Effect of Antioxidants on Physio-biochemical and Hematological Parameters in Broiler Chicken at High Altitude

Effects of bacterial organic selenium, selenium yeast and sodium selenite on antioxidant enzymes activity, serum biochemical parameters, and selenium concentration in Lohman brown-classic hens

This study compares the effects of sodium selenite, selenium yeast, and enriched bacterial organic selenium protein on antioxidant enzyme activity, serum biochemical profiles, and egg yolk, serum, and tissue selenium concentration in laying hens. In a 112-d experiment, 144 Lohman Brown Classic hens, 23-wks old were divided into four equal groups, each has six replicates. They were assigned to 4 treatments: 1) a basal diet (Con), 2) Con plus 0.3 mg/kg feed sodium selenite (SS); 3) Con plus 0.3 mg/kg feed Se-yeast (SY): 4) Con plus 0.3 mg/kg feed bacterial enriched organic Se protein (ADS18) from Stenotrophomonas maltophilia bacteria. On d 116, hens were euthanized (slaughtered) to obtain blood (serum), liver organ, and breast tissue to measure antioxidant enzyme activity, biochemical profiles, and selenium concentration. The results show that antioxidant enzyme activity of hens was increased when fed bacterial organic Se (ADS18), resulting in a significant (P < 0.05) increase in serum GSH-Px, SOD, and CAT activity compared to other treatment groups. However, ADS18 and SY supplementation increase (P < 0.05) hepatic TAC, GSH-Px, and CAT activity, unlike the SS and Con group. Similarly, dietary Se treatment reduced total cholesterol and serum triglycerides concentrations significantly (P < 0.05) compared to the Con group. At 16 and 18 weeks, selenium concentration in hen egg yolks supplemented with dietary Se was higher (P < 0.05) than in Con, with similar patterns in breast tissue and serum. Supplementation with bacterial organic Se (ADS18) improved antioxidant enzyme activity, decreased total serum cholesterol and serum lipids, and increased Se deposition in egg yolk, tissue, and serum. Hence, organic Se may be considered a viable source of Se in laying hens.

Angelica archangelica and Ginkgo biloba Extracts Recover Functional Blood Hemoglobin Derivatives in Rabbits Exposed to High Altitude

BACKGROUND

Shortage of oxygen is a common condition for residents of high-altitude (HA) areas. In mammals, hemoglobin (Hb) has four derivatives: oxyhemoglobin (Hb-O2)‎, carboxyhemoglobin (Hb-CO), sulfhemoglobin (Hb-S), and methemoglobin (Met-Hb). In HA areas, aberrant physiological performance of blood hemoglobin is well-established.

OBJECTIVE

The study aimed to investigate the influence of 30 days of HA residence on rabbits' total Hb, Hb derivatives, Hb autooxidation rate, and antioxidant enzymes in comparison to low-altitude control rabbits. Further, the study aimed to investigate the effect of antioxidant-rich Angelica archangelica and/or Ginkgo biloba extracts on the same parameters in HA-resident rabbits.

METHODS

Rabbits subjected to 30 days of HA residence were compared to low-altitude control rabbits. HA-residence rabbits were then orally administered 0.11 g/kg b.wt. of Angelica archangelica and/or Ginkgo biloba extract for 14 days. Hb derivatives and Hb autooxidation rate were measured spectrophotometrically. Antioxidant enzymes were estimated using specialized kits.

RESULTS

Compared to low-altitude rabbits, 30-day HA-residence rabbits showed a noticeable increase (p<0.05) in Hb-O2‎ and Hb-CO concentration. In addition, Met-Hb concentration, autooxidation rate of Hb molecules, and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) exhibited a remarkable increase in HA-residence rabbits (p<0.01), reflective of rapid ROS generation. In HA-residence rabbits, both individual and combined treatment with antioxidant-rich extracts for 14 days resulted in recovery to near-normal functional levels of Hb-O2‎ and Met-Hb, Hb autooxidation rate, and activities of SOD and GPx, while only combined treatment led to Hb-O2 recovery.

CONCLUSION

The findings suggest that functional Hb levels may be recovered by oral administration of A. archangelica, G. biloba, or combined treatments. In conclusion, oxidative stress due to living in HA areas may be avoided by supplementation with natural antioxidants.

