Effects of Carvacrol on Intestinal Morphology, Gastrointestinal pH, Cecal Fermentation and Microflora of Meat Rabbits

LIU Fuxin; LAI Ningjie; YU Zhikai; CAI Yuheng; SUN Lei; LIU Yajuan; CHEN Saijuan; CHEN Baojiang

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1006-267x.2022.06.050

Chinese Journal of Animal Nutrition >

2022 , Vol. 34 >Issue 6: 3906 - 3917

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1006-267x.2022.06.050

RESEARCHPAPER

Effects of Carvacrol on Intestinal Morphology, Gastrointestinal pH, Cecal Fermentation and Microflora of Meat Rabbits

LIU Fuxin ,
LAI Ningjie ,
YU Zhikai ,
CAI Yuheng ,
SUN Lei ,
LIU Yajuan ,
CHEN Saijuan ,
CHEN Baojiang

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1. College of Animal Science and Technology, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, China;
2. Mountainous Area Research Institute of Hebei Province, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, China;
3. Agricultural Technology Innovation Centre in Mountainous Areas of Hebei Province, Baoding 071001, China

Received date: 2021-11-22

Online published: 2022-06-14

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the levels of dietary carvacrol on intestinal morphology, gastrointestinal pH, cecal fermentation and microflora of meat rabbits. One hundred and twenty healthy New Zealand rabbits were selected, randomly divided into four groups with 30 replicates per group and 1 meat rabbit per replicate. The rabbits in control group (CON group) were fed a basal diet, while the rabbits in test groups (T1, T2 and T3 groups) were fed the basal diet supplemented with 150, 300 and 450 g/t carvacrol, respectively. The pre-feeding period lasted for 7 d followed by an experimental period of 28 d. The results showed as follows:1) the height of jejunal villus in the T1 group was significantly lower than that in the CON, T2 and T3 groups (P<0.05). Compared with the CON group, the jejunal villus in the T1, T2 and T3 groups were all increased, but the difference was not significant (P>0.05). The addition of carvacrol to the diet had no significant effect on the intestinal morphology of the ileum (P>0.05). 2) Compared with the CON group, the pH of the stomach and intestines of the meat rabbits in all test groups were decreased (P>0.05). 3) Compared with the CON group, the addition of carvacrol to the diet had a tendency to increase the content of pentanoate in the cecum (0.05 ≤ P<0.10), and the contents of propionate, butyrate and isovalerate in the cecum of meat rabbits all slightly increased (P>0.05), and the contents of butyrate and total volatile fatty acids in the T2 group were higher than those in the CON, T1 and T2 groups (P>0.05). 4) The addition of carvacrol to the diet significantly reduced species richness in the T3 group (P<0.05) and the T2 group had the highest species richness (P>0.05). 5) When carvacrol was added to the diet of meat rabbits, the main dominant bacteria in the cecum of meat rabbits were Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Verrucomicrobia and Actinobacteria. The relative abundance of the Clostridium in the CON and T3 groups was significantly lower than that in the T1 and T2 groups (P<0.05); the addition of carvacrol showed a tendency to reduce the relative abundance of Ruminococcaceae_UCG-014 in the cecum of meat rabbits (0.05 ≤ P<0.10). In summary, the addition of carvacrol in the meat rabbit diet affects the development of the jejunum intestine, increases the contents of some volatile fatty acids, improves the cecal microflora, increases the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria, and enhances gut health of meat rabbits.

Key words： carvacrol; meat rabbit; intestinal morphology; gastrointestinal pH; volatile fatty acids; microbial diversity

Cite this article

LIU Fuxin , LAI Ningjie , YU Zhikai , CAI Yuheng , SUN Lei , LIU Yajuan , CHEN Saijuan , CHEN Baojiang . Effects of Carvacrol on Intestinal Morphology, Gastrointestinal pH, Cecal Fermentation and Microflora of Meat Rabbits[J]. Chinese Journal of Animal Nutrition, 2022 , 34(6) : 3906 -3917 . DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1006-267x.2022.06.050

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