Dietary supplementation of enzymatically treated Artemisia annua could alleviate the intestinal inflammatory response...

The study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of enzymatically treated Artemisia annua (EA) on the intestinal inflammatory response of heat-stressed broilers. A total of 144 male Arbor Acres broilers aged 21 days were randomly divided into 3 groups with 6 replicates per group and 8 broilers in each replicate. The 3 treatment groups were as follows: the control group, in which broiler chickens were raised at 22 ± 1°C and fed basal diets, the heat stress (HS) and HS-EA groups, in which broiler chickens were raised at 34 ± 1°C for 8h (0900-1700h) and 22 ± 1°C for 16h, and fed basal diets supplemented with 0 or 1g/kg EA, respectively. From 22 to 41 days, the heat treatment lasted for 20 consecutive days. Compared with the control group, HS increased the activity of plasma diamine oxidase (P < 0.05) and the concentration of intestinal interleukin-1β, and up-regulated (P < 0.05) the mRNA expression of intestinal interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, interferon-γ, toll-like receptor 4 and heat shock protein 70, down-regulated (P < 0.05) jejunal zonula occludens-1 and ileal occluding mRNA abundances and intestinal interleukin-10 at both protein and transcriptional levels. However, EA treatment significantly decreased (P < 0.05) plasma diamine oxidase activity, the mRNA expression of heat shock protein 70, toll-like receptor 4, interleukin-6, interleukin-1β and interferon-γ in intestine of heat-stressed broilers, whereas upregulated (P < 0.05) the mRNA expression of ileal occluding, jejunal zonula occludens-1 and occluding. In addition, both protein and transcriptional levels of interleukin-10 in jejunum and ileum were increased (P < 0.05) by EA treatment in the HS group. In conclusion, dietary EA supplementation could alleviate the intestinal inflammatory response, and improve the intestinal barrier function in broilers during the heat stress period.