Context
Heat stress is one of the problems commonly found in broiler industry in tropic and subtropic regions that results in impairment of intestinal integrity, leading to inflammation and poor performance.
Aims
This study aimed to investigate the effect of dietary resveratrol supplementation on growth performance, intestinal morphology and barrier integrity, and inflammation response of yellow-feather broilers under heat stress.
Methods
In total, 288 birds (28-day-old) were randomly allotted to three treatment groups, with six replicates. A thermo-neutral group (24 ± 2°C) received a basal diet and two heat-stressed groups (37 ± 2°C for 8 h/day and 24 ± 2°C for the remaining time) were fed the basal diet (HT) or basal diet supplemented with 500 mg/kg resveratrol for 14 consecutive days.
Key results
Compared with the thermo-neutral group, birds in the HT group had a decreased (P < 0.05) average daily feed intake, average daily gain, villus height, villus height to crypt depth ratio, mRNA concentrations of mucin-2, secreted immunoglobulin A (sIgA), claudin-1,zona occludens-1 and serum concentrations of interferon γ, and increased (P < 0.05) feed to gain ratio, crypt depth, mRNA levels of expression of heat-shock protein (HSP) 70, HSP90, nuclear factor kappa B, mucin-4, claudin-2 and serum concentrations of endotoxin, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-4, IL-6 and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α on Day 3 and Day 14, except for claudin-1 on Day 14 and TNF-α on Day 3 (P > 0.05). Compared with HT group, birds in HT supplemented with resveratrol group decreased (P < 0.05) crypt depth (in jejunum on Day 3, ileum on Day 14), mRNA levels of expression of HSP70, HSP90, nuclear factor kappa B, mucin-4, claudin-2 and serum concentrations of endotoxin, IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6 and TNF-α, and increased (P < 0.05) average daily feed intake (+11%), average daily gain (+22%) and villus height, villus height to crypt depth ratio, mRNA levels of expression of mucin-2, sIgA, claudin-1,zona occludens-1 and serum concentrations of interferon γ, although with few fluctuations between Day 3 and Day 14.
Conclusions
Dietary supplementation of resveratrol was effective in partially alleviating the adverse effects of heat stress on growth performance and intestinal barrier function in yellow-feather broilers, by restoring the impaired villus-crypt structure, altering the mRNA expression of intestinal HSPs, mucins, sIgA and tight junction-related gene, and inhibiting secretion of pro-inflammation cytokines.
Implications
Dietary resveratrol supplementation is a considerable nutritional strategy to anti-stress in animal production.