Histological Changes of Small Intestinal Mucosa of Cocks Due to Sunflower Meal Single Feeding

Problem statement: This study was conducted to evaluate histological changes of small intestine of adult cocks due to sunflower meal single diet. Approach: Twenty adult cocks were randomly allocated into two equal groups (experimental and control); control group fed with basal diet, while Sunflower meal supplemented to basal diet of experimental group gradually with the ratio of 30, 45, 60, 75 and 90 during a week and 100% during the next week. At the end of the period all animals sacrificed and 6-μm transverse sections from the middle parts of duodenum, jejunum and ileum prepared and stained with HandE and PAS. Villus length, villus width, crypt depth, villus length/crypt depth ratio and goblet cell number per unit area were measured. Chemical composition of sunflower meal and basal diet determined and metabolizable energy of sunflower meal and basal diets measured. Data analyzed by student's t test. Results: Crude fiber and crude protein of sunflower meal were 81% and 44% higher than basal diet respectively, while both AME and TME were about 40% lower in sunflower meal compared to basal diet. No difference observed between AME and AMEn or TME and TMEn in both diets. In duodenum of birds in experimental group, a significant decrease in villus length and villus length/crypt depth ratio and a significant increase in number of goblet cells observed while in jejunum there was only a significant increase in goblet cell number. In ileum of these birds number of goblet cells increased while villus length, villus width and villus length/crypt depth ratio decreased significantly compared to control group. Conclusion: Single feeding with sunflower meal can adversely affect morphological parameters of small intestinal mucosa of cocks especially in ileum, which may be due to its low energy and/or high fiber content.