Histological alterations in the intestinal epithelium caused by the inclusion of full-fat sunflower kernels in broiler chicken diets

Changes in small intestinal morphology (jejunum) were examined at 28 d of a ge in chicks fed with full-fat sunflower kernels (FFSK)-based diets. Jejuna l mucosa of chicks (six chicks per treatment) were embedded in Epon-812 for examination by a conventional electron microscope procedure. A portion of the tissues was also sectioned and embedded in paraffin for examination by light microscopy. Brush border, goblet cells, and intraepithelial lymphocyt es, on the one hand, and fibroblast and mononuclear cells (lymphocytes, pla sma cells, macrophages) were observed in the enterocytes and lamina propria , respectively. The results showed that the birds fed 150 g kg(-1) of FFSK showed a shortening and thickening of the villi, hyperplasia and vacuolar d egeneration of enterocytes, and hypertrophy and hyperplasia of goblet cells . Likewise, an increment of intraepithelial lymphoid cells and hypercellula rity of the lamina propria was observed, in addition, electron microscopy s howed large vacuoles in the enterocytes, which could be dilations of agranu lar and granular endoplasmic reticulum or Golgi. There were many dark granu les within the vacuoles that could be triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (porto microns). These lesions could have been due to the presence of chlorogenic acid or to the greater concentration of oil in the FFSK diet. Our observati ons demonstrated that addition of 150 g kg(-1) FFSK to broiler chicken diet s caused alterations in jejunal mucosa that could explain the decrease in f at digestibility observed in a previous experiment in which we incorporated FFSK into broiler diets.