Lingonberry Leaves Modify Rumen Protozoa Population, Carbohydrate Digestion, and Morphology of Gastrointestinal Tract in Sheep: A Preliminary Study
Leaves, the main by-product of lingonberry harvesting, can be effectively used as a functional feed additive due to their health-promoting properties. This study evaluated the effects of lingonberry leaf (LL) supplementation on rumen fermentation, protozoal populations, and gastrointestinal morpholo...
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2025-07-01
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| author | Małgorzata P. Majewska Renata Miltko Grzegorz Bełżecki Marcin Barszcz Misza Kinsner Barbara Kowalik |
| author_facet | Małgorzata P. Majewska Renata Miltko Grzegorz Bełżecki Marcin Barszcz Misza Kinsner Barbara Kowalik |
| author_sort | Małgorzata P. Majewska |
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| description | Leaves, the main by-product of lingonberry harvesting, can be effectively used as a functional feed additive due to their health-promoting properties. This study evaluated the effects of lingonberry leaf (LL) supplementation on rumen fermentation, protozoal populations, and gastrointestinal morphology in sheep. Eight one-year-old Polish Mountain Sheep ewes (mean body weight: 33 kg) were allocated to a control (basal diet; forage-to-concentrate ratio 60:40) or an experimental group (basal diet + 9.30 g/kg DM dried LLs) in a completely randomised design (n = 4 per group) over 34 days. Both diets were formulated to be isoenergetic and isonitrogenous. LL additive significantly reduced <i>Isotrichidae</i> protozoal counts (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and ruminal pectinolytic activity (<i>p</i> = 0.043), without altering short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) or methane concentrations (<i>p</i> > 0.1). Histological analyses showed increased ruminal papilla width and surface area (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and decreased duodenal villus height and muscular layer thickness (<i>p</i> < 0.01). Inflammatory lesions (reddish foci) were identified in the liver in both groups. These findings demonstrate that LL supplementation affected specific protozoal population, fibrolytic activity, and gastrointestinal morphology. Further study on a larger number of animals is recommended to validate the effects and assess the safety and efficacy of LLs as a dietary additive in ruminant nutrition. |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
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| series | Molecules |
| spelling | doaj-art-77d3f7327ee94410a2f1f6ea64a1c1b72025-08-20T04:00:53ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492025-07-013015316110.3390/molecules30153161Lingonberry Leaves Modify Rumen Protozoa Population, Carbohydrate Digestion, and Morphology of Gastrointestinal Tract in Sheep: A Preliminary StudyMałgorzata P. Majewska0Renata Miltko1Grzegorz Bełżecki2Marcin Barszcz3Misza Kinsner4Barbara Kowalik5Department of Animal Nutrition, The Kielanowski Institute of Animal Physiology and Nutrition, Polish Academy of Sciences, Instytucka 3, 05-110 Jabłonna, PolandDepartment of Animal Nutrition, The Kielanowski Institute of Animal Physiology and Nutrition, Polish Academy of Sciences, Instytucka 3, 05-110 Jabłonna, PolandDepartment of Animal Nutrition, The Kielanowski Institute of Animal Physiology and Nutrition, Polish Academy of Sciences, Instytucka 3, 05-110 Jabłonna, PolandDepartment of Animal Nutrition, The Kielanowski Institute of Animal Physiology and Nutrition, Polish Academy of Sciences, Instytucka 3, 05-110 Jabłonna, PolandDepartment of Animal Nutrition, The Kielanowski Institute of Animal Physiology and Nutrition, Polish Academy of Sciences, Instytucka 3, 05-110 Jabłonna, PolandDepartment of Animal Nutrition, The Kielanowski Institute of Animal Physiology and Nutrition, Polish Academy of Sciences, Instytucka 3, 05-110 Jabłonna, PolandLeaves, the main by-product of lingonberry harvesting, can be effectively used as a functional feed additive due to their health-promoting properties. This study evaluated the effects of lingonberry leaf (LL) supplementation on rumen fermentation, protozoal populations, and gastrointestinal morphology in sheep. Eight one-year-old Polish Mountain Sheep ewes (mean body weight: 33 kg) were allocated to a control (basal diet; forage-to-concentrate ratio 60:40) or an experimental group (basal diet + 9.30 g/kg DM dried LLs) in a completely randomised design (n = 4 per group) over 34 days. Both diets were formulated to be isoenergetic and isonitrogenous. LL additive significantly reduced <i>Isotrichidae</i> protozoal counts (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and ruminal pectinolytic activity (<i>p</i> = 0.043), without altering short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) or methane concentrations (<i>p</i> > 0.1). Histological analyses showed increased ruminal papilla width and surface area (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and decreased duodenal villus height and muscular layer thickness (<i>p</i> < 0.01). Inflammatory lesions (reddish foci) were identified in the liver in both groups. These findings demonstrate that LL supplementation affected specific protozoal population, fibrolytic activity, and gastrointestinal morphology. Further study on a larger number of animals is recommended to validate the effects and assess the safety and efficacy of LLs as a dietary additive in ruminant nutrition.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/15/3161condensed tanninsprotozoapolysaccharidasesshort-chain fatty acidshistologysheep |
| spellingShingle | Małgorzata P. Majewska Renata Miltko Grzegorz Bełżecki Marcin Barszcz Misza Kinsner Barbara Kowalik Lingonberry Leaves Modify Rumen Protozoa Population, Carbohydrate Digestion, and Morphology of Gastrointestinal Tract in Sheep: A Preliminary Study Molecules condensed tannins protozoa polysaccharidases short-chain fatty acids histology sheep |
| title | Lingonberry Leaves Modify Rumen Protozoa Population, Carbohydrate Digestion, and Morphology of Gastrointestinal Tract in Sheep: A Preliminary Study |
| title_full | Lingonberry Leaves Modify Rumen Protozoa Population, Carbohydrate Digestion, and Morphology of Gastrointestinal Tract in Sheep: A Preliminary Study |
| title_fullStr | Lingonberry Leaves Modify Rumen Protozoa Population, Carbohydrate Digestion, and Morphology of Gastrointestinal Tract in Sheep: A Preliminary Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Lingonberry Leaves Modify Rumen Protozoa Population, Carbohydrate Digestion, and Morphology of Gastrointestinal Tract in Sheep: A Preliminary Study |
| title_short | Lingonberry Leaves Modify Rumen Protozoa Population, Carbohydrate Digestion, and Morphology of Gastrointestinal Tract in Sheep: A Preliminary Study |
| title_sort | lingonberry leaves modify rumen protozoa population carbohydrate digestion and morphology of gastrointestinal tract in sheep a preliminary study |
| topic | condensed tannins protozoa polysaccharidases short-chain fatty acids histology sheep |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/15/3161 |
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