• Medicinal plants are considered as a rich resources of ingredients which can be used in drug development either pharmacopoeial, non- pharmacopoeial or synthetic drugs.
• Moreover, some plants are considered as important source of nutrition and as a result of that they are recommended for their therapeutic values.
• Essential oils and plant extracts are used in animal feed owing to added benefits such as increasing digestive enzyme production, improving meat characteristics, reduction of pH levels, and prevention of weight reduction during lactation.

 

 

Origanum vulgarea extract Thymol + Carvacrol

Oregano essential oil has powerful anti-microbial properties and is an amazing boost to the immune system of our chickens.

Benefits of oregano essential oil:

• Improved feed intake and feed conversion.
  
• Enhanced digestion.
• Expanded productive performance.
• Down-regulated disease incidence and economic losses.

 

As growth promoter:

• OEO have appetite and digestion-stimulating properties :
• phytogenic compounds of the plant enhance activities of digestive enzymes and nutrient absorption.
• lead to the greater efficiency in the utilization of feed, resulting in enhanced growth and improvement of both feed conversion ratio and body weight gain.

 

 

As antibacterial:

• Oregano is a broad Spectrum Natural Antibiotic.
• Exerted potent antibacterial effect against poultry origin strains of E-coli and salmonella.
• this potent antibacterial activity can widely be attributed to the presence of two major active components of OEO that is(thymol and carvacrol).

Mechanism of action:

• Disintegrate the membrane of bacteria , leading to the release of membrane associated materials to the external medium .
• penetrate the bacteria and may thus, be able to influence their proliferation.

 

 

The high antioxidant activity of this due to the presence of phenolic OH groups which act as hydrogen donors to the peroxy radicals produced during the first step in lipid oxidation .

• The high antioxidant activity of thymol is due to the presence of phenolic OH groups which act as hydrogen donors to the peroxy radicals produced during the first step in lipid oxidation .
• thus, retarding the hydroxy peroxide formation

 

 

Echinacea extract:

• Echinacea has been used traditionally to support healthy immune system functions, and it’s a great herb for your chickens.
• A potential feed and water additive in poultry production.
• Feed additives with performance and health stimulating effects are widely used in animal production.

 

Immune stimulatory action of Echinacea:

• stimulate macrophages and other cells of innate immunity causing them to become activated and release cytokines.
• increase phagocytic activity and the uptake of foreign particles

Action of Echinacea on immune cells:

1.macrophage:

• Release of cytokines as tumor necrosis factor , IL, INF which induce resistance against wide rang of viruses.
• release of nitrous oxide which destroy the infectious agents as salmonella .

2.natural killer cells:

• which kill target cells specially virus infected cell and tumer cells.

3.polymorph nuclear leucocytes:

• neutrophils:
  which its granules contain powerful bactericidal and antibiotic enzymes.
• basophils , eosinophils and mast cells:
  contain secretory granules and are involved in the inflammatory response

 

 

saccharomyces cerevisiae:
saccharomyces cerevisiae has many benefits for animal health:

• adhesion capacity to intestinal cells
• improvement in feed digestibility and enhancement of beneficial micro‐organisms in the gut.
• promotion of digestive enzyme activity
• Immunostimulant effect
• improving gut morphological structure
• saccharomyces cerevisiae documented effects in the rumen Major effects of yeast supplementation on rumen fermentation and quality of products in ruminants.

 

 

Probiotic yeast for poultry:

• The gut microbiota is one of the main defence components in the digestive tract against enteric pathogens.
• The disturbance of the gut microbiota–host interaction plays a crucial role in the development of intestinal disorders.
• There have been significant changes in caecal microbiota in chickens infected with C. perfringens, Eimeria species and Salmonella Enteritidis.
• Therefore, probiotics act as a biological alternative in controlling Salmonella, Campylobacter, C. perfringens or Escherichia coli

 

 

In poultry, the benefits of yeast probiotic supplements are shown in :

• In poultry, the benefits of yeast probiotic supplements are shown in :
• the production performance of broiler.
• increased chickens resistance to enteric pathogens infection (Salmonella, Campylobacter jejuni, C. perfringens or E. coli) .
• Furthermore, the frequency of colonization of salmonella was significantly decreased by yeast probiotic supplementation.

