No abstract

Genetically modified animals are a widely used tool in biomedical research, since it allows modeling diseases, studying their pathological conditions and identifying and validating new drugs. One of the most common diseases studied in recent years is metabolic disorders resulting from abnormalities in enzyme systems involved in the intermediary metabolism of living organisms with a heavy impact on society. To understand the physiological mechanisms underlying these disorders, animal models, currently the transgenic type, have been employed. It is important to emphasize that there are various metabolic disorders that are not only congenital but can be acquired or a coexistence of both types. The aim of this chapter, therefore, is to describe the most commonly used rodent models focusing mainly on global emerging pathologies, obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation with a Bifidobacterium animalis, Agave fructans, and symbiotic of both encapsulated on growth performance, feed efficiency, blood parameters, and immune status in broiler chickens, compared to antibiotic growth promoters and without additives. MethodsA comparative experimental study was carried out with 135 male Ross 308 broiler chickens.Each trial was divided into 5 equal groups. Control group (CON) received a standard diet without growth promoter; GPA: a standard diet with colistin sulfate and zinc bacitracin (0.25 g/kg of feed); PRE: a standard diet with 1% Agave fructans; PRO: a standard diet with Bifidobacterium animalis (11.14±0.70 log CFU/g); SYM: a standard diet with B. animalis and Agave fructans. ResultsA significanttive decrease in food consumption was found for the GPA, PRE, and SYM, compared to the CON group. The results show a better feed conversion index in PRE and GPA with respect to the CON group with the highest conversion index. Interestingly, the weight of the gastrointestinal tract shows a statistically significant difference between GPA and PRE groups. Moreover, the length of the gastrointestinal tract of the GPA group was less than the PRE group. In the total leukocyte count, there was a statistically significant