Chia (Salvia hispanica) harvest residue induces cytokine expression in rabbits

espanolRESUMEN. La semilla de la planta de la chia (Salvia hispanica), se caracteriza por su alto contenido de acidos grasos poliinsaturados, por lo que es una fuente importante de acido α-linolenico para consumo humano y animal. Durante la cosecha de la semilla, generan residuos que contiene remanentes de hojas, tallos y semillas, que son desechadas. El objetivo del presente trabajo fue evaluar el efecto del residuo de la cosecha de semilla de chia (RCS) sobre la expresion de proteinas del sistema inmune de conejos, al anadirlo como complemento en las dietas de animales inducidos con infeccion intestinal. Se distribuyeron al azar veinte conejos (Nueva Zelanda × California) en cinco tratamientos y se alimentaron con cinco dietas con porcentajes de inclusion de RCS de 0, 10, 20, 30 y 40%. La cuantificacion de la expresion relativa de los genes interleuquina-10 (IL-10) y factor de necrosis tumoral (TNF-α) mostraron que conforme aumentaron los niveles de inclusion RCS hasta 40%, tambien aumento de forma significativa la expresion relativa de IL-10 hasta 22.4 veces con respecto al control, mientras que la expresion relativa de la TNF-α fue inversamente proporcional, presentando la mayor expresion relativa el grupo control con 7.47, por lo que la inclusion indirecta de acido α-linolenico a traves del consumo de RCS inducen una respuesta positiva en el sistema inmune de los conejos y representa una alternativa para la formulacion de raciones con efectos nutraceuticos. EnglishABSTRACT. The seed of chia plant (Salvia hispanica) is characterized by a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which is an important source of α-linolenic acid for human and animal consumption. During the harvest of the seed, waste is generated that contains remnants of leaves, stems and some seeds, which is generally discarded. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the effect of chia seed residue (CSR) on protein expression of the rabbit immune system, when added as a supplement in the diets of animals deliberately induced to an intestinal infection. Twenty rabbits (New Zealand × California) were randomly distributed in five treatments and fed five diets with different percentages of CSR inclusion (0, 10, 20, 30 and 40%). Quantification of the relative expression of the anti-inflammatory Interleukin-10 (IL-10) and Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF-α) genes showed that as CSR inclusion levels increased up to 40%, mRNA expression of IL-10 increased significantly (22.4-fold) with respect to the control, while TNF-α mRNA expression was inversely proportional, where a significant increase (7.47-fold) in mRNA expression was found in the control group. It is concluded that the indirect inclusion of α-linolenic acid through the consumption of CSR induces a positive response in the immune system of the rabbits and represents an alternative for the formulation of rations with nutraceutical effects.