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Veterinary Sciences
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Herbal Medicines and Birds: Natural Compounds Protect Birds’ Health
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Herbal Medicines and Birds: Natural Compounds Protect Birds’ Health

A special issue of Veterinary Sciences (ISSN 2306-7381). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases in Veterinary Medicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 April 2023) | Viewed by 7210

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ranran Hou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266000, China
Interests: active substance of traditional Chinese medicine
Dr. Yi Wu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Interests: gut microbiota; application and research & development of traditional Chinese medicine in healthy livestock breeding and disease prevention and control
Dr. Cui Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Interests: application and R&D of traditional Chinese medicine in healthy livestock breeding and disease prevention and control
Dr. Kun Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Interests: gut microbiota modification with a focus on the gut–disease relation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

During the past two hundred years, oceans of chemical constituents were isolated from natural medicines, including polysaccharides, flavonoids, quinones and alkaloids. These natural compounds have various biological activities, such as immune-enhancing, anti-virus, antibiotic, anti-parasites, anti-tumor, liver-protecting and intestine-adjusting properties. Additionally, numerous research has revealed the close relationship between microbe and poultry immune systems, metabolic processes, nutrition and diseases. It is believed that natural compounds, such as berberine, scutellarin, astragalus polysaccharide and saikoside, can treat animal diseases by adjusting the metabolic process, immune system, body microbe system and nutrition. Thus, natural compounds play important poles in maintaining the health of wild birds in the poultry industry and protecting wild birds.   

The objective of this Special Issue is to encourage original research and review papers that focus on studying how natural compounds respond to birds’ metabolic process, immune system, body microbe system and nutrition. Additionally, we are also interested in the roles of natural components on the treatment process of birds’ diseases.

This Special Issue of "Herbal Medicines and Birds: Natural Compounds Protect Birds’ Health" aims to demonstrate how natural compounds protect birds’ health and treat their disease by modulating their body systems, such as immune system, metabolic process and microbe. This Special Issue addresses the need to improve the flow and exchange of information between natural compounds, veterinary and animal sciences through the publication of a selection of research articles from leading researchers in relevant fields. It is hoped that this Special Issue will further provide the scientific foundation for feeding and protecting birds. Furthermore, it is believed that this Special Issue may strengthen the collaboration between scientists engaged in all aspects of this field of research.

We welcome mini-reviews, full-length reviews and original research papers on food homologous plants. Our research topic includes, but is not limited to:

  1. The interaction of the body microbiota with natural components.
  2. The interaction of birds’ metabolic process and natural components.
  3. The interaction of birds’ immune system and natural components.
  4. Feed supplement with natural compounds on birds’ health and nutrition.

Dr. Ranran Hou
Dr. Yi Wu
Dr. Cui Liu
Dr. Kun Li
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Veterinary Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • natural compounds
  • immune system
  • metabolic process
  • microbiota
  • birds’ health and nutrition

