Abstract:
Objective To study the effects of modified Yupingfeng decoction on antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immune function and anti-coccidial effect of Dehua black chickens infected with Eimeria tenella.
Methods The treated 120 45-day-old Dehua black chickens were randomly divided into 6 groups, namely, blank control group (K group), infected control group (G group), low-dose group of Radix dichroa and Artemisia annua (CQL group), low-dose group of modified Yupingfeng decoction (YL group), high-dose group of Radix dichroa and Artemisia annua (CQH group), and high-dose group of modified Yupingfeng decoction (YH group). Except for the K group, all other groups were infected with Eimeria tenella. Treatment with the respective decoctions began 24 hours after infection and continued for 7 days. On the 8th day, various indices including anti-coccidial index, immune function, and antioxidant capacity were measured.
Results Compared with the infection control group (G group), the symptoms of bloody stool and cecal lesions were alleviated in the CQH, YH, CQL, and YL groups in order. Except for the CQH group, the cecal lesion scores and submucosal lymphocyte density in the cecum were significantly or extremely significantly reduced (P<0.05 or P<0.01); oocyst per gram (OPG) was deduced extremely in the other three traditional Chinese medicine groups (P<0.01), while OPG in CQH group was reduced significantly (P<0.05); the cecuml epithelial cell shedding score was decreased extremely in YL group and YH group(P<0.01). Compared with the CQL and CQH groups, the YL and YH groups showed extremely significant reductions in MDA, cecal lesion scores, epithelial cell shedding scores, and OPG levels (P<0.01). Compared with G group, the contents of IL-6, IFN-γ, TNF-α and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the four Chinese medicine groups were significantly decreased (P<0.01). In contrast, IL-2 content, SIgA level, and the activity of glutathione peroxides (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD), Catalase (CAT) and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) were significantly increased (P<0.01). IL-2 content, SIgA level, and the activity of GSH-Px, SOD, and CAT were significantly increased in the YL group (P<0.01), and GSH-Px and SOD activities were significantly increased in the YH group (P<0.01). Compared with K group, the relative weight gain rate of the G group, CQL group, YL group, CQH group, and YH group were 79.88%, 103.49%, 107.27%, 95.05%, and 96.06%, and the ACI were 96, 165.5, 177, 133.5, and 162.5, respectively.
Conclusion The modified Yupingfeng decoction has better immunomodulation effect of improving anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and immune function on Dehua black chickens infected with Eimeria tenella, and correspondingly has better anti-coccidia effect, while the Yupingfeng modified low-dose group (YL) has the best anticoccidia effect.