Efecto de suplementar las dietas de pollos broiler con compuestos funcionales de orujo de oliva (Olea europaea) sobre la salud intestinal del animal

The prohibition of antibiotics as growth promoters in animal nutrition has generated the need to find alternatives to enhance intestinal health and function. In this context, the use of plant extracts in animal feeds has been gaining interest because of their antiinflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of supplementing broiler chicken diets with an olive pomace extract from Olea europaea (OE) rich in triterpenic acids on productive parameters and the expression of intestinal health related genes. A total of 224 male broiler chickens (Cobb 500) were used in the study. A completely randomized design with 2 treatments was used, a diet with no additives as a Control and a diet supplemented with 1.000ppm (EO) of an olive pomace extract provided by the company Natac. S.A. Weight controls and feed intake were performed at 7 and 14 days to calculate the average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR). After two weeks of feeding the experimental diets (14 days of age), ileum samples were taken to analyze the gene expression of different markers of the immune system and intestinal permeability by real-time PCR (qPCR): Toll-Like Receptor 2B (TLR2B), Toll-Like Receptor 4 (TLR4), CXC-Family Chemokine (CXCLi2), Interleukin 6 (IL6), Transforming Growth Factor-b4 (TGFb4), Chicken B-cell Marker (Bu-1), Cluster of Differentiation 3 - gamma glycoprotein (CD3g), Claudin 1 and Claudin 3. Chickens fed the OE tended (P = 0.06) to have better FCR during the first week of trial. However, this additive did not affect the following week or any of the other productive parameters. The expression of intestinal health related genes was not significantly affected by dietary means. However, broilers fed the OE tended to increase the expression the anti-inflammatory TGFb4 (P = 0.08) and that of CD3g (marker of T lymphocytes). In conclusion the supplementation of starter broiler diets with 1000 ppm of an OE rich in triterpenic acids does not affect productive performance or intestinal health benefits. The tendency of improving FCR during the first week and the expression of TGFb4 deserves future research