Supplementation of Selenium Nanoparticles-Loaded Chitosan Improves Production Performance, Intestinal Morphology, and Gut Microflora in Broiler Chickens

Abstract

The current study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs), combined or loaded with chitosan (COS), in broiler chickens reared under standard management protocols. The parameters under investigation were production performance, organ development, components of the intestinal barrier, and ileal microbial count. Two hundred and forty day-old chicks were raised in five groups, with each group containing eight replicates (n=6/replicate). The control group received a basal diet whereas the other four groups received basal diets supplemented with SeNPs (0.5 mg/kg), COS (200 mg/kg), SeNPs+COS (0.5 mg/kg SeNPs + 200 mg/kg COS), and SeNPs-loaded COS (SeNPs-L-COS) (200 mg/kg) respectively. On day 35, two birds/replicate were sampled to collect the viscera under investigation. The results revealed that dietary inclusion of SeNPs-L-COS increased (p<0.05) the body weight gain and improved (p<0.05) feed conversion ratio. Similarly, SeNPs-L-COS supplementation increased (p<0.05) the small intestinal villus surface area as well as the count of acidic goblet cells and intraepithelial lymphocytes when compared with the control group.Whereas the total goblet cell count was higher (p<0.05) in the small intestines of both the SeNPs+COS and SeNPs-L-COS groups. Microbial analysis of ileal contents also revealed an increase (p<0.05) in Lactobacilli species count with a concurrent decrease (p<0.05) in Escherichia coli count in the SeNPs-L-COS group when compared with the COS and control groups. Based on the results of the current trial, we can conclude that supplementation with SeNPs-L-COS is a superior combination for promoting the gut health and performance of broilers.

The influence of bacterial selenium nanoparticles biosynthesized by Bacillus subtilus DA20 on blood constituents, growth performance, carcass traits, and gut microbiota of broiler chickens

“…Chicks fed control diets had the highest protein and energy efficiency ratios, followed by those fed Se diets, while SeNPs diets had the lowest values. Generally, the BSeNPs (40 µg/kg) have the best performance between control and other groups Khan et al (2022) demonstrated that the addition of SeNPs-L-COS to the diet of broiler chicken raised ( P < 0.05) body weight growth and enhanced ( P < 0.05) feed conversion ratio. Similarly, Rehman et al (2022) discovered that adding SeNP-MOS to the broiler diet enhanced growth performance, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio ( FCR ); the weekly BWG and ultimate body weight of broilers of market age were dramatically increased.…”

“…However, LAB significantly increased with BSeNPs (60 µg/kg) with a 2-fold increase over control, showing the beneficial effects of BSeNPs in reducing pathogens and enhancing the beneficial bacteria. Comparing the group of SeNPs coupled with chitosan to the chitosan and control groups, the ileal content analysis demonstrated a rise ( P ≤ 0.05) in LAB count and a contemporaneous decrease ( P ≤ 0.05) in E. coli count ( Alagawany et al, 2021a , b ; Khan et al, 2022 ). Also, the supplementation with SeNP-MOS enhanced the gut microbes involved in nutrient absorption.…”

Dietary microalgal-fabricated selenium nanoparticles improve Nile tilapia biochemical indices, immune-related gene expression, and intestinal immunity

“…The secreted intestinal mucin is made of glycoproteins and contains a number of bioactive molecules [ 86 ]. Intestinal mucin-filled GCs indicate mucin production, a potential component of the intestinal innate gut immune system [ 87 ]. In this study, a significant higher number of GCs producing acid mucins, which are sulfated intestinal mucins, was observed with no changes GCs producing mixed or neutral mucins.…”