Antioxidant effects of marjoram (Origanum majorana l.) and its improvement of the intestinal mucosa morphology in pulmonary hypertensive chickens

Abstract

Background Marjoram as an herbal plant has different medicinal effects. In this study, the effects of dietary marjoram extract on the enzymatic oxidant (lipid peroxidation)/antioxidant status (enzyme activity and gene expression), growth performance, intestinal mucosa morphology (duodenum), and pulmonary hypertensive response were evaluated in cold-induced pulmonary hypertensive chickens. Results Chicks were reared for 35 days and treated with 0.05% vitamin C (positive control) and 0 (control), 0.1, or 0.2% marjoram extracts. Pulmonary hypertension syndrome was induced using cold stress in all groups. RV: TV ratio was lower in all treatments of chickens than in the control (p < 0.05). Weight gain of chickens in all treatments was increased in days 22–35 compared to control (p < 0.05) while the feed conversion ratio was only decreased in the chickens fed marjoram 0.2%. Lipid peroxidation was decreased in all groups while the activity of catalase (CAT) was increased in the marjoram 0.2% group compared to the control (p < 0.05). In the lung, superoxide dismutase (SOD), CAT, and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) transcripts were decreased in the marjoram 0.2% group compared to the control (p < 0.05). In the right ventricle of the heart, SOD and CAT transcripts were increased in the marjoram 0.2% group compared to other groups of chickens whereas GPX transcript was decreased (p < 0.05). The duodenal villus length and surface area in the chickens fed vitamin C, and villus lamina propria thickness in the chickens fed vitamin C and marjoram were higher than control (p < 0.05). Conclusion The dietary supplementation of marjoram could modulate pulmonary hypertensive response in broilers and ameliorate intestinal secretion through its antioxidant effects.