Search

In this perspective analysis, we strive to answer the following question: how can we advance integrative biology research in the 21st century with lessons from animal science? At the University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Animal Science, we share here our three lessons learned in the two decades from 2002 to 2022 that we believe could inform integrative biology, systems science, and animal science scholarship in other countries and geographies. Cultivating multiomics knowledge through a conceptual lens of integrative biology is crucial for life sciences research that can stand the test of diverse biological, clinical, and ecological contexts. Moreover, in an era of the current COVID-19 pandemic, animal nutrition and animal science, and the study of their interactions with human health (and vice versa) through integrative biology approaches hold enormous prospects and significance for systems medicine and ecosystem health.

The objective of this study was to establish the effects of chestnut tannin extract or vitamin E added to linseed oil-enriched diets on growth performance, meat quality, and intestinal morphology of broiler chickens. A total of 240 day-old Ross 308 male broiler chicks were included in trial. 5% of cold-pressed linseed oil was included in finisher diets (21–40 days), and three feeding treatments with four replicates were formed: finisher without additives finisher + 200 IU vitamin E/kg finisher + 500 mg/kg of chestnut wood tannin extract. No significant influence of treatments was established on body weight or feed conversion ratio. A negative effect on feed intake (p < 0.05) was found in the vitamin E group. The addition of vitamin E increased the dressing percentage (p < 0.05) and increased the breast meat yield (p < 0.01) compared to the control group. No significant effects were found on the water holding capacity or pH of breast meat. The highest level of AST (p < 0.01) and ALT (p < 0.05) was recorded in vitamin E group. The addition of chestnut tannin extract in feed increased villus height, villus height: crypt depth ratio, and villus area compared to the other two groups (p < 0.05). It can be concluded that vitamin E supplementation improves carcass percentage and breast meat yield, while chestnut tannins improve the intestinal morphology of broiler chickens when added to oil-enriched diets.The objective of this study was to establish the effects of chestnut tannin extract or vitamin E added to linseed oil-enriched diets on growth performance, meat quality, and intestinal morphology of broiler chickens. A total of 240 day-old Ross 308 male broiler chicks were included in trial. 5% of cold-pressed linseed oil was included in finisher diets (21–40 days), and three feeding treatments with four replicates were formed: finisher without additives finisher + 200 IU vitamin E/kg finisher + 500 mg/kg of chestnut wood tannin extract. No significant influence of treatments was established on body weight or feed conversion ratio. A negative effect on feed intake (p < 0.05) was found in the vitamin E group. The addition of vitamin E increased the dressing percentage (p < 0.05) and increased the breast meat yield (p < 0.01) compared to the control group. No significant effects were found on the water holding capacity or pH of breast meat. The highest level of AST (p < 0.01) and ALT (p < 0.05) was recorded in vitamin E group. The addition of chestnut tannin extract in feed increased villus height, villus height: crypt depth ratio, and villus area compared to the other two groups (p < 0.05). It can be concluded that vitamin E supplementation improves carcass percentage and breast meat yield, while chestnut tannins improve the intestinal morphology of broiler chickens when added to oil-enriched diets.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a well-known synthetic compound that belongs to the group of endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Although bone tissue is a target for these compounds, studies on BPA-related effects on bone morphology in farm animals are limited. In this preliminary study, we investigated the effects of short-term dietary BPA exposure on femoral morphology, metabolism, mineral content, and biomechanical behavior in rams aged 9–12 months. Fourteen rams of the Istrian Pramenka breed were randomly divided into a BPA group and a control group (seven rams/group) and exposed to 25 µg BPA/kg bw for 64 days in feed. Blood was collected for determination of bone turnover markers (procollagen N-terminal propeptide, C-terminal telopeptide), and femurs were assessed via computed tomography, histomorphometry, three-point bending test, and mineral analysis. BPA had no significant effects on most of the parameters studied. Only mineral analysis showed decreased manganese (50%; p ≤ 0.05) and increased copper content (25%; p ≤ 0.05) in the femurs of BPA-exposed rams. These results suggest that a 2-month, low-dose exposure to BPA in growing rams did not affect the histomorphology, metabolism, and biomechanical behavior of femurs; however, it affected the composition of microelements, which could affect the histometric and biophysical properties of bone in the long term. Nasl. iz nasl. zaslona. Opis vira z dne 25. 8. 2022. Article no.: 2171. Bibliografija: str. 13-15. Abstract. ARRS ARRS ARRS

