Is Echinacea Good for Animal Feeding？

In recent years, as the scale of poultry farming in China has expanded, there have been increasingly high demands for feeding management and epidemic prevention measures. Veterinary Western medicine is widely used in the prevention and control of poultry diseases and has played a huge role, but there are also risks such as drug resistance and drug residues, which not only affect the quality of poultry products, but also seriously threaten human health. At the same time, people have paid attention to the prevention and control of poultry diseases by Chinese herbal medicine and its impact on production performance [1]. Modern pharmacological studies have shown that Echinacea has a variety of biological activities, including immunomodulation, anti-inflammation, antibacterial and antiviral, anti-oxidation and free radical scavenging [2- 3]. Currently, Echinacea is among the top-selling medicinal plants in Europe and the United States, and it has become a medicinal plant with a wide range of uses and high dosage [4- 6]. It is also not prone to drug resistance or drug residues.

1 Main disease prevention mechanisms

1.1 Acting on pathogenic microorganisms

Echinacea can inhibit the growth rate of pathogenic bacteria or directly kill pathogenic microorganisms, thereby playing a role in disease prevention and treatment. For example, Echinacea can increase the antibody titer and NK cell activity of broiler chickens, and has a certain antiviral effect [7]. The ethanol extract of Echinacea purpurea has a good inhibitory effect on influenza viruses H5N1, H7N7 and H1N1 [8]. It has also been found that Echinacea purpurea can kill tumor cells by stimulating macrophages to produce cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor, interleukin and interferon [9].

1.2 Enhancing immune function

The widespread irregular use of drugs and vaccinations in poultry production has led to a decline in the immune function of chicken flocks and suppression of the immune system, seriously affecting the production performance of chickens and threatening the healthy development of the poultry industry. Echinacea can enhance the body's cellular and humoral immune functions by promoting the proliferation and transformation of immune cells [10]. Adding Echinacea extract to the feed not only activates immune cells and improves the body's immune level, but also avoids the toxic side effects and drug residues caused by chemical drugs on chickens. Adding Echinacea extract to the broiler diet at different doses can stimulate the body's immune system and enhance the body's ability to resist infection by bacteria and viruses [11]. Hao Zhi Hui et al. [12] added imported Echinacea purpurea extract to the diet, which significantly increased the thymus and bursa of Fabricius index of broilers, and enhanced immune function and antioxidant capacity. Compound Echinacea also significantly increased the index of the bursa of Fabricius, thymus and spleen, and promoted the development of immune organs, thereby enhancing the body's specific and non-specific immune functions, and the effect was better than levamisole [13].

1.3 Anti-inflammatory effect

In the early 20th century, Echinacea was used abroad as a common medicine for treating colds and influenza, and as an anti-inflammatory drug before the advent of antibiotics [14]. Echinacea can effectively prevent inflammatory reactions caused by Streptococcus pyogenes, Haemophilus influenzae, Legionella pneumophila, Staphylococcus aureus and Mycobacterium avium [15]. Echinacea water extract can inhibit the secretion of TNF-α induced by triacylglycerol peptide (Pam3csk40) in human monocytes THP-1 [16]. Attila et al. [17] showed that the alkylamide in echinacea extract can regulate the expression of TNF-α mRNA in macrophages and monocytes through the cannabinoid 2 receptor, and inhibits LPS-stimulated TNF-α expression, thereby exerting an anti-inflammatory effect. The unsaturated isobutylphthalimide contained in the root of Echinacea purpurea can also prevent pathogen-induced inflammation and has strong anti-inflammatory activity [18].

