Table 4.
Effects of stevioside supplementation on serum diamine oxidase activity and intestinal morphology of LPS-challenged broilers.
| Treatments 2 | p value | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Items 1 | CON | STE | LPS | LPS + STE | SEM | LPS | STE | Interaction |
| Serum | ||||||||
| DAO (U/L) | 62.34 b | 63.51 b | 80.15 a | 66.96 b | 2.83 | 0.001 | 0.054 | 0.023 |
| Jejunum | ||||||||
| Villus height (μm) | 1118.18 | 1155.08 | 973.94 | 1088.91 | 24.98 | <0.001 | 0.005 | 0.135 |
| Crypt depth (μm) | 135.34 b | 141.44 b | 150.87 a | 142.15 a,b | 2.33 | 0.002 | 0.590 | 0.004 |
| VCR | 8.27 a | 8.18 a | 6.47 b | 7.70 a | 0.23 | <0.001 | 0.019 | 0.007 |
| Ileum | ||||||||
| Villus height (μm) | 778.28 | 798.76 | 622.92 | 712.08 | 20.09 | <0.001 | 0.012 | 0.103 |
| Crypt depth (μm) | 109.36 b | 110.05 b | 136.89 a | 114.42 b | 2.96 | <0.001 | <0.001 | <0.001 |
| VCR | 7.15 a | 7.31 a | 4.59 b | 6.42 a | 0.23 | <0.001 | <0.001 | 0.002 |
1 DAO, diamine oxidase; VCR, villus height-to-crypt depth ratio; 2 CON, non-challenged broilers fed a basal diet; STE, non-challenged broilers fed a basal diet supplemented with 250 mg/kg stevioside; LPS, LPS-challenged broilers fed a basal diet; LPS + STE, LPS-challenged broilers fed a basal diet supplemented with 250 mg/kg stevioside; SEM, standard error of mean; a,b Means (n = 6) with different letters within a row are significantly different (p < 0.05).