A fluorescence-based demonstration of intestinal villi and epithelial cell in chickens fed dietary silicic acid powder including bamboo vinegar compound liquid

This study investigates the combined effect of silicic acid and bamboo vinegar compound liquid (SPV) on the growth and intestinal histological alterations in poultry. Forty-eight 7-day-old male Sanuki Cochin chickens were fed a commercial mash diet supplemented with SPV at 0, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3% level ad libitum for 112 days. Body weight gain tended to improve with increased concentrations of dietary SPV, although these results were not statistically significant (P<0.1). Tissue observation by light microscopy revealed that the jejunal villus height (P<0.01) and duodenal and jejunal villus area (P<0.05) increased in the 0.2 and 0.3% SPV groups, respectively, compared with the control. Cell mitosis within the duodenum and jejunum also increased in the 0.2 and 0.3% SPV groups. Scanning electron microscopy revealed a prominent increase in the number of protuberant cells on the villus apical surface of the duodenum and jejunum for the 0.2 and 0.3% SPV groups compared with the control. Poultry in the 0.3% SPV group had the highest body weight gain and hypertrophied histological alterations of intestinal villi. Fluorescent microscopic images of cell mitosis and protuberant cells in the duodenal crypt clearly confirmed positive reactions for the activator protein 2α (AP-2α) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), compared with the control. The present results indicate that dietary SPV stimulates adsorption by the epithelial cells, which activate cell proliferation and self-renewal and regulate the expression of cell cycle regulators AP-2α and PCNA, resulting in higher body weight gain. Thus, we can conclude that a concentration of 0.3% dietary SPV is ideal for promoting growth in poultry.