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 6551 KiB  
Article
Effect of Penthorum Chinense Pursh Compound on AFB1-Induced Immune Imbalance via JAK/STAT Signaling Pathway in Spleen of Broiler Chicken
by Qin Lu, Yu Hu, Fazul Nabi, Zhenzhen Li, Habibullah Janyaro, Wenyan Zhu and Juan Liu
Vet. Sci. 2023, 10(8), 521; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10080521 - 13 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1259
Abstract
Aflatoxin B1(AFB1) is the main secondary metabolite produced by Aspergillus flavus, which is highly toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic. It can induce immune imbalance in animals or humans. Penthorum chinense Pursh (PCP) is a traditional herbal plant that has been used as a [...] Read more.
Aflatoxin B1(AFB1) is the main secondary metabolite produced by Aspergillus flavus, which is highly toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic. It can induce immune imbalance in animals or humans. Penthorum chinense Pursh (PCP) is a traditional herbal plant that has been used as a hepatoprotective drug with a long history in China. Based on the theory of traditional Chinese Medicine, we prepared Penthorum chinense Pursh Compound (PCPC) by combining four herbal medicines: 5 g Penthorum chinense Pursh, 5 g Radix bupleuri, 1 g Artemisia capillaris Thunb and 1 g Radix glycyrrhizae. The role of the Penthorum chinense Pursh Compound (PCPC) in preventing AFB1-induced immune imbalance in broiler chickens was studied. A total of 180 broiler chickens were equally distributed in six groups: controls, AFB1, YCHD and high-, medium- and low-dose PCPC treatment groups. After 28 days, broilers were anesthetized, and serum spleen and thymus samples were collected for analysis. Results show that AFB1 significantly increased and decreased the relative organ weight of the spleen and thymus, respectively. Pathological section of hematoxylin/eosin (H&E) stained spleen sections showed that AFB1 resulted in splenic tissue damage. Both the serum levels of Immunoglobulin A (IgA) and Immunoglobulin G (IgG) were suppressed in the AFB1 group. IL-6 was elevated in the AFB1 group. The balance between pro-inflammatory cytokines (IFN-γ and IL-2) and anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-4) was disturbed by AFB1. The apoptosis-related protein and JAK/STAT pathway-related gene expression indicated that AFB1-induced apoptosis via JAK/STAT pathway. PCPC has proven its immunoprotective effects by preventing AFB1-induced immune imbalance. PCPC can be applied as a novel immune-modulating medicine in broiler chickens. It can be applied as a novel immune modulator in veterinary clinical practice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Herbal Medicines and Birds: Natural Compounds Protect Birds’ Health)
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15 pages, 2028 KiB  
Article
Bacteriostatic Effects of Yujin Powder and Its Components on Clinical Isolation of Multidrug-Resistant Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli
by Jinwu Meng, Jinli Wang, Jinyue Zhu, Siya Li, Tianxin Qiu, Weiran Wang, Jinxue Ding, Wenjia Wang and Jiaguo Liu
Vet. Sci. 2023, 10(5), 328; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10050328 - 04 May 2023
Viewed by 1407
Abstract
Escherichia coli is one of the most common pathogenic bacteria in diarrheal chickens, leading to serious economic losses in the poultry industry. The limited effect of antibiotics on antibiotic-resistant E. coli makes this bacterium a potential threat to human health. Yujin powder (YJP) [...] Read more.
Escherichia coli is one of the most common pathogenic bacteria in diarrheal chickens, leading to serious economic losses in the poultry industry. The limited effect of antibiotics on antibiotic-resistant E. coli makes this bacterium a potential threat to human health. Yujin powder (YJP) has been reported as an agent that releases the symptoms caused by E. coli for a long time. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of Yujin powder (YJP) and its components, Scutellariae Radix (SR) and Baicalin (Bac), anti-against multi-drug-resistant E. coli in vitro and in vivo. A multi-drug-resistant bacteria was isolated and identified from a clinical diarrheal chick. Then, the anti-bacterial effects of drugs were assessed in vitro and in vivo by analyzing the bacteria loads of organs, the levels of endotoxin, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 of the serum. Results found that the pathogenic E. coli was resistant to 19 tested antibiotics. YJP, SR, and Bac could directly inhibit the growth of this strain at high concentrations in vitro, and presents obvious anti-bacterial effects by reducing the bacterial loads, the release of endotoxin, and inflammation in vivo, which was much more effective than the resistant antibiotic ciprofloxacin. This study demonstrates that those natural medicines have the potential to be used as novel treatments to treat the disease caused by this isolated MDREC strain. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Herbal Medicines and Birds: Natural Compounds Protect Birds’ Health)
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19 pages, 7511 KiB  
Article
Study on the Hepatoprotective Effect Mechanism of Polysaccharides from Charred Angelica sinensis on the Layer Chickens Based on the Detection of the Intestinal Floras and Short-Chain Fatty Acids of Cecal Contents and Association Analysis
by Fanlin Wu, Peng Ji, Yonghao Hu, Chenchen Li and Jian He
Vet. Sci. 2023, 10(3), 224; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10030224 - 15 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1389
Abstract
To analyze the intervention mechanism of polysaccharides from charred Angelica sinensis (CASP) on the liver injury caused by Ceftiofur sodium (CS) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from the perspective of the intestine. Ninety-four one-day-old laying chickens underwent free feeding and drinking water for three days. [...] Read more.
