Ruminal fermentation, microbial population and lipid metabolism in gastrointestinal nematode-infected lambs fed a diet supplemented with herbal mixtures

PLoS One. 2020 Apr 16;15(4):e0231516. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0231516. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of medicinal herbal mixtures rich in phenolic, flavonoid and alkaloid compounds on ruminal fermentation and microbial populations, and fatty acid (FA) concentrations and lipid oxidation in tissues of lambs infected with the gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) parasite (Haemonchus contortus). Parallel in vitro and in vivo studies were performed using two different herbal mixtures (Mix1 and Mix2). The in vitro study was conducted in a 2 (infection status; non-infected versus infected) × 3 (diets; control, Mix1 and Mix2) factorial design. In the in vivo study, 24 lambs were equally divided into four treatments: non-infected lambs fed a control diet, infected lambs fed the control diet, infected lambs fed a diet with Mix1 and infected lambs fed a diet with Mix2. Herbal mixtures (100 g dry matter (DM)/d) were added to the basal diets of meadow hay (ad libitum) and a commercial concentrate (500 g DM/d). The experimental period lasted for 70 days. Ruminal fermentation characteristics and methane production were not affected by infection in vivo or in vitro. Both herbal mixture supplementation increased total volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations (P < 0.01) and DM digestibility (P < 0.01) in vitro. Archaea population was slightly diminished by both herbal mixtures (P < 0.05), but they did not lower methane production in vitro or in vivo (P > 0.05). Infection of H. contortus or herbal mixtures modulated FA proportion mainly in the liver, especially the long chain FA proportion. Concentrations of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in serum were significantly higher after 70 days post-infection in the infected lambs. Herbal Mix1 supplementation reduced TBARS concentrations in meat after seven days of storage. In conclusion, supplementing of herbal mixtures to the diets of GIN parasite infected lambs did not affect the basic ruminal fermentation parameters. Herbal mixtures may improve few FA proportions mainly in liver as well as decrease lipid oxidation in meat.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Diet / veterinary
  • Dietary Supplements*
  • Fatty Acids / metabolism
  • Female
  • Fermentation / drug effects*
  • Gastrointestinal Microbiome / drug effects*
  • Haemonchiasis / metabolism
  • Haemonchiasis / veterinary*
  • Haemonchus*
  • Lipid Metabolism / drug effects*
  • Plants, Medicinal / metabolism*
  • Rumen / metabolism*
  • Rumen / microbiology
  • Rumen / parasitology
  • Sheep / metabolism
  • Sheep / microbiology
  • Sheep / parasitology
  • Sheep Diseases / metabolism
  • Sheep Diseases / parasitology*

Substances

  • Fatty Acids

Grants and funding

This study was supported by funds from the Slovak Research and Development Agency (APVV 18-0131, APVV 17-0297) and by the framework of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Poland, programme "Regional Initiative Excellence" in years 2019-2022, Project No. 005/RID/2018/19. PSz is a PhD scholarship holder of the grant 2016/23/B/NZ9/03427 funded by National Science Center, Poland. LS has been awarded a full master degree by Ignacy Lukasiewicz scholarship from the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA). AC acknowledges the SAIA, n.o. (Slovak Academy Information Agency) for Academy Mobility Scholarship.