Effect of different levels of pomegranate peel powder and probiotic supplementation on growth, carcass traits, blood serum metabolites, antioxidant status and meat quality of broilers

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of dietary pomegranate peel powder (PPP) and probiotic bacteria (PB) on the growth rate, carcass traits, blood serum metabolites, and meat quality of Ross broiler chickens during 1-5 weeks of age. A total of 480 unsexed Ross broiler chicks 7-days old with the beginning bodyweight of 110.58 ± 0.17 g were employed in a complete randomized purpose trail with eight groups; 60 chicks in six replicates (8 × 6 × 10). The dietary treatments were as follows: NC: negative group (without additives) group one; PC: positive control (main diet + 0.5 g Colostin antibiotic/kg feed); PPP 3-5: basal diet + 2, 3, 4 g pomegranate peel powder/kg diet and PPP 6-8: basal diet + 2, 3, 4 g pomegranate peel powder + 1 cm³ probiotic (Bacillus toyonensis (BT)/kg diet, respectively. The results showed that live body weight (LBW) at five weeks and body weight gain (BWG) during 1-5 weeks of age were affected by adding PPP in the ration and the good grads of PPP were 2 and 4 g PPP without PB/kg diet compared to NC and PC, respectively. Otherwise, daily feed conception (DFC) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were not affected by adding the different grads of PPP with or without PB, except the first period of DFC (1-3 weeks of old) were affected. Results showed a significant effect on all carcass characteristics studied, except gizzard and abdominal fat ratio were not influenced by the treatment used. Likewise, the addition of PPP to broiler chicken diets has a good effect on almost the blood serum metabolites, immunological parameters and quality of meat studied. In the end, the outcome of this study concluded that the addition of PPP to broiler diets has a good effect on the growth rate, blood serum metabolites, immunological parameters and the quality of meat as well as the health aspects.

Influence of bacterial organic selenium on blood parameters, immune response, selenium retention and intestinal morphology of broiler chickens

Background

Several studies indicated that dietary organic selenium (Se) usually absorbed better than an inorganic source, with high retention and bioavailability. Dietary Se as an antioxidant element affects the immune system and hematological status in animals. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation of bacterial selenium as an organic source on hematology, immunity response, selenium retention, and gut morphology in broiler chickens.

Results

The present results revealed that supplementation of inorganic Se was associated with the lowest level of RBC, HB, and PCV with significant difference than ADS18-Se. In the starter stage, both T2 and T5 were associated with the significantly highest IgG level compared to the basal diet, while all supplemented groups showed higher IgM levels compared to the control group. In the finisher phase, all Se supplemented groups showed significant (P ˂ 0.05) increases in IgG, IgA, and IgM levels compared to T1. Birds fed bacterial-Se showed high intestinal villus height and better Se retention more than sodium selenite. The organic selenium of ADS18 had a superior action in improving Se retention compared to ADS1 and ADS2 bacterial Se.

Conclusions

Bacterial organic Se had a beneficial effect on the villus height of small intestine led to high Se absorption and retention. Thus, it caused a better effect of Se on hematological parameters and immunity response.

Effects of dried okra fruit (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) powder on growth, carcass characteristics, blood indices, and meat quality of stored broiler meat

The present study investigated the impacts of dried okra fruit powder (DOFP), used as a natural feed supplement, on growth, carcass, blood, and meat quality parameters of broilers. A total of 240 unsexed, one-week-old chicks were randomly allotted to 4 equal groups with 6 replicates in each group (i.e., 10 birds/replicate). The dietary treatments consisted of the basal diet as control, and 3 DOFP groups, supplemented with 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 g DOFP/kg feed, respectively. The results showed that the highest values of live body weight and body weight gain were observed in the group with 1.0 g of DOFP/kg of feed during the fifth week of age and between 1 and 5 wk of age, respectively. During 1 to 3 wk of age, daily feed consumption of chicks fed DOFP-supplemented diets increased numerically with increasing DOFP levels. Dietary treatments significantly depressed liver, thigh, and dressing fat percentages. Chicks fed the diet containing 1.0 g of DOFP/kg of feed had the lowest values for serum urea and creatinine compared with the other treatment group. In addition, the concentration of liver enzymes decreased with increasing DOFP levels, except for the groups fed 3.0 and 1.0 g of DOFP/kg of diet. Oxidative rancidity of broiler meat samples containing DOFP in their diets was lower than that of the control samples, throughout the storage period. It can be concluded that DOFP is a useful phytogenic additive, which can lower the percentage of abdominal fat of the carcass, as well as alanine aminotransferase, urea, and creatinine in the blood. Furthermore, all sensory characteristics of the meat were improved by the addition of DOFP to broiler diets. It could be concluded that DOFP can be used as a natural supplement in broiler diets for improving growth performance and reducing abdominal fat, blood creatinine, and urea.

