Planta Med 2014; 80 - P2P18
DOI: 10.1055/s-0034-1394853

Eugenol metabolism in chicken

R Vila 1, D García-Tello 1, A Lanero 1, E Risco 2, B Vilà 3, J Brufau 3, P Peñalver 4, S Cañigueral 1
  • 1Unitat de Farmacologia i Farmacognòsia, Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de Barcelona. Av. Joan XXIII, s/n. E-08028 Barcelona, Spain
  • 2Phytonexus, S.L. Na Jordana, 11. E- 46240 Carlet (València), Spain
  • 3IRTA – Mas de Bover, Ctra. Reus-El Morell, Km 3.8, E-43120 Constantí (Tarragona), Spain
  • 4Lidervet, S.L. Plaça García Lorca, 17, Baixos. E-43006 Tarragona, Spain

The restrictions on the use of antibiotics as animal growth-promoters have encouraged the use of essential oils as alternatives; among them, clove oil, which has eugenol as the major constituent [1]. The metabolism of eugenol has been described in rat [2], but not in chicken, for which clove oil is used as feed additive. Thus, the objective of the present study was to investigate the in vivo metabolism, following oral administration, of eugenol in chickens for fattening. A single dose of eugenol dissolved in refined sunflower oil, was administered by oral gavage, at a dose of 1.5 mmol/kg (246 mg/kg) to the treated group (n = 3) of chicken. Two control groups (n = 3) were included in the experiment, one without any treatment and the other administered with refined sunflower oil. Faeces were collected at 4, 24, 29 and 48h. Plasma, liver, kidney, muscle and fat (skin and fat) were collected at 48h. Samples were analysed by GC-MS for identification of the metabolites, with and without hydrolysis with ß-glucosidase and sulphatase, in order to know the content of the free and conjugated fractions of the compounds. Quantitative analyses were performed by GC-MS, using SIM acquisition mode and azulene as internal standard. LOD and LOQ, which were determined for each sample matrix, ranged from 0.02 to 0.14 ppm and 0.12 to 0.81 ppm, respectively. Relative extraction recoveries for eugenol from different types of samples ranged from 70% to 116%. After oral administration of a single dose of 246 mg/kg of eugenol to broiler chickens, the compound was excreted mainly as conjugated eugenol (99.6%). No metabolites were detected in faeces or chicken tissues of the treated animals. The excretion of eugenol is very fast, 98% of the excreted eugenol appearing in faeces in the first 24h after oral administration. After 48h of the administration, no free or conjugated eugenol was detected in plasma, kidney, muscle and fat of treated chickens.

References:

1. Ordóñez G, Llopis N, Peñalver P. Efficacy of eugenol against a Salmonella enterica serovar enteritidis experimental infection in commercial layers in production. J Appl Poult Res, 2008; 17(3), 376 – 382.

2. Sutton JD, Sangster SA, Caldwell J. Dose-different variation in the disposition of eugenol in the rat. Biochem Pharmacol, 1985; 34(3): 465 – 466.