Various floor systems are used in cattle housing with different characteristics in terms of roughness, abrasion, wetness, bedding material, ease of cleaning, etc. Thus, the activity and welfare of the animals are greatly influenced by the type of floor. The floor of the barn can influence the development of health diseases, technopathies and the production and quality of animal products. Therefore, in the present case study, we studied the effects of two different flooring systems on the performance and on some behavioral and cleanliness parameters in heifers. Two floor systems (concrete slatted flooring (CSF) and high welfare flooring (HWF)) and two breeds (Charolais and Limousin) were used in the experiment. Heifers on HWF tended to show a higher frequency of grooming, rubbing and aggression than those on CSF, but not of standing, lying, eating, drinking, rumination, resting, stereotypies and covering of the animals. In addition, animals housed on HWF also appeared to show higher cleanliness than those housed on CSF. Results indicated that animals housed on HWF exhibited more social and self-care behaviors, suggesting that animals housed on such floors show more species-specific behaviors and have higher welfare.

V delu smo preučevali vpliv vitamina E in s polifenoli bogatih ekstraktov oljk in ognjiča v prehrani pitovnih piščancev ter rastočih prašičev na oksidativni stres, povzročen z visokim vnosom n-3 VNMK. Nalogo smo razdelili na tri sklope ter preučevali: sinergistično delovanje vitamina E z vitaminom C ter selenom pri pitovnih piščancih, učinek ekstrakta oljčnih listov, bogatega s polifenoli oljk, v primerjavi z vitaminom E pri rastočih prašičih, ter vpliv dodatkov ekstrakta oljčnih listov in ognjiča na navidezno prebavljivost hranil in mineralizacijo kosti pri pitovnih piščancih. V omenjenih raziskavah smo ugotovili, da je vitamin E najučinkovitejši antioksidant za preprečevanje oksidativnega stresa, povzročenega s prehranskim vnosom n-3 VNMK, in da vitamin C in selen nimata sinergističnega delovanja z vitaminom E. Enako smo pokazali pri rastočih prašičih, kjer je vitamin E izkazal učinkovitejšo obrambo v primerjavi z ekstraktom oljčnih listov, učinek dodatka ekstrakta pa ni bil koncentracijsko odvisen. V tretjem delu naloge smo ugotovili, da ekstrakt oljčnih listov in ognjiča ne vpliva na izkoriščanje hranil pri pitovnih piščancih, prav tako pa ni imel vpliva na mineralizacijo kosti. Iz izsledkov opravljenih raziskav lahko zaključimo, da je najučinkovitejši antioksidant za zaščito proučevanih živali pred oksidativnim stresom vitamin E ter da njegova zamenjava npr. z ekstraktom oljčnih listov ni mogoča, čeprav na živali nima neugodnih učinkov. The objective of the study was to evaluate the influence of dietary vitamin E and olive polyphenols on the oxidative stress caused by a high intake of n-3 PUFA in broiler chickens and growing pigs. Research was divided into three sections: the synergistic effect of vitamin E with vitamin C and Se on broilers, the effect of olive leaf extract rich in olive polyphenols versus vitamin E in growing pigs, and the influence of olive leaf and marigold extract on the apparent digestibility of nutrients in broilers. In these studies, vitamin E was the most effective antioxidant for the prevention of oxidative stress caused by the dietary intake of n-3 PUFA, and vitamin C and Se did not have a synergistic effect with vitamin E in chickens. Similar results were obtained in growing pigs, in which vitamin E was a more effective defence than the olive leaf extract, and the effect of the extract was not concentration-dependent. In the third part of the thesis, we observed that the olive leaf extract did not affect the utilization of nutrients in broiler chickens, nor did it affect the mineralization of bones. From the results of the research we concluded that the most effective antioxidant to protect animals against oxidative stress is vitamin E, and that it is still premature to replace it with the olive leaf extract, although extract does not negatively affect the animals.