Portulaca oleracea L. extract repairs chicken cecal barrier damage caused by Eimeria tenella

Chicken coccidiosis causes huge massive economic losses to the global poultry industry. Portulaca oleracea L. (POL) has anthelmintic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This study aims to evaluate comprehensively the effect of POL extract (POLE) on Eimeria tenella (E. tenella) and its reparative effect on the intestinal barrier damage induced by E. tenella. Results showed that POLE had an anticoccidial index of 148.46. In chickens, E. tenella infection caused cecal swelling and bleeding and a significant increase in intestinal permeability. H&E staining demonstrated that POLE supplementation alleviated cecal structural damage, with a significant increase in villus height (VH), crypt depth (CD) and VH/CD ratio, whereas muscularis thickness (MT) significantly decreased. PAS and AB-PAS staining revealed that POLE treatment significantly increased the number of goblet cells and glycoproteins in the cecum. POLE significantly enhanced the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacity of chickens infected by E. tenella. The effect significantly decreased MDA content and IFN-γ and TNF-α levels and significantly increased T-AOC and GSH-Px contents. Immunofluorescence staining illustrated that POLE significantly decreased the excessive proliferation and apoptosis of cecal cells after E. tenella infection. In summary, POLE can be considered as an efficient drug against E. tenella. It can coordinate the intestinal barrier against E. tenella infections in terms of its mechanical, chemical and immune barriers. The results of this work provide a theoretical basis for research on the anticoccidial properties of POL.