Mechanism of action:

• the addition of S. cerevisiae in poultry feed causes a phenomenon called competitive exclusion of pathogenic bacteria capable of causing disease adhere to the yeast surface, and so removing a large amount of harmful micro‐organisms.
• Supplementation of birds diets with yeast has been shown to modulate the birds’ intestinal microflora, to inhibit the colonization of the gastrointestinal tract by bacterial pathogens.

 

 

Beneficial effects of mannan-oligosccharides in poultry:

• significant decrease in the total cholesterol concentration in broiler chickens which had been supplemented with MOS .
• MOS could promote caecal Lactobacillus spp and Bifidobacterium spp growth .
• elevated the height of villus and the number of goblet cells in poultry jejunum and ileum.
• yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) addition could also improve the intestinal microbiota and feed efficiency of in avian species and MOS may improve the absorption of trace minerals .

 

 

Capsicum resin :

• Hot red pepper is rich in vitamin C, which has a considerable impact in improving production through contributing to the reduction of heat stress.
• Capsaicin has been shown to have a protective function in the gastric mucosa as a stimulant of afferent nerve endings.
• the extracts of Capsicum pepper were found to exhibit varying degrees of inhibition against Clostridium sporogenes, Salmonella typhimurium, Clostridium tetani.

 

 

Immune stimulant action :

• Improve immune system by stimulation the production of more leucocytes or antibodies that can fight foreign bodies and diseases.
• This will increase the ability of the bird to fight diseases and hence their anti-pathogenic or antibacterial properties.

 

 

Growth promoter:

• It has a critical role for increasing of metabolism of nutrients and energy by stimulating enzyme activities, for example, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, lipoprotein lipase and pancreatic and intestinal enzymes.
• stimulate absorption of nutrients in the digestive tract.
• increases carbohydrate metabolism by activating the sympathetic nervous system .

 

 

The increase in energy or carbohydrate metabolism will enhance manufacturing of more tissues and weight gain or growth.

• So, red pepper improve body weight gain, feed intake and conversion ratio.

 

 

Cinnamaldehyde :

• The use of cinnamon in the diet of chicken at various level will have positive impact on the performance in terms of body weight gain, feed intake, overall performance index, carcass characteristics as well as net profit per birds over control group.

 

 

Antibacterial action

• cinnamon bark essential oil inhibited biofilm formation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium.

Mechanism of action ;

• Through inhibiting the formation of essential bacterial enzymesand/or causing intense damage to the bacterial cell walls.

 

 

Antioxidant activity _ Hepatoprotective activity

• Free‑radical scavenging ability
• Hepatic lipid accumulation.
• Decreases oxidative stress.
• Decreases elevated serum AST and ALT enzymatic activities.
• hepatoprotective action by lowering the malondialdehyde (MDA) level and elevating the activities of the antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT).

 

 

Anti_ inflammatory :
Ethanolic extracts of Cinnamomum have shown anti inflammatory properties by:

• suppression of: nitric oxide synthetase , nitric oxide production ,tumor necrosis factor –alfa ,IL -6 production.
• blocking the activation of NF-KB in different LPS(Lipopolysaccharide stimulated cells).
• inhibition of cox2 enzyme .

 

 

Anticoccidial action: Cinnamaldehyde, Carvacrol, Capsicum resin:

• oregano essential oil exerted an anticoccidial effect against E. tenella.
• (carvacrol, Cinnamaldehyde, and Capsicum oleoresin) were tested for coccidiosis in chickens .
• The data proved that the combination treatments effectively protected against E. tenella infection.
• Moreover, exhibited an increase in
• NK cells, macrophages, CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and their cytokines (IFN-γ and IL-6) and a decrease in TNFSF15 and IL-17F, leading to induction and elevation of host immunity to kill E. tenella in chickens .

