Effect of silymarin supplementation on some productive and hematological parameters in meat type male Japanese quails

Abstract

A total of 90 14-day-old meat type male Japanese quails were included in the experiment and equally divided into 3 groups: control group (CG) without treatment, experimental group 1 (EG 0.5%), supplemented with silymarin 0.5% and experimental group 2 (EG 1%), supplemented with silymarin 1%. The aim of the current study was to establish the effect of supplementation with different doses of silymarin extract on the growth performance and some hematological parameters in male Japanese quails. Main growth performance (body weight, feed consumption and weight gain) were examined and FCR was calculated. Some hematological (WBC, RBC, HGB and HTC) and biochemical (triglycerides, AST and ALT) parameters were determined. The highest average body weight was observed in EG 0.5% group at 35-day-old age and the lowest in EG 1%, 239.61±2.96 g and 231.74±2.96 g respectively. The highest values of the weight gain were calculated in EG 0.5% group, 67.02±2.03 g during the first week of fattening and the lowest was observed in EG 1% group at the fifth week after hatching, 23.30±2.03 g respectively. The lowest values of FCR were observed during the first week of the trial, 2.42±0.08 kg/kg to 2.61±0.13 kg/kg in EG 1% and the control group respectively. The supplementation of 0.5% and 1% silymarin did not significantly change the studied hematological and biochemical parameters. A tendency of higher values of triglycerides and lower values of AST and ALT was observed in the groups, supplemented with silymarin compared to the controls. From the obtained results of the present study we can conclude that the silymarin supplementation at higher doses (0.5% and 1%) did not have effect on the main growth performance and some hematological and biochemical parameters of male Japanese quails.

Use of Milk Thistle in Farm and Companion Animals: A Review

“…A similar result was reported in Japanese quail, with an increase in laid eggs when a dose of 1 % of milk thistle seed in high calorie diets was administered [56]. With the supplementation of SIL at a dose of 0.5-1% (composition no reported) in the male Japanese quail diet, there were no highlighted differences on the main growth parameters and a higher TG value at dose 0,5 % [57]. In a study conducted on broiler chickens, where a basal diet was supplemented with 40-80 ppm of SIL (silychristin + silydianin 28.21 %, silybin isomers 45.47 %, isosylibin isomers 21.7 %, and taxifolin 4.62 %), the decrease in FI reported was ascribed to the reduction in palatability of the diet with SIL.…”

Evaluation of commercial doses of a feed additive and silymarin on broiler performance with and without CCl4-induced liver damage

“…Several authors have tested silymarin effects in ameliorating hepatic damage in broilers and obtained significant improvements in growth performance using doses around 500 mg/kg or higher in the feed ( Khatoon et al, 2013 ; Jahanian et al, 2017 ; Aziz et al, 2019 ). At lower doses, silymarin has a positive influence on productive performance, but when compared with the additive-free diet, the differences are not always statistically significant ( Schiavone et al, 2007 ; Blevins et al, 2010 ; Sakamoto et al, 2018 ; Lukanov et al, 2019 ; Armanini et al, 2021 ; Shanmugam et al, 2022 ; Surai and Surai, 2023 ). These results are consistent with the fact that silymarin is required in large doses to achieve therapeutic plasma levels because of its low bioavailability, poor solubility, rapid degradation by gastric fluids, and low absorption rates ( Giacomelli et al, 2002 ; Dixit et al, 2007 ; Woo et al, 2007 ; Di Costanzo and Angelico, 2019 ).…”

“…Neither silymarin nor CA-PFA showed the ability to significantly influence biochemical parameters that are indicators of liver damage, like ALT and AST, which have been previously recommended as biomarkers of hepatic damage in birds ( Diaz et al, 1999 ; Ferrell, 2002 ). This could be a direct result of the low dose applied of the bioactive compounds in both treatments ( Schiavone et al, 2007 ; Blevins et al, 2010 ; Sakamoto et al, 2018 ; Lukanov et al, 2019 ). Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that despite the low CA-PFA dose used, this product was able to mitigate CCl 4 toxic effects and restore the growth performance of the birds.…”

“…Betaine doses frequently used in studies that report statistically significant improvement in productive performance are 500 mg/kg of feed or higher ( Sakomura et al, 2013 ; Yang et al, 2022 ; Zaki et al, 2023 ). Silymarin inclusion in poultry diets improves broiler performance, however, results at low doses (100–200 mg/kg feed) are inconsistent, with some studies showing performance improvement ( Armanini et al, 2021 ; Shanmugam et al, 2022 ; Surai and Surai, 2023 ) while other studies report statistically non-significant differences, especially if broilers are grown under normal physiological conditions ( Schiavone et al, 2007 ; Blevins et al, 2010 ; Sakamoto et al, 2018 ; Lukanov et al, 2019 ; Zaker-Esteghamati et al, 2020 ). All the doses that have been confirmed as effective for these additives are higher than commercially recommended doses because of profitability reasons.…”