The present research aimed to evaluate the effects of the continuative dietary administration of a hemp oil extract containing cannabinoids (cannabidiol, CBD) on the macroscopic morphology, morphometry, and enzymatic activity of different intestinal tracts as well as on the production of short chain fatty acids (SCFA) in the cecum of growing rabbits. The research was performed on 16 rabbits randomly selected from 2 experimental groups (8 per group). In detail, 42, sixty-day-old New Zealand White x California rabbits (sex ratio 1:1, average weight 1621.3 ± 46.2 g) were homogeneously divided into 2 groups (21 animals/group), named Control and CBD. Both groups were fed the same commercial diet, but the CBD one was supplemented with 0.1 ml of a hemp extract in coconut-based oil corresponding to 10 mg of CBD/animal/day. Up to 92 days of age (for 27 d), individual live weight and feed intake were weekly measured. At 92 days of age, 8 rabbits/group (sex ratio 1:1) were moved to a specialized slaughterhouse, and the gastro-intestinal tract was separated from the carcass. Samples from 8 rabbits per dietary treatment were used for the histomorphological analysis of small and large intestine. In addition, duodenum, jejunum, ileum and caecum were processed for enzymatic analysis. The caecal contents were used for the SCFA determination. The administration of CBD did not affect feed intake and the final rabbits whole body weight (P > 0.05), but some changes were detected in the gastro-intestinal tract of the animals. CBD seemed to interfere with protein digestion, with a significantly lower activity of the enzymes related to peptides in the small intestine and a consequent increase of the fermentative activity of caecal microbiota. This effect, in combination with a general decrease of fermentative activity in the caecal content of rabbits submitted to CBD treatment, was responsible for a change in the SCFA proportion mainly regarding the reduction of butyrate production (P < 0.01) that resulted significantly higher in CTR group compared to CBD. This last result is very important for intestinal health. Such fermentation activity modification was coupled with changes in the relative abundance of goblet cells in the colon. Overall, our findings suggest that a relative long-term administration of CBD may affect digestion in rabbits, in particular at enzymatic and fermentative level.

中文翻译：

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大麻二酚可以影响兔子消化系统的形态、形态测量、酶和微生物活性


本研究旨在评估持续饮食中含有大麻素（大麻二酚，CBD）的大麻油提取物对不同肠道的宏观形态、形态测量和酶活性以及生长中的兔子盲肠中短链脂肪酸 （SCFA） 的产生的影响。该研究对从 2 个实验组 （每组 8） 中随机选择的 16 只兔子进行。详细地将 42 只 60 天大的新西兰白兔 x 加利福尼亚兔（性别比 1：1，平均体重 1621.3 ± 46.2 克）均匀分为 2 组（21 只动物/组），分别命名为对照组和 CBD。两组都喂食相同的商业饮食，但 CBD 一组补充了 0.1 毫升椰子油中的大麻提取物，相当于 10 毫克 CBD/动物/天。直到 92 日龄 （27 d），每周测量个体活重和采食量。在 92 日龄时，将 8 只兔子/组 （性别比 1：1） 移至专门的屠宰场，并将胃肠道与尸体分离。每次日粮处理 8 只兔子的样本用于小肠和大肠的组织形态学分析。此外，对十二指肠、空肠、回肠和盲肠进行酶学分析。盲肠内容物用于 SCFA 测定。CBD 的给药不影响采食量和最终兔子的全身重量 （P > 0.05），但在动物的胃肠道中检测到一些变化。CBD似乎干扰了蛋白质的消化，小肠中与肽有关的酶的活性显著降低，随之而来的是盲肠微生物群的发酵活性增加。 这种效果，再加上接受CBD治疗的兔子盲肠内容物的发酵活性普遍降低，是导致SCFA比例发生变化的原因，主要是关于丁酸盐产量的减少（P < 0.01），导致CTR组与CBD相比显著升高。最后这个结果对肠道健康非常重要。这种发酵活性的改变与结肠中杯状细胞相对丰度的变化相结合。总的来说，我们的研究结果表明，相对长期服用CBD可能会影响兔子的消化，特别是在酶和发酵水平上。