The Influence of Propolis on Liver Pathology in Broilers
Abstract
One of the major problems in intensive
fattening of chickens is liver damage1. Recent studies have shown that the addition of
propolis into the broiler diet protected liver tissue against the adverse
effects of various hepatotoxic factors1,2. The
aim of this study was to investigate the influence of dietary supplementation
of propolis on liver pathology in broilers. This experimental study was
conducted on 120 Ross 308 broilers of equally distributed sex, which were
randomly divided into three groups: control group (C) and two experimental
groups of chickens (P1 and P2). Throughout the whole study (for 42 days) the
control group of broilers was fed feed mixture while feed mixture that was fed
to the experimental groups of broilers contained propolis in amount of 0,5 g/kg
(P1 group) and 1,0 g/kg of feed mixture (P2 group). The study showed that the
clusters of lymphocytes in the hepatocytes, the vacuolar degeneration, necrosis
of the liver parenchyma, the bile ductule hyperplasia, and the various forms of
pathological changes in the liver veins were more frequent in liver tissue
samples of the control group compared to liver tissue samples of the
experimental groups (p<0.001). The study further showed that the various
forms of pathological changes in the liver arteries and steatosis of the liver
parenchyma were more frequent in liver tissue samples of the control group
compared to liver tissue samples of the experimental groups (p=0.023 and
p=0.003, respectively). The supplementation with propolis has a strong protective
effect on liver pathology in broilers.
Keywords
References
- 1. Klaric I, Pavic M, Miskulin I, Blazicevic V, Dumic A, Miskulin M (2018) Influence of dietary supplementation of propolis and bee pollen on liver pathology in broiler chickens. Animals 8: 54.
- 2. Bhadauria M, Nirala SK (2009) Reversal of acetaminophen induced subchronic hepatorenal injury by propolis extract in rats. Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology 27: 17-25.