 

 

Andrographis paniculata nees:

• Andrographis is most widely used to act as a natural immune-booster as it :
• stimulate antibodies .
• Stimulate nonspecific immune response of the animals.

 

 

Vitamin E-acetate:

• Vitamin E has been shown to be essential for integrity and optimum function of reproductive, muscular, circulatory, nervous and immune systems .
• Vitamin E has been shown to be essential for integrity and optimum function of reproductive, muscular, circulatory, nervous and immune systems .
• It is well established that some functions of vitamin E, however, can be fulfilled in part or entirely by traces of selenium .

 

 

FUNCTIONS OF VITAMIN E:

• Vitamin E as a Biological Antioxidant 2.Membrane Structure and Prostaglandin Synthesis 3.Disease Resistance

1.Vitamin E as a Biological Antioxidant:

• The most important functions is its role as an intercellular and intracellular antioxidant.
• Therefore, antioxidants are very important to immune defense and health of humans and animals.
• Vitamin E is part of the body’s intracellular defense against the adverse effects of reactive oxygen and free radicals that initiate oxidation of unsaturated phospholipids.
• Vitamin E functions as a membrane-bound antioxidant, trapping lipid peroxyl free radicals produced from unsaturated fatty acids under conditions of “oxidative stress.”

Mechanism of action:

• • Vitamin E reacts or functions as a chain-breaking antioxidant thereby neutralizing free radicals and preventing oxidation of lipids within membranes. So, interrupt production of free radicals at the initial stage.

2.Membrane Structure and Prostaglandin Synthesis:

• Alpha-tocopherol may be involved in the formation of structural components of biological membranes, thus exerting a unique influence on architecture of membrane phospholipids .
• It is reported that alpha-tocopherol stimulated the incorporation of 14C from linoleic acid into arachidonic acid in fibroblast phospholipids.
• Also, it was found that alpha-tocopherol exerted a pronounced stimulatory influence on formation of prostaglandin E from arachidonic acid.
• vitamin E supplementation of diets increased intracellular kill of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli by neutrophils.

3.Disease Resistance:

• • vitamin E is an essential nutrient for the normal function of the immune system.
  • vitamin E and selenium play role in protecting leukocytes and macrophages during phagocytosis, the mechanism whereby animals immunologically kill invading bacteria.
  • Both vitamin E and selenium may help these cells survive the toxic products that are produced in order to effectively kill ingested bacteria.
  • Macrophages and neutrophils from vitamin E-deficient animals have decreased phagocytic activity.
  • The protective effects of vitamin E on animal health may be involved with its role in reduction of glucocorticoids, which are known to be immunosuppressive

 

 

Selenium :

• Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element in animal nutrition, and exerts multiple actions related to animal production, fertility and disease prevention.
• Glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) enzyme was the first proven selenoenzyme that can prevent oxidative damage of the cellular membrane.
• Selenium deficiency
  In poultry:
  Exudative diathesis (ED):
  ED occurs as a result of selenium deficiency in chickens, and it primarily affects the capillary walls.
  Clinical signs observed include :
  greenish-blue discoloration of the skin in localized areas of the chick’s body, along with edema and hemorrhages, often resulting in bow-legged posture and pendulous (loosely hanging) crop in the throat latch area.

 

 

Zinc :

• The mineral zinc plays an important role in many substances in the body including enzymes, proteins, and hormones.
• Zinc is also important for immune system function and thyroid function.
•  is involved in the production of numerous hormones (thyroid hormone, insulin, sex hormones, growth hormone, cortisone).
• plays an integral role in DNA synthesis, and therefore cellular reproduction.
• Zinc also plays a major role in brain function, learning and memory, as well as maintaining good eyesight.
• In the skin, zinc plays a role in maintaining healthy skin and is involved in hair growth and regulation.
• It is also vital to normal skeletal development and collagen synthesis.
• Zinc is also one of the more powerful anti-oxidants in the body.