Comparing the Influences of Selenium Nanospheres, Sodium Selenite, and Biological Selenium on the Growth Performance, Blood Biochemistry, and Antioxidative Capacity of Growing Turkey Pullets

Contribution of nanotechnology to greater efficiency in animal nutrition and production

Feed costs present a major burden in animal production for human consumption, representing a key opportunity for cost reduction and profit improvement. Nanotechnology offers potential to increase productivity by creating higher-quality and safer products. The feed sector has benefited from the use of nanosystems to improve the stability and bioavailability of feed ingredients. The development of nanotechnology products for feed must consider the challenges raised by biological barriers as well as regulatory requirements. While some nanotechnology-based products are already commercially available for animal production, the exponential growth and application of these products requires further research ensuring their safety and the establishment of comprehensive legislative frameworks and regulatory guidelines. Thus, this article provides an overview of the current state of the art regarding nanotechnology solutions applied in feed, as well as the risks and opportunities aimed to help researchers and livestock producers.

Effects of Dietary Selenium Yeast Supplementation in Pregnant Cashmere Goats on the Development of Offspring Hair Follicles

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of maternal dietary selenium yeast (SY) supplementation during pregnancy on the hair follicle development of kids. Sixty pregnant Hanshan white cashmere goats were randomly divided into the con group (fed with a basal diet) and the SY group (fed with a basal diet with 0.4 mg/kg SY). SY was supplemented during the pregnancy until the birth of the kids. The growth performance, cashmere performance, hair follicle characteristics, and serum antioxidant capacity of the kids were periodically determined. The results showed that the birth weight of the kids in the SY group was significantly higher than that in the con group (p < 0.05), and the average weight at 15 days, 1 month, 3 months, and 5 months of age increased by 13.60%, 8.77%, 8.86%, and 3.90%, respectively (p > 0.05). The cashmere fineness at early birth was dramatically reduced with SY supplementation (p < 0.001), whereas cashmere length and production were significantly increased at 5 months of age (p < 0.05). Histology assays indicated that the primary hair follicles were fully developed at birth, and there was no significant difference in the number of primary hair follicles between the two groups (p > 0.05). The number of secondary hair follicles and the number and density of active secondary hair follicles in the SY group at 15 days were significantly higher than those in the con group (p < 0.05) and were increased by 11.18%, 6.18%, and 22.55% at 5 months of age, respectively (p > 0.05). The serum antioxidant capacity analysis revealed that the SY group had higher levels of T-AOC, SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px activities and lower levels of MDA (p > 0.05). These results reveal that the maternal dietary supplementation of SY in gestation can promote the morphogenesis and maturation of secondary hair follicles and increase the number and density of secondary hair follicles by enhancing the body's antioxidant capacity, contributing to the improvement of cashmere quality and yield.

Mitigation of Imidacloprid Toxicity in Poultry Chicken by Selenium Nanoparticles: Growth Performance, Lipid Peroxidation, and Blood Traits

Imidacloprid is an insecticide that protects against insects in the agriculture, animal, and poultry production sectors. Since the accumulation of imidacloprid induces adverse impacts on general health status and quality of the food chain, this study tested the impacts on broilers. Besides, selenium nanoparticles were fed to birds to relieve the negative impacts on growth performance and health status. Birds (1-day age, initial weight 46.05 ± 1.0 g) divided into four groups (triplicates) where 15 chicks of each replicate (45 for each group). The first group (control) was fed the basal diet without either selenium or imidacloprid toxicity. The second group was fed selenium nano form at 3 mg/kg. The third group was fed selenium and exposed to imidacloprid at 1/10 LT50 (3 mg/kg body weight). The fourth group was fed selenium nano form (3 mg/kg) and exposed to imidacloprid at 1/10 LT50 (3 mg/kg body weight). All groups were kept under the same conditions for 35 days. The final weight and weight gain of birds fed selenium nano form showed marked improvement compared to the imidacloprid-exposed group, while the feed intake and feed conversion ratio markedly reduced. The red blood cells showed higher values in birds fed selenium nano than the control and those exposed to imidacloprid. Interestingly, the hemoglobulin and hematocrit increased in birds fed selenium nano form with or without imidacloprid exposure. Furthermore, the white blood cells increased in birds fed selenium nano form with or without imidacloprid exposure. The total protein, albumin, and globulin were higher in birds fed selenium nanoparticles than those exposed to imidacloprid with or without selenium feeding. Birds in the control and imidacloprid groups had higher aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and malondialdehyde levels than the remaining groups. Accordingly, dietary selenium nanoparticles are suggested in broiler feed to cope with the adverse effects of imidacloprid toxicity.

