation in laying hens with a mature skeletal system. Forty-eight 30 week-old Bovans Brown laying hens were randomly assigned to a control group or the group fed the basal diet plus 1.0% AKG. The experimental trial lasted 30 weeks. The supplementation of AKG increases blood serum content of leptin, ghrelin, bone alkaline phosphatate and receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-Β ligand, while osteoprotegerin and osteocalcin decrease. While dietary AKG was given to laying hens negatively influenced villus length, crypt depth, villus/crypt ratio and absorptive surface area in duodenum and jejunum, these changes have no effect on feed intake, weight gain, nor laying performance. In breast muscles, no significant changes in skeletal muscle fatty acid composition were observed, however, a higher shear force and decreased cholesterol content following AKG supplementation were noted, showing the improvement of muscle quality. While dietary AKG supplementation did not affect the general geometric and mechanical properties of the tibia, it increased collagen synthesis and enhanced immature collagen content. In medullary bone, an increase of bone volume fraction, trabecular thickness, fractal dimension and decrease of trabecular space were observed in AKG supplemented group. The trabeculae in bone metaphysis were also significantly thicker after AKG supplementation. AKG promoted fibrillogenesis in articular cartilage, as indicated by increased cartilage oligomeric matrix protein immunoexpression. By improving the structure and maintaining the proper bone turnover rate of highly reactive and metabolically active medullar and trabecular bones AKG showed its anti-osteoporotic action in laying hens.

Gut microbiota have been shown to play a critical role in the maintenance of host health. Probiotics, which regulate gut microbiota balance, could serve as an effective alternative to antibiotic growth promoters. Since changes in the gastrointestinal tract, caused by a variety of different strains, groups and amounts of microorganisms, may be reflected in its histological structure, the aim of the present study was to examine the effects of rising doses of a mixed probiotic preparation on the structure and development of the small intestine of female turkeys. Eighty, three-day-old, healthy, female turkeys (Big-6 breed) were used in the current (16-week) study. The turkeys were randomly allocated to four weight-matched (59.70 ± 0.83 g) groups (n = 20), according to probiotic treatment dose (0, 107 cfu•g−1, 108 cfu•g−1 or 109 cfu•g−1, in 500 g•1000 kg−1) (cfu – a colony-forming unit). Three, non-genetically modified strains of probiotic cultures obtained from poultry, four bacterial and one yeast culture, were used. Histomorphometric analysis of the structure of the small intestinal wall of the duodenum and jejunum was performed. All probiotic doses used in the current study exerted a beneficial effect on the histological structure of the small intestine; however, the observed effect was dose and region dependent. Significant increases in villi height, crypt depth, villi and crypt width, mucosa thickness, epithelial height, enterocyte number, absorption surface and intestinal ganglia geometric indices were observed, specifically in the duodenum of birds receiving an intermediate dose of probiotic (108 cfu•g−1). The probiotic doses used in the current study differed significantly in their effect on the small intestine (P < 0.01), with the intermediate dose (108 cfu•g−1) significantly improving 58% of the parameters assessed, compared to the control. The duodenum was more susceptible to the favourable effects of the probiotic than the jejunum (56% v. 31% improvement in the parameters assessed) (P < 0.01). The weakest favourable effect was observed in the group that received the highest dose of probiotic.

ObjectiveThe current study aimed to investigate the impact of high-fat diets composed of different animal and vegetable fat sources on serum metabolic health markers in Japanese quail, as well as the overall lipid content and fatty acid profiles of the edible bird tissues following significantly increased dietary lipid supplementation.MethodsFifty seven male quail were divided into six groups and fed either a standard diet or a diet enriched with one of five different fats (22% coconut oil, lard, palm oil, soybean oil, or sunflower oil) for 12 weeks. The birds were subjected to an oral glucose tolerance test following the feeding period, after which they were euthanized and blood, liver, breast, and thigh muscle samples collected. Total fat content and fatty acid profiles of the tissue samples, as well as serum uric acid, triglyceride, cholesterol, total protein, albumin, aspartate transaminase, and total bilirubin concentrations were assessed.ResultsHigh-fat diet feeding had no significant effects on the glucose tolerance of the birds. Dietary fatty acid profiles of the added fats were reflected in the lipid profiles of both the liver and breast and thigh muscle tissues, indicating successful transfer of dietary fatty acids to the edible bird tissues. The significantly increased level of lipid inclusion in the diets of the quail used in the present study was unsuccessful in increasing the overall lipid content of the edible bird tissues. Serum metabolic health markers in birds on the high-fat diets were not significantly different from those observed in birds on the standard diet.ConclusionThus, despite the various high-fat diets modifying the fatty acid profile of the birds’ tissues, unlike in most mammals, the birds maintained a normal health status following consumption of the various high-fat diets.

To investigate the progressive effects of a high-fat diet on erythrocyte osmotic fragility, growth performance and serum lipid concentrations in Guinea fowl and Muscovy ducks, 36 Guinea fowl and 36 Muscovy ducks were divided into two groups, for each species, and fed either a standard (STD = commercial poultry feed) or high-fat diet (HFD = commercial poultry feed with 20% palm oil and 2% lard) for up to 12 weeks. After 4, 8 and 12 weeks on the diets, six birds from each group were euthanized and blood samples collected. Osmotic fragility was assessed by measuring the haemoglobin released by erythrocytes placed in serially diluted solutions of phosphate-buffered saline, spectrophotometrically. Serum triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations were also determined. Fragiligrams from erythrocytes from both species of birds on the HFD were not different to those on the STD. However, Muscovy duck erythrocytes were more resistant to haemolysis compared with Guinea fowl erythrocytes. Final body mass and serum triglyceride levels were not significantly different (p > 0.05, anova) between the birds in the HFD and STD groups, for both species of birds. In contrast, serum cholesterol levels were significantly higher in birds on the HFD compared with those on the STD, after 4, 8 and 12 weeks of feeding, for both species of birds. Feeding Guinea fowl and Muscovy ducks a high-fat diet for up to 12 weeks resulted in hypercholesterolaemia but had no effect on final body mass, erythrocyte osmotic fragility or serum triglyceride concentrations in either bird species.

Fumonisins (FB) are metabolites found in cereal grains (including maize), crop products, and pelleted feed. There is a dearth of information concerning the effects of FB intoxication on the intestinal histomorphometry, the expression of intestinal tight junction proteins, and the bone structure and liver in pre-laying hens. The current experiment was carried out on hens from the 11th to the 14th week of age. The hens were orally administered an extract containing fumonisin B1 (FB1) and fumonisin B2 (FB2) at doses of 0.0 mg/kg b.w. (body weight), 1.0 mg/kg b.w., 4.0 mg/kg b.w., and 10.9 mg/kg b.w. for 21 days. Following FB intoxication, the epithelial integrity of the duodenum and jejunum was disrupted, and dose-dependent degenerative changes were observed in liver. An increased content of immature collagen was observed in the bone tissue of FB-intoxicated birds, indicating intensified bone turnover. A similar effect was observed with regards to the articular cartilage, where enhanced fibrillogenesis was observed mainly in the group of birds that received the FB extract at a dose of 10.9 mg/kg b.w. In conclusion, FB intoxication resulted in negative structural changes in the bone tissue of the hens, which could result in worsened bone mechanics and an increase in the risk of bone fractures. Fumonisin administration, even at a dose of 1.0 mg/kg b.w., can lead to degradation of the intestinal barrier and predispose hens to intestinal disturbances later in life.