Hesperidin and Naringin Improve Broiler Meat Fatty Acid Profile and Modulate the Expression of Genes Involved in Fatty Acid β-oxidation and Antioxidant Defense in a Dose Dependent Manner

Abstract

The beneficial properties of the flavanones hesperidin and naringin as feed additives in poultry have lately been under investigation. In broilers, both flavanones have been shown to exhibit antioxidant properties while their individual effects on fatty acid (FA) composition and the underlying molecular mechanisms of their activity have not been explored. Here, we studied their effects on broiler meats’ FA profiles and on the expression of genes related to lipid metabolism, antioxidant defense and anti-inflammatory function. The experimental design comprised six treatment groups of broilers, each supplemented from day 11 until slaughter at 42 days with hesperidin, naringin or vitamin E, as follows: the E1 group received 0.75 g of hesperidin per kg of feed, E2 received 1.5 g hesperidin/kg feed, N1 received 0.75 g naringin/kg feed, N2 received 1.5 g naringin/kg feed, vitamin E (VE) received 0.2 g a-tocopheryl acetate/kg feed, and the control group was not provided with a supplemented feed. The VE treatment group served as a positive control for antioxidant activity. An analysis of the FA profiles of the abdominal adipose tissue (fat pad), major pectoralis (breast) and biceps femoris (thigh) muscles showed that both hesperidin and naringin had significant effects on saturated FA (SFA), polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) and omega n-6 content. Both compounds reduced SFA and increased PUFA and n-6 content, as well as reducing the atherogenicity and thrombogenicity indices in the breast muscle and fat pad. The effects on the thigh muscle were limited. An analysis of gene expression in the liver revealed that naringin significantly increased peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα), Acyl-CoA oxidase 1 (ACOX1) and glutathione disulfide reductase (GSR) expression. In the breast muscle, both hesperidin and naringin increased fatty acid synthase (FASN) expression and hesperidin increased the expression of adiponectin. In brief, both hesperidin and naringin supplementation beneficially affected FA profiles in the breast meat and fat pad of broiler chicken. These effects could be attributed to an increase in FA β-oxidation since the increased expression of related genes (PPARα and ACOX1) was observed in the liver. Furthermore, the antioxidant activity of hesperidin and naringin previously observed in the meat of broilers could be attributed, at least partly, to the regulation of antioxidant defense genes, as evidenced by the increased GSR expression in response to naringin supplementation.

Dietary Flavonoids as Modulators of Lipid Metabolism in Poultry

“…Fotakis et al ( Fotakis et al, 2017 ) demonstrated that when supplemented in the broiler diet (0.70–1.5 g/kg), hesperidin reduced serum lipid content and significantly increased plasma alanine. Hager-Theodorides et al ( Hager-Theodorides et al, 2021 ) also found that the addition of hesperidin and naringenin to the broiler diet increased omega n-6 FA and PUFA/SFA ratios in breast muscle and fat pads. An explanation for these observed effects on fatty acid composition is that hesperidin and naringenin can enhance the expression of genes encoding factors related to fatty acid β-oxidation as well as fatty acid synthesis.…”

“…Addition of hesperidin to the poultry diet can improve antioxidant capacity, health and egg production, reduce serum and yolk cholesterol content in laying hens ( S.Ting et al, 2011 ), and improve the fatty acid profile by reducing SFA and increasing polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) content in broilers ( Hager-Theodorides et al, 2021 ), and bolster the immune response against lipopolysaccharide (LPS) ( Kawaguchi et al, 2004 ). Fotakis et al ( Fotakis et al, 2017 ) demonstrated that when supplemented in the broiler diet (0.70–1.5 g/kg), hesperidin reduced serum lipid content and significantly increased plasma alanine.…”

“…At the transcriptional level, flavanones enhance adipogenesis. Hager-Theodorides et al ( Hager-Theodorides et al, 2021 ) supplemented 240-day-old Ross 308 broiler chickens with hesperidin (0.75 or 1.5 g/kg feed) and naringenin (0.75 or 1.5 g/kg feed) for a month. They analyzed the fatty acid profile of the abdominal fat pad, and breast and thigh muscles, and found that both hesperidin and naringenin significantly reduced SFA and increased PUFA and n-6 content.…”

Vitamin E Supplementation Enhances Lipid Oxidative Stability via Increasing Vitamin E Retention, Rather Than Gene Expression of MAPK-Nrf2 Signaling Pathway in Muscles of Broilers

“…This increase was advanced to d 2 in the breast meat of W1, but no increase in TBARS was observed in W2 and W3. Increasing VE in the diet improves the content of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in breast and thigh meat [30,33]. These unsaturated fatty acids are sensitive to lipid oxidation and might be one reason for the higher TBARS on d 6 of the control and d 2 of W1, where VE accumulation was not enough to prevent lipid peroxidation.…”

Naringin prevents follicular atresia by inhibiting oxidative stress in the aging chicken

“…The number of studies on naringin's application in livestock and poultry production is relatively minor and single. Most studies have focused on naringin's effects on fat metabolism, meat quality, and livestock and poultry body immunity ( Simitzis et al., 2019 ; Hager-Theodorides et al., 2021 ). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the protective effect of naringin on the follicular development of laying hens during late laying period.…”