1.4 Antioxidant effect

The antioxidant effect of Echinacea purpurea is manifested in its ability to scavenge free radicals and relieve oxidative stress damage. For example, Ivana et al. [19] found that the scavenging ability of Echinacea purpurea extract against DPPH is dose-dependent, and the higher the concentration of Echinacea purpurea extract, the stronger the scavenging ability against DPPH. Hou R et al. [20] found that Echinacea polysaccharides not only have a good ability to clear free radicals in vitro, but also play a good antioxidant role by promoting the Nrf2 cell signaling pathway, thereby alleviating CCl4-induced liver damage in mice. Echinacea polysaccharides also exert an antioxidant effect by inhibiting the MAPK signaling pathway [21]. Lutein in Echinacea purpurea leaf extract has the ability to scavenge intracellular ROS and prevent oxidative stress by increasing total cellular GSH levels [22]. Eupatorium fortunei extract can alleviate oxidative damage caused by heat stress in chickens by reducing serum cortisol levels and increasing HSP70 levels [23,24].

2 Prevention and treatment effects

2.1   Viral diseases

Echinacea has a good inhibitory effect on both the Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) in chickens in vitro and in vivo. Echinacea extract can significantly inhibit the replication and proliferation of NDV and prevent the adsorption of NDV to cells [25,26]. Echinacea complex also has a significant protective effect on chicks infected with highly pathogenic Newcastle disease virus, and can be used for the prevention and treatment of Newcastle disease in chickens [27]. The traditional Chinese medicine compound Zihuang Powder also has a strong inhibitory effect on the artificial infection of strong IBDV in chicks, and can significantly alleviate the clinical symptoms of IBD and improve disease resistance [28]. Research by Lu Gairu et al. [29] showed that echinacea can alleviate the pathological damage to the bursa caused by IBDV, increase the index of immune organs, and has a more significant alleviating effect on bursal disease in chicks [30].

2.2 Bacterial diseases

Bacterial diseases in chickens often cause diarrhea in large numbers of birds, and cross-infections with Escherichia coli and Salmonella are common. A feed made with a reasonable amount of echinacea extract, hop extract, corn, sesame, sorghum and other nutrients can effectively prevent diarrhea or other diseases caused by Escherichia coli and Salmonella [31].

2.3 Parasitic diseases

Coccidiosis in chickens is an acute epidemic protozoal disease caused by one or more species of coccidia parasitising in the intestinal mucosal epithelial cells of chickens [32]. It is a common and serious parasitic disease in chickens that can occur throughout the year. Chinese herbal medicine feed additives such as echinacea, Coptis, areca, Andrographis and Sanguisorba have good preventive and therapeutic effects against coccidiosis in chickens, and can also improve the quality of meat and eggs [33]. Zhong Yunxian [34] used a Chinese medicine composition with insecticidal and liver-protecting, blood-cooling and hemostatic, dampness-drying and dysentery-stopping, and heat-clearing and detoxifying effects, such as Echinacea purpurea, Leonurus heterophyllus, Morinda officinalis, and Alisma orientale, to effectively prevent the occurrence of coccidiosis in chickens.

3 Effect on chicken production performance

Echinacea has both medicinal and nutritional effects. As an additive, it is widely available, has low drug resistance and low residue, can improve the immunity of livestock and poultry, reduce drug residues, promote healthy growth of livestock and poultry, and improve the quality of livestock products [35,36], which is conducive to the sustainable development of animal husbandry [37] and has attracted widespread attention. Adding Echinacea purpurea extract to feed can improve the nutritional composition and structural ratio of the feed and increase feed conversion rate. For example, supplementing the feed with phenols, alkylamines, flavonoids, polysaccharides and essential oil to make up for nutritional deficiencies can promote animal growth and development and rapid weight gain [38]. Echinacea granules [39] have a significant effect on improving the survival rate and production performance of broilers.

Echinacea can exert a wide range of biological activities in the prevention and treatment of poultry diseases, such as direct action on pathogenic microorganisms, enhancement of immune function, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, etc., and can be used to prevent and treat common viral diseases, bacterial infections and coccidiosis in poultry. In addition, the use of echinacea as an additive can improve the nutritional composition and structural ratio of the feed, increase the feed conversion rate, promote the healthy growth of livestock and poultry, improve the quality of livestock products, and is conducive to the sustainable development of animal husbandry.

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