Effect of Dietary Organic Selenium on Growth Performance, Gut Health, and Coccidiosis Response in Broiler Chickens

A total of 252 one-day-old Ross broilers were randomly allocated to one of six treatments in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement with respective Eimeria challenges (non-infection and infection) and three different selenium (Se) diets. Dietary treatments were as follows: (1) Se un-supplemented control (CON), (2) inorganic Se treatment (SS; 0.3 mg/kg as sodium selenite), and (3) organic Se treatment (SY; 0.3 mg/kg as selenized yeast). Six replicate cages were allocated per treatment. Chickens in the respective Eimeria infection groups were infected with an E. acervulina, E. tenella, and E. maxima oocyst mixture (15,000 oocysts/chicken) on day 16. Growth performance was measured on days 16, 22, and 24. On day 22, intestinal samples were collected from randomly selected chickens to evaluate gut lesion scores, antioxidant enzymes, and tight junction gene expression. Blood, breast, and liver samples were collected to analyze the Se concentrations on day 24. Dietary SY supplementation improved (p < 0.05) the growth performance of the chickens regardless of the Eimeria challenge. Moreover, independent of Eimeria infection, Se supplementation elevated (p < 0.05) the heme oxygenase 1 (HMOX-1) expression in jejunal mucosa at 6 days post-infection (dpi). Duodenal junctional adhesion molecule 2 (JAM-2) expression and jejunal occludin (OCLN) were elevated (p < 0.05) with dietary SY supplementation at 6 dpi. Among Se sources, broiler chickens fed with the SY diet showed higher (p < 0.05) Se concentrations in breast muscle and serum on 8 dpi. These results confirmed the beneficial effects of dietary Se and the efficiency of organic Se compared with inorganic Se for growth improvement and muscle Se enrichment in broiler chickens regardless of coccidiosis infection.

Selenium Deficiency Induces Apoptosis, Mitochondrial Dynamic Imbalance, and Inflammatory Responses in Calf Liver

Selenium (Se) deficiency significantly impacts the cow breeding industry by reducing the milk quality of dairy cows and affecting the health of calves. The molecular mechanism of Se deficiency-induced damage to calves, however, remains unclear. The present study investigated whether Se deficiency induces oxidative stress, apoptosis, and inflammation in calf liver tissues. We collected the liver tissues of calves with Se deficiency. Experimental results showed that Se deficiency weakened the activity of antioxidant enzymes and increased the accumulation of oxidation products in the liver. Se deficiency also led to excessive fission of the mitochondria and downregulated the expression of the Mfn2 and Opa1 genes in the calf liver. Mitochondrial damage-induced apoptosis by increasing the expression of pro-apoptotic genes such as CytC, Cas3, Cas9, fas, and Cas8, leading to a decrease in energy metabolism. Se deficiency also triggered the expression of inflammatory-related factors such as IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and NF-κB. Taken together, the results suggest that Se deficiency causes oxidative stress, triggers an inflammatory response, disrupts mitochondrial dynamic balance, and then induces apoptosis, eventually leading to calf liver damage. These findings might provide valuable clues for elucidating the mechanism of Se deficiency-induced injury in domestic animals.