Dietary Chitooligosaccharide Inclusion as an Alternative to Antibiotics Improves Intestinal Morphology, Barrier Function, Antioxidant Capacity, and Immunity of Broilers at Early Age

This study aimed to investigate the effects of chitooligosaccharide (COS