The gastrointestinal tract is considered as one of the main target organs affected by heat stress. Phytogenic feed additives containing phenolics and flavonoids can improve the resistance of broilers to heat stress. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with enzymatically treated Artemisia annua (EA) on growth performance, intestinal morphology, digestive enzyme activities, immunity and antioxidant capacity of broilers challenged with heat stress. One hundred and forty-four 21-day-old male Arbor Acres broilers were randomly distributed into 3 treatments: 1) non-challenged control (CON); 2) heat-stress-challenged control (HS); and 3) heat-stress-challenged group + 1 g EA/kg diet (HS-EA). From 22 to 41 d, broilers in the CON group were housed at 22 ± 1°C, the HS and HS-EA groups, in which broilers were raised at 34 ± 1°C for 8 h (0900-1700 h) and the temperature for the rest time was the same as that of the CON group. The EA supplementation alleviated the compromised body weight gain and intestinal morphology impairment caused by heat stress challenge (P < 0.05). The EA attenuated heat-stress-induced decreased intestinal lipase, trypsin and total superoxide dismutase activities, and reduced intestinal secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) and IgG concentrations (P < 0.05). The EA inclusion prevented the elevation of intestinal malondialdehyde content and reduction of intestinal glutathione concentration induced by heat stress challenge (P < 0.05). The intestinal mRNA abundances of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2, heme oxygenase 1, glutathione peroxidase, gamma-glutamyl cysteine ligase larger catalytic subunit and gamma-glutamyl cysteine ligase smaller modulator subunit in heat-stressed broilers were increased in response to dietary EA treatment (P < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary supplementation of 1 g/kg EA could alleviate heat-stress-induced compromised growth performance and intestinal damage of broilers.
This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary methionine (Met) on growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality and oxidative status of breast muscle in fast- (Arbor Acres, AA) and slow- (Partridge Shank, PS) growing broilers from 1 to 42 d of age. The broilers were divided into a 2 × 3 factorial design with 6 replicates per treatment. Diets were formulated to contain low (LM, 0.35 and 0.31% during 1 to 21 and 22 to 42 d), adequate (AM, 0.50 and 0.44%) and high (HM, 0.65 and 0.57%) Met, respectively. The main effects showed that the AA broilers had superior (P < 0.05) growth performance and carcass traits compared with those of the PS broilers. The breast muscle of the AA broilers had lower (P < 0.05) drip loss and malondialdehyde (MDA) content but higher (P < 0.05) cooking loss and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activity than that of the PS broilers. Compared with the LM diets, the AM and HM diets increased (P < 0.05) 42-d BW, ADG, eviscerated yield and breast muscle yield only in the AA broilers. The AA broilers fed the HM diets had higher (P < 0.05) pH but lower (P < 0.05) L*, cooking loss and ether extract content in breast muscle than those fed the LM diets. Compared with the LM diets, the HM diets resulted in strain-dependent changes (P < 0.05) in muscle oxidative status, with total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) increased in the AA broilers, GPX activity increased and MDA content decreased in the PS broilers, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity increased in both strains of broilers. No differences were observed between the AM and HM diets except for T-AOC in breast muscle. In conclusion, the LM treatment negatively affected broiler growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality and oxidative status of breast muscle in a strain-dependent manner, particularly in the AA broilers, whereas the HM treatment had limited effects compared to the AM treatment.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of natural clinoptilolite (NCLI) and modified clinoptilolite (MCLI) on broiler performance, gut morphology, intestinal length and weight, and gut digestive enzyme activity. A total of 240 d-old male chicks were randomly assigned to 3 treatments, each of which comprised 8 pens of 10 chicks per pen. Birds in the control group were fed the basal diet, while those in the experimental groups were fed diets supplemented with NCLI at 2% (NCLI group), or MCLI at 2% (MCLI group), respectively, for 42 d. Compared with the control, supplementation with NCLI or MCLI had no significant (p>0.05) effects on productive parameters from d 1 to 42. Supplementation with NCLI or MCLI had no influence on the relative length and weight of small intestine at d 1 to 21. But supplementation with NCLI or MCLI significantly reduced the relative weight of duodenum. Supplementation with MCLI and NCLI was associated with greater (p<0.05) villus height in the jejunal and ileal mucosa compared with those areas in the controls from d 1 to 42. However, supplementation with NCLI and MCLI had no significant (p>0.05) influence on the crypt depth in the jejunal and ileal mucosa compared with those in the controls. The addition of either NCLI or MCLI to the diet improved the activities of total protease, and amylase in the small intestinal contents. In conclusion, supplementation with NCLI or MCLI in diets improved intestinal morphology, increased the intestinal length and weigh and gut digestive enzyme activity.
The objective of this study was to investigate and compare the effects of α-tocopherol acetate (vitamin E (VE)) and microencapsulated VE (MVE) on growth performance, meat quality and antioxidant capacity in broiler chickens. A total of 360 d-old broiler chicks were procured and randomly allocated into three groups with 6 replicates. Each replicate had 20 chickens. Chickens were fed with basal diets (CON group) or experimental diets supplemented with 20 mg/kg VE (VE group) or 20 mg/kg MVE (MVE group) for 42 d. The results showed that the MVE group had higher body weight gain (BWG) than the CON and VE groups, and higher gain/feed ratio (G/F ratio) than the CON group during the period of 22-42 d. During the whole experiment, a higher increase in BWG was found in the MVE group than the CON group. Chickens fed on diets supplemented with the VE or MVE had lower abdominal fat percentage, higher pH and antioxidant enzyme activity than the CON group in the breast meat. There was an increased tendency in the hepatic glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) enzyme activity of the VE and MVE groups than the CON group. The hepatic mitochondrial total antioxidant capacity and GSH-Px enzyme activity in the MVE group were higher than the CON group. Hepatic 2,2-dipheny-ʟ-picrylhydrazyl scavenging activity of the MVE group was higher than the CON group. These results suggested that the dietary addition of VE or MVE could improve breast meat quality in broilers. MVE supplementation may improve growth performance, hepatic mitochondrial antioxidant capacity and free radical scavenging capacity in chickens. In addition, dietary supplementation of MVE gave better broiler growth performance than VE.
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