To analyze the intervention mechanism of polysaccharides from charred Angelica sinensis (CASP) on the liver injury caused by Ceftiofur sodium (CS) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from the perspective of the intestine. Ninety-four one-day-old laying chickens underwent free feeding and drinking water for three days. Then, fourteen laying chickens were randomly selected as the control group, and sixteen laying chickens were selected as the model group. Sixteen laying chickens in the rest were randomly selected as the intervention group of CASP. Chickens in the intervention group were given CASP by the oral administration (0.25 g/kg/d) for 10 days, the control and model groups were given the same amount of physiological saline. During the 8th and 10th days, laying chickens in the model and CASP intervention group were subcutaneously injected with CS at the neck. In contrast, those in the control group were subcutaneously injected with the same amount of normal saline simultaneously. Except for the control group, the layer chickens in the model and CASP intervention groups were injected with LPS after CS injection on the 10th day of the experiment. In contrast, those in the control group were injected with the same amount of normal saline at the same time. 48 h after the experiment, the liver samples of each group were collected, and the liver injury was analyzed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and transmission electron microscopy. And the cecum contents of six-layer chickens in each group were collected, and the intervention mechanism of CASP on the liver injury from the perspective of the intestine was analyzed by the 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing technology and the short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) detection of cecal contents based on Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), and their association analysis was carried out. The results showed that the structure of chicken liver in the normal control group was normal, while that in the model group was damaged. The structure of chicken liver in the CASP intervention group was similar to the normal control group. The intestinal floras in the model group were maladjusted compared to the normal control group. After the intervention of CASP, the diversity, and richness of chicken intestinal floras changed significantly. It was speculated that the intervention mechanism of CASP on the chicken liver injury might be related to the abundance and proportion of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes. Compared with the model group, the indexes of ace, chao1, observed species, and PD whole tree of chicken cecum floras in the intervention group of CASP were significantly increased (p < 0.05). The contents of acetic acid, butyric acid, and total SCFAs in the intervention group of CASP were significantly lower than those in the model group (p < 0.05), and the contents of propionic acid and valeric acid in the intervention group of CASP were significantly lower than those in the model group (p < 0.05) and normal control group (p < 0.05). The correlation analysis showed that the changes in the intestinal floras were correlated with the changes in SCFAs in the cecum. It is confirmed that the liver-protecting effect of CASP is indeed related to the changes in the intestinal floras and SCFAs content in the cecum, which provides a basis for screening liver-protecting alternative antibiotics products for poultry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Herbal Medicines and Birds: Natural Compounds Protect Birds’ Health)
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13 pages, 2375 KiB  
Article
Effects of Dietary Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum) Supplementation in Ducks Fed Mycotoxin-Contaminated Diets
by Jennifer Bencze-Nagy, Patrik Strifler, Boglárka Horváth, Nikoletta Such, Valéria Farkas, Károly Dublecz and László Pál
Vet. Sci. 2023, 10(2), 100; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10020100 - 31 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2192
Abstract
The medicinal plant milk thistle (Silybum marianum) has been widely used due to its hepatoprotective properties. The main objective of our study was to investigate the health protective effects of dietary milk thistle seed (MS), oil (MO), and seed cake (MSC) [...] Read more.
The medicinal plant milk thistle (Silybum marianum) has been widely used due to its hepatoprotective properties. The main objective of our study was to investigate the health protective effects of dietary milk thistle seed (MS), oil (MO), and seed cake (MSC) in ducks fed diets naturally contaminated with deoxynivalenol (DON; 3.43–3.72 mg/kg feed) and zearalenone (ZEN; 0.46–0.50 mg/kg feed). Female White Hungarian ducks were randomly allocated to four dietary treatments consisting of the control diet (C), the control diet supplemented with 0.5% MS, 0.5% MSC, or 0.1% MO. The feeding of experimental diets did not result in mortality cases, clinical signs of mycotoxicosis, or in differences of clinical chemistry values of blood serum. The positive effect of MO on vacuolar hepatocyte degeneration exceeded that of the MSC on d14 and both MS and MSC on d42. Each treatment was equally effective in the decrease of the severity of solitary cell death and infiltration of lympho- and histiocytes in the liver on d28 as well as in the prevention of lymphocyte depletion in the spleen and bursa of Fabricius on d14. In conclusion, the applied treatments have been proven effective in the prevention of histopathological changes caused by DON and ZEN. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Herbal Medicines and Birds: Natural Compounds Protect Birds’ Health)
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