Abstract: |
Recently, researchers have been intensively looking for novel, safe antibiotic alternatives
because of the prevalence of many clinical and subclinical diseases affecting bird flocks and the risks
of using antibiotics in subtherapeutic doses as feed additives. The present study intended to evaluate
the potential use of 1,3--glucans (GLC) as antibiotic alternative growth promotors and assessed the
effect of their dietary inclusion on the growth performance, carcass traits, chemical composition of
breast muscles, economic efficiency, blood biochemical parameters, liver histopathology, antioxidant
activity, and the proinflammatory response of broiler chickens. This study used 200 three-dayold
ROSS broiler chickens (50 chicks/group, 10 chicks/replicate, with an average body weight of
98.71 0.17 g/chick). They were assigned to four experimental groups with four dietary levels of
GLC, namely 0, 50, 100, and 150 mg kg1, for a 35-day feeding period. Birds fed diets containing
GLC showed an identical different growth rate to the control group. However, the total feed intake
(TFI) increased quadratically in the GLC50 and GLC100 groups as compared to that in the control
group. GLC addition had no significant effect on the weights of internal and immune organs, except
for a decrease in bursal weight in the GLC150 group (p = 0.01). Dietary GLC addition increased
the feed cost and total cost at 50 and 100 mg kg1 doses. The percentages of n-3 and n-6 PUFA
in the breast muscle of broiler chickens fed GLC-supplemented diets increased linearly in a dosedependent
manner (p < 0.01). The serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level and the uric acid level
were quadratically increased in the GLC150 group. The serum levels of total antioxidant capacity,
catalase, superoxide dismutase, interleukin-1, and interferon-gamma linearly increased, while the
MDA level decreased in the GLC-fed groups in a dose-dependent manner. Normal histological
characterization of different liver structures in the different groups with moderate round cells was
noted as a natural immune response around the hepatic portal area. The different experimental
groups showed an average percentage of positive immunostaining to the proinflammatory marker
transforming growth factor-beta with an increase in the dose of GLC addition. The results suggest
that GLC up to 100 mg kg1 concentration can be used as a feed additive in the diets of broiler
chickens and shows no adverse effects on their growth, dressing percentage, and internal organs.
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