The Impact of Curcumin on Growth Performance, Growth-Related Gene Expression, Oxidative Stress, and Immunological Biomarkers in Broiler Chickens at Different Stocking Densities
1
Physiology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria 22758, Egypt
2
Department of Animal Husbandry and Animal Wealth Development, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria 22758, Egypt
3
Department of Biology, University College of Al Khurmah, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
4
Department of Home Economics, College of Home Economics, King Khalid University, P.O. Box 960, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia
5
Biology Department, College of Science, University of Tabuk, Tabuk 71491, Saudi Arabia
6
Department of Science and Technology, University College-Ranyah, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
7
Physiology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh 33516, Egypt
8
Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Damanhour University, Damanhour 22511, Egypt
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editors: Peter F. Surai and Ilias Giannenas
Animals 2022, 12(8), 958; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12080958
Received: 30 January 2022
/
Revised: 23 March 2022
/
Accepted: 31 March 2022
/
Published: 8 April 2022
(This article belongs to the Collection Recent Advances in Poultry Nutrition and Production)
Simple Summary
The primary goal of global poultry production is to optimize the amount of chicken produced per square meter of floor area. Consequently, stocking density (SD) and curcumin supplementation on broiler performance were investigated. Our results revealed that supplemental curcumin improved birds’ growth, behaviours, and immunity by lowering oxidative stress, enhancing humoral immune response, and modulating the suppression of growth-related gene expressions in broilers raised in high stocking density circumstances.
Curcumin’s antioxidant properties reduce free radicals and may improve broiler growth. Therefore, the influence of stocking density (SD) and administration of curcumin in the diet on broiler performance was explored to clarify the impact of HSD and curcumin on the performance of growth, behavioural patterns, haematological, oxidant/antioxidant parameters, immunity markers, and the growth-related genes expression in broiler chickens. A total of 200 broiler chickens (Cobb 500, 2-weeks old) were allotted into 4 groups; SD (moderate and high) and curcumin (100 and 200 mg/kg diet)-supplemented HSD, respectively. Behavioural observations were performed. After a 28-day experimental period, tissue and blood samples were collected for analysis. Expressions of mRNA for insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), growth hormone receptor (GHR), myostatin (MSTN), and leptin in liver tissues were examined. HSD birds exhibited lower growth performance measurements, haematological parameters, circulating 3,5,3-triiodothyronine and thyroxine levels, antioxidant activities (GSH-Px, catalase, superoxide dismutase), immunoglobulins (A, G, M), and hepatic GHR and IGF-1 expression values. However, HSD birds even had an increment of serum corticosterone, malondialdehyde, pro-inflammatory cytokine (TNF-a, IL-2, IL-6) levels, hepatic leptin and MSTN expression. Moreover, HSD decreased drinking, feeding, crouching, body care, and increased standing and walking behaviour. The addition of curcumin, particularly at a 200 mg/kg diet, alleviated the effect of HSD through amending growth-related gene expression in the chickens. In conclusion, curcumin can enhance birds’ growth performance, behavioural patterns, and immunity by reducing oxidative stress and up-regulating the growth-related gene expressions of broilers under stressful conditions due to a high stocking density.
View Full-Text
Keywords:
broilers; curcumin; physiological efficiency; poultry welfare; stress
▼
Show Figures
Figure 1
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
MDPI and ACS Style
Hafez, M.H.; El-Kazaz, S.E.; Alharthi, B.; Ghamry, H.I.; Alshehri, M.A.; Sayed, S.; Shukry, M.; El-Sayed, Y.S. The Impact of Curcumin on Growth Performance, Growth-Related Gene Expression, Oxidative Stress, and Immunological Biomarkers in Broiler Chickens at Different Stocking Densities. Animals 2022, 12, 958. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12080958
AMA Style
Hafez MH, El-Kazaz SE, Alharthi B, Ghamry HI, Alshehri MA, Sayed S, Shukry M, El-Sayed YS. The Impact of Curcumin on Growth Performance, Growth-Related Gene Expression, Oxidative Stress, and Immunological Biomarkers in Broiler Chickens at Different Stocking Densities. Animals. 2022; 12(8):958. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12080958
Chicago/Turabian StyleHafez, Mona H., Sara E. El-Kazaz, Badr Alharthi, Heba I. Ghamry, Mohammed A. Alshehri, Samy Sayed, Mustafa Shukry, and Yasser S. El-Sayed. 2022. "The Impact of Curcumin on Growth Performance, Growth-Related Gene Expression, Oxidative Stress, and Immunological Biomarkers in Broiler Chickens at Different Stocking Densities" Animals 12, no. 8: 958. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12080958
Find Other Styles
Note that from the first issue of 2016, MDPI journals use article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.