Laying performance, immune response, serum biochemical parameters and egg quality traits of female turkeys fed diet incorporated with organic selenium

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of organic selenium (Se) supplementation on laying performance, immune response, serum biochemical parameters and egg quality traits of female turkeys. Female turkeys (96; 16 wks old) were randomly distributed into 4 treatment groups with 4 replicates and 6 birds each (4 × 4 × 6) for a period of 24 weeks. The basal diet (T1) contained 0 mg Se/kg diet and the three experimental diets were supplemented with 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 mg Se/kg diet (T2, T3 and T4 respectively). Age at sexual maturity, egg number and egg weight differed significantly in 0.4 mg Se/kg treated group (T3) than the other dietary treatment groups (T2 or T4). Humoral (29th weeks) and in vivo cell mediated immune response (30th weeks) were significantly improved in 0.4 or 0.6 mg Se treated group. Se supplemented groups, i.e. T3 and T4 decreased significantly in serum cholesterol and uric acid concentration whereas significant increase were recorded in total protein, albumin and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). No significant differences were observed in serum aspartate amino transferase (AST) and alanine amino transferase (ALT) concentration among the experimental groups. Egg quality traits, viz. shape, albumin and yolk index, shell thickness did not differ significantly among Se supplemented groups, whereas albumin and yolk weight and Haugh unit score were significantly higher in 0.4 mg Se/kg treated (T3) group. Thus, this study demonstrates that that dietary supplementation of 0.4 mg/Se kg diet has a beneficial effect on laying performance, immune responses, serum biochemical and egg quality traits in laying turkeys.

The impact of dietary linseed oil and pomegranate peel extract on broiler growth, carcass traits, serum lipid profile, and meat fatty acid, phenol, and flavonoid contents

Objective

The current study aimed to replace soybean oil in broiler diets with linseed oil, which is rich in omega-3 fatty acid supplemented with pomegranate peel extract (PPE) and measured its effect on broiler performance, carcass traits, lipid profile, as well as fatty acids composition, phenols and flavonoids content of broiler muscles and immunity of broiler chicks.

Methods

A total of 300 1-day-old Cobb chicks were randomly allotted into six experimental groups, T1 fed on basal diet with soybean oil without any additives, T2 fed on basal diet with soybean oil with addition of 0.5 g/kg diet PPE, T3 fed on fed on basal diet with soybean oil with addition of 1 g/kg diet PPE, T4 fed on basal diet with linseed oil without any additives, T5 fed on basal diet with linseed oil with addition of 0.5 g/kg diet PPE and T6 fed on basal diet with linseed oil with addition of 1 g/kg diet PPE. The PPE supplementation with 0.05% improved final body weight with either soybean oil ration or linseed oil ration.

Results

The PPE improved carcass dressing percentage in comparison with the control groups. Body fat levels decreased with increasing PPE levels, especially with a linseed oil diet. Replacing soybean oil with linseed oil decreased the total cholesterol and triacylglycerol levels in broiler serum. The PPE supplementation decreased serum total cholesterol levels and increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. The content of the breast muscle alpha linolenic acid improved after replacement of soybean oil with linseed oil in broiler diets. PPE supplementation increased the phenol and flavonoid content in broiler meat and increased lysozyme activity.

Conclusion

Replacing soybean oil with linseed oil in broiler diets with the addition of PPE enriched muscle meat with omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants and improved broiler immunity and their serum lipid profile.

Influences of dietary supplementation of peanut skin powder (Arachis Hypogaea) on growth performance, carcass traits, blood chemistry, antioxidant activity and meat quality of broilers

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with powdered peanut skin (PS) as natural antioxidant and growth promoter on growth performance, carcass characteristics, serum metabolites and meat quality of Cobb broiler chickens. A total of 240 unsexed Cobb 500 1-week-old broiler chicks were randomly assigned to four treatment groups with six replicates. The dietary treatments consisted of the basal diet as control and PS groups (1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 PS g/kg). Results showed that the highest values (P < 0.01) of live bodyweight and bodyweight gain were observed in the control group at 3 weeks of age and during the period of 1–3 weeks of age, respectively compared with all levels of PS. During 1–3 weeks of age, feed intake per day chicks fed the diet containing PS levels decreased numerically (P > 0.01) with increased levels of PS compared with the control. Supplementing 1.0 or 3.0 g/kg of PS insignificantly enhanced feed conversion ratio at 1–6 weeks of age. Dietary treatments significantly depressed giblets (P = 0.002), thigh (P = 0.0.027) and abdominal fat percentages (P > 0.0.1), however, increased (P = 0.004) breast percentage of broiler chicks at 6 weeks of age. The lowest value of serum creatinine and urea achieved by chicks fed diet contained 3.0 PS g/kg diet. Also, high density lipoprotein cholesterol in addition to triglycerides were significantly (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01) decreased with increasing level of PS supplementation. It can be concluded that PS as a phytogenic additive could be used as a supplementation to broiler diets to lower abdominal fat in carcass and cholesterol, creatinin and urea in blood. Sensory characteristics were not affected except that appearance was improved. Water-holding capacity was also improved.

