Forsythia suspensa extract enhances performance via the improvement of nutrient digestibility, antioxidant status, anti-inflammatory function, and gut morphology in broilers

Abstract

This experiment aims to determine the effects of Forsythia suspense extract ( FSE ) as an antibiotic substitute on performance, antioxidant status, anti-inflammatory function, intestinal morphology, and meat fatty acid deposition in broilers. 192 male Arbor Acre broilers (1-day-old, weighing 45.6 ± 1.3 g) were randomly allocated to 3 treatments, 8 replicate pens per treatment, 8 broilers per pen. The treatments contain a control diet (corn-soybean meal basal diet, CTL ), an antibiotic diet (basal diet + 75 mg/kg chlortetracycline, CTC ), and an FSE diet (basal diet + 100 mg/kg FSE; FSE). The experiment includes phase 1 (day 1 to 21) and 2 (day 22 to 42). Compared with CTL and CTC, broilers supplemented with FSE showed higher ( P < 0.05) ADG and ADFI in phase 2 and overall (day 1 to 42). On day 21, serum catalase and total antioxidant capacity contents were enhanced ( P < 0.05) in broilers fed FSE compared with CTL. On day 42, broilers fed FSE showed increased ( P < 0.05) serum superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase contents, and enhanced ( P < 0.05) apparent total tract digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, gross energy, total carbohydrates, and phosphorus, as well as reduced ( P < 0.05) nitrogen and phosphorus excretion in feces compared with CTL. These broilers also showed decreased ( P < 0.05) n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid ratio in thigh meat, and tumor necrotic factor-alpha, interleukin-1β and interleukin-6 contents in the liver on day 42 compared with CTL. The villus height was increased ( P < 0.05) in the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum of broilers fed FSE compared with CTL. In conclusion, dietary F. suspense extract supplementation as a chlortetracycline substitute under non-challenge conditions enhanced performance via the improvement of nutrient digestibility, antioxidant status, anti-inflammatory function, and intestinal morphology in broilers. Moreover, F. suspense extract may also benefit environment by reducing nitrogen and phosphorus excretion and benefit human health via modulating meat fatty acid profiles in broilers.

Supplementation of Mixed Organic Acids Improves Growth Performance, Meat Quality, Gut Morphology and Volatile Fatty Acids of Broiler Chicken

“…Meat colour L* values (luminosity) illustrate the amount of oxygenated myoglobin, a * values (redness) indicate the level and presence of deoxygenated myoglobin in the muscle, and b * values (yellowness) reflect the content of myoglobin that has been oxidized to high iron myoglobin; thus, more redness is desirable in chicken meat [ 8 , 35 ]. In general, in red meat, placement in the outer packaging resulted in the oxidation of oxymyoglobin into methemoglobin with lower red values, which are relevant to the antioxidant properties of chicken [ 36 ] ΔpH for evaluating the speed of decline in muscle pH values [ 22 ]. Our findings showed that diet supplemented with HMOA could reduce the ΔpH in the breast muscle and that a higher redness was observed in the thigh muscle.…”

“…Then, the right breast and thigh were stored at 4 °C until 24 h and the pH value, L*, a*, and b* were measured again three times at three different positions. The mean value was calculated, recorded as pH 24 h and the ΔpH calculated (ΔpH = pH 45 min − pH 24 h ) according to Long et al [ 22 ].…”

Comparison of overfeeding effects on gut physiology and microbiota in two goose breeds

“…The antioxidant substances in the intestinal tract can eliminate the peroxide in the intestinal tract and protect the intestinal mucosa ( Lin et al., 2016 ; Qiu et al., 2020 ). Similarly, the gut antioxidant performance will influence the activity of digestive enzymes ( Long et al., 2020b ; Mountzouris et al., 2020 ). The antioxidant enzymes such as SOD and CAT are indispensable key factors against oxidative stress that have the capacity to decompose superoxide and eliminate free radicals by using a chain reaction mechanism ( Shirani et al., 2019 ).…”

Application of Defatted Scenedesmus Obliquus Biomass for Broilers’ Nutrition

“…In the same context, these results are in consistence with the results obtained by Park et al (2018) and Pestana et al (2020) with Spirulina supplementation in broilers' diets. In addition, Long et al (2020) reported that Forsythia suspensa extract improved Arbor Acre broilers' BWG and ADFI from 1 to 42 days of age in comparison with the control ones. On the other hand, Martinez et al (2019) noted that broiler diets supplemented with up to 0.30% red algae powder from 1 to 32 days of age did not affect BW at 32 days of age and FCR but, feed intake was increased.…”