Anti-staphylococcal activity of soilless cultivated cannabis across the whole vegetation cycle under various nutritional treatments in relation to cannabinoid content.

Antibiotic resistance in staphylococcal strains and its impact on public health and agriculture are global problems. The development of new anti-staphylococcal agents is an effective strategy for addressing the increasing incidence of bacterial resistance. In this study, ethanolic extracts of Cannabis sativa L. made from plant parts harvested during the whole vegetation cycle under various nutritional treatments were assessed for in vitro anti-staphylococcal effects. The results showed that all the cannabis extracts tested exhibited a certain degree of growth inhibition against bacterial strains of Staphylococcus aureus, including antibiotic-resistant and antibiotic-sensitive forms. The highest antibacterial activity of the extracts was observed from the 5th to the 13th week of plant growth across all the nutritional treatments tested, with minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging from 32 to 64 µg/mL. Using HPLC, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) was identified as the most abundant cannabinoid in the ethanolic extracts. A homolog of THCA, tetrahydrocannabivarinic acid (THCVA), reduced bacterial growth by 74%. These findings suggest that the cannabis extracts tested in this study can be used for the development of new anti-staphylococcal compounds with improved efficacy.

Effects of Dietary Hemp Seed and Flaxseed on Growth Performance, Meat Fatty Acid Compositions, Liver Tocopherol Concentration and Bone Strength of Cockerels.

The aim of the study is to determine the effect of hemp seed (HS) of the nonpsychotropic variety Futura and extruded flaxseed (EF) in the diet of cockerels on cockerel growth performance, breast muscle and liver α- and γ-tocopherol concentrations, breast muscle fatty acid concentrations and tibia strength. Five hundred and forty one-day-old male Ross 308 cockerels are equally allocated into six groups. Each group has three replicates of 30 cockerels in pens with litter. The formulated diets are isoenergetic (the metabolisable energy ranged from 12.4 to 12.8 MJ/kg) and isonitrogenic (the protein concentration ranged from 209.7 to 210.9 g/kg) and provided ad libitum. During the experiment, which lasts 35 days, the control group is fed a diet without EF or HS. Rapeseed oil was the lipid source in the control diet. The diet for the second group contains EF at 60 g/kg, the diet for the third group contains HS at 40 g/kg, and the diets for the fourth to sixth groups contain HS and EF at 30 and 60 g/kg, 40 and 60 g/kg and 50 and 60 g/kg, respectively. At the end of the experiment, 15 cockerels of average weight are slaughtered per group, and the breast muscle, liver and tibia bone are dissected for chemical analyses. The all dietary combination of HS and EF increases (p < 0.001) cockerel body weight (2375-2493 g) more than HS alone (2174 g) or EF alone (2254 g). A similar finding is observed for the diet composition and tocopherol content in the liver, but the doses of HS required to achieve this effect are higher (40 and 50 g/kg). The tocopherol content in the breast muscle is not influenced by the diet. The dietary combination of 60 g/kg EF and 40 g/kg HS results in the most promising findings of the experiment, since it leads to the lowest n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids ratio (p < 0.001; 1.75). Incorporation of HS into the diet increases cockerel tibia strength (p < 0.001), which is of great practical importance due to the frequent occurrence of limb fractures. To conclude, the dietary supplementation with 40 g/kg HS and 60 g/kg EF improves cockerel performance, meat and bone quality and deposition of α-tocopherol in the liver.

Effect of dietary fat type on intestinal digestibility of fatty acids, fatty acid profiles of breast meat and abdominal fat, and mRNA expression of lipid-related genes in broiler chickens.

A group of 240-day-old Ross cockerels were used in a 4-week experiment to assess the effect of the fat type on the intestinal digestibility of fatty acids (FAs), the FA profiles of breast meat and abdominal fat, and the mRNA expression of six hepatic lipid-related genes. Experimental diets were supplemented with rapeseed oil, pork lard or palm oil at 60 g/kg. In the control diet, wheat starch was substituted for the fat source. The highest ileal digestibility of the fat and all FAs (except stearic acid) was observed in chickens fed lard. The content of fat in the breast meat of chickens was not significantly influenced by the fat supplements. The FA profiles of breast meat and abdominal fat reflected the FA composition of the diet. In the meat of chickens fed rapeseed oil, oleic acid was the predominant FA. Palmitic acid was the most abundant FA in the meat of chickens fed lard or palm oil. Oleic acid was the most abundant FA in the abdominal fat of all chickens. The highest mRNA expression of desaturases (Δ5-, Δ6- and Δ9-) was observed in chickens fed palm oil. The mRNA expression of hepatic FA synthase was higher in chickens fed palm oil or lard than in chickens fed rapeseed oil. The expression of HMG-CoA reductase was higher in chickens fed palm oil than in those fed rapeseed oil or lard. It can be concluded that rapeseed oil and lard are better sources of lipids than palm oil. These former two sources contain more digestible fatty acids and provide a lower concentration of SFAs in the meat and fat of chickens.