The effect of dietary bacterial organic selenium on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, and Selenoproteins gene expression in broiler chickens

Background

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace mineral in broilers, which has several important roles in biological processes. Organic forms of Se are more efficient than inorganic forms and can be produced biologically via Se microbial reduction. Hence, the possibility of using Se-enriched bacteria as feed supplement may provide an interesting source of organic Se, and benefit broiler antioxidant system and other biological processes. The objective of this study was to examine the impacts of inorganic Se and different bacterial organic Se sources on the performance, serum and tissues Se status, antioxidant capacity, and liver mRNA expression of selenoproteins in broilers.

Results

Results indicated that different Se sources did not significantly (P ≤ 0.05) affect broiler growth performance. However, bacterial organic Se of T5 (basal diet +0.3 mg /kg feed ADS18 Se), T4 (basal diet +0.3 mg /kg feed ADS2 Se), and T3 (basal diet +0.3 mg /kg feed ADS1 Se) exhibited significantly (P ≤ 0.05) highest Se concentration in serum, liver, and kidney respectively. Dietary inorganic Se and bacterial organic Se were observed to significantly affect broiler serum ALT, AST, LDH activities and serum creatinine level. ADS18 supplemented Se of (Stenotrophomonas maltophilia) bacterial strain showed the highest GSH-Px activity with the lowest MDA content in serum, and the highest GSH-Px and catalase activity in the kidney, while bacterial Se of ADS2 (Klebsiella pneumoniae) resulted in a higher level of GSH-Px1 and catalase in liver. Moreover, our study showed that in comparison with sodium selenite, only ADS18 bacterial Se showed a significantly higher mRNA level in GSH-Px1, GSH-Px4, DIO1, and TXNDR1, while both ADS18 and ADS2 showed high level of mRNA of DIO2 compared to sodium selenite.

Conclusions

The supplementation of bacterial organic Se in broiler chicken, improved tissue Se deposition, antioxidant status, and selenoproteins gene expression, and can be considered as an effective alternative source of Se in broiler chickens.

Wheat germ oil enrichment in broiler feed with α-lipoic acid to enhance the antioxidant potential and lipid stability of meat

BACKGROUND

Lipid peroxidation is the cause of declining the meat quality. Natural antioxidants plays a vital role in enhancing the stability and quality of meat. The supplementation of natural antioxidants in feed decreases lipid peroxidation and improves the stability of meat.

METHODS

The present research was conducted to determine the effect of α-lipoic acid, α-tocopherol and wheat germ oil on the status of antioxidants, quality and lipid stability of broiler meat. One day old male broilers were fed with different feeds containing antioxidants i.e. natural (wheat germ oil) and synthetic α-tocopherol and α-lipoic acid during the two experimental years.

RESULTS

The feed treatments have significant variation on the body weight and feed conversion ratio (FCR) while having no influence on the feed intake. The broilers fed on wheat germ oil (natural α-tocopherol) gained maximum body weight (2451.97 g & 2466.07 g) in the experimental years 2010-11 & 2011-12, respectively. The higher total phenolic contents were found in the broilers fed on wheat germ oil plus α-lipoic acid in breast (162.73±4.8 mg Gallic acid equivalent/100 g & 162.18±4.5 mg Gallic acid equivalent/100 g) and leg (149.67±3.3 mg Gallic acid equivalent/100 g & 146.07±3.2 mg Gallic acid equivalent/100 g) meat during both experimental years. Similar trend was observed for the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power assay (FRAP). The production of malondialdehydes in the breast and leg meat increased with progressive increase in the time period. The deposition of α-tocopherol (AT) and α-lipoic acid (ALA) contents were found to be higher in the broilers fed on wheat germ oil plus α-lipoic acid in breast and leg meat during the both experimental years.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the combination of wheat germ oil and α-lipoic acid has more beneficial for stability and the quality of the broiler meat and more work should be needed in future for the bio-evaluation of this kind of functional meat in humans.