• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.3_spc
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• pp.345-353
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• 2021

Phytobiotics, also known as phytochemicals or phytogenics, have a wide variety of biological activities and have recently emerged as alternatives to synthetic antibiotic growth promoters. Numerous studies have reported the growth-promoting effects of phytobiotics in chickens, but their precise mechanism of action is yet to be elucidated. Phytobiotics are traditionally known for their antioxidant activity. However, extensive investigations have shown that these compounds also have anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and transcription-modulating effects. Phytobiotics are non-nutritive constituents, and their bioavailability is low. Nonetheless, their beneficial effects have been observed in several tissues or organs. The health benefits of the ingestion of phytobiotics are attributed to their antioxidant activity. However, several studies have revealed that not all these benefits could be explained by the antioxidant effects alone. In this review, I focused on the bioavailability of phytobiotics and the possible mechanisms underlying their overall effects on intestinal barrier functions, inflammatory status, gut microbiota, systemic inflammation, and metabolism, rather than the specific effects of each compound. I also discuss the possible mechanisms by which phytobiotics contribute to growth promotion in chickens.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.19 no.12
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• pp.1784-1789
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• 2006

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effect of phytobiotics and organic acids on growth performance of nursery pigs as an alternative to antibiotics. Phytobiotics refer bioactive compounds from plant materials including essential oils and herbal extracts. In Exp. 1,144 pigs, weaned at 23.4${\pm}$0.3 d age, were allotted to three dietary treatments. Treatment diets were: 1) NC (no antibiotics and no phytobiotics); 2) PC (NC+carbadox, 50 mg/kg); and 3) PB (NC+phytobiotics; 0.1% PEP1000-$1^{(R)}$. Each treatment had six replicates with eight pigs per pen. Pigs were fed the experimental diets for 5 wks in 3 phases (phase 1 for 2 wk; phase 2 for 2 wk; phase 3 for 1 wk). In Exp. 2, 192 pigs, weaned at 19.2${\pm}$0.3 d age, were allotted to three dietary treatments: 1) NC; 2) PC; and 3) PBO (NC+phytobiotics; 0.2% or 0.1% PEP1000-$1^{(R)}$ and organic acids; 0.4% or 0.2% $Biotronic^{(R)}$for the phase 1 and 2, respectively) with eight replicates per treatment and eight pigs per pen. Pigs were fed the assigned diets for 5 wks in 2 phases (phase 1 for 2 wk; phase 2 for 3 wk). Body weights were measured at the beginning of the experiment and at the end of each week in both Exp. 1 and 2. Feed intake was measured at the end of each week in both Exp. 1 and 2. Diarrhea score was measured daily during the entire period for Exp. 1 and during the phase 1 for Exp. 2. In Exp. 1, the PC had a higher (p<0.05) overall ADG than the NC, but the overall ADG of the PB did not differ (p>0.05) from the NC or the PC. In Exp. 2, the overall ADG did not differ (p>0.05) among all the treatments during the entire experimental period. The overall ADFI and the overall gain:feed ratio did not differ (p>0.05) among all the treatments during the entire experimental period in both Exp. 1 and 2. The PC had a higher (p<0.05) overall diarrhea score (harder stools) than the NC and the PB in Exp. 1, and a higher (p<0.05) overall diarrhea score than the NC in Exp. 2. The overall diarrhea score of the PB and the PBO did not differ (p>0.05) from the NC or the PC in Exp. 1 and 2. Results from this study show that the growth of pigs fed the diets with phytobiotics or the combination of phytobiotics and organic acids did not differ from those both with antibiotics and without antibiotics when tested in an environmentally controlled research facility. Further experiments are required to study the growth performance in disease challenged conditions.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.303-313
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• 2019

Twenty crossbred (Yorkshire ${\times}$ Landrace) gestating sows were used to determine the effects of Moringa Oleifera leaf (MOL) supplementation in lactating sow diets with or without banana peel powder (BPP) on reproductive performance, fecal moisture content, rectal temperature and hormone profile. The treatments were as follows: 1) CON (control diet), 2) M1 (control diet + 0.5% MOL), 3) M2 (control diet + 1.0% MOL), 4) M3 (control diet + 0.75% MOL and 0.75% BPP), and 5) M4 (control diet + 1.5% MOL and 1.5% BPP). The diets was fed from da 107 of gestation to weaning. MOL and BPP supplementation decreased (p < 0.05) the fecal moisture content compared with that of the CON at day 0 and 7 after farrowing, and 1.0% supplementation of MOL also decreased (p < 0.05) the fecal moisture content at day 14 after farrowing. On farrowing day, MOL supplementation decreased (p < 0.05) the blood cortisol and norepinephrine concentrations compared with the CON. In conclusion, the results of this study show that MOL supplementation decreased the fecal moisture content and plasma concentrations of cortisol and norepinephrine, and MOL and BPP supplementation also decreased the fecal moisture content in lactating sows.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.185-193
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• 2009

In the present study, ten herbal extracts, Citrus unshiu Markovich, root and stem of Berberis koreana, Morus alba, Dendrobium moniliforme, Aster gramineus, A. scabar, Alisma canaliculatum, Fallopia japonica and Origanum (O.) vulgare were determined to examine anti-mycoplasmal activity. Among them, O. vulgare extract (OVE) showed strong anti-mycoplasmal activity and was analyzed by gaschromatography/ mass spectrometry (GC/MS). As the results, OVE was consisted of carvacrol (68.78%), o-cymene (9.80%), terpinene (7.61%) and thymol (4.03%) as main ingredients. To investigate inflammatory activity by intact pathogenic Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. hyo) at 30 $\mu$g/ml, we examined induced transcription of proinflammatory cytokines such as cyclooxygenase-2, tumor necrosis factor-a, interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6 and inducible nitric oxide synthase in RAW 264.7 cells. With the above results, we further investigated whether OVE could reduce inflammation induced by M. hyo at minimal inhibitory concentration. The result showed that 32 $\mu$g/ml of OVE inhibited nitric oxide production by 60%. This study also evaluated the combination of OVE with antibacterials against M. hyo for application. Based on these results, it could be concluded that M. hyo induces inflammation in RAW 264.7 cells and OVE protects this inflammation, indicating that OVE may be useful for industrial animals.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.36 no.10
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• pp.1235-1240
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• 2007

For this study, plant material for development of phytobiotics (feed additives made with plant extract) was screened. Among hot-water extracts of 9 medicinal plants, Fallopia japonin showed the highest antioxidative activity; the electron donating ability (EDA) and nitrite scavenging ability were 86.9% and 92.7%, respectively. Also, F. japonica had the antimicrobial activity for Pseudomonas aeruginora, Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Salmonella Typhimurium, Listeria monocytogenes, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphyzococcus aureus. Specially, antimicrobial activity of F. japonica against K. pneumoniae, and S. aureus was vet strong. $IC_{50}$ of F. japonica against K. pneumoniae, and S. aureus was 6.24 mg/mL and 1.8 mg/mL respectively. These results suggested that F. japonica was a candidate for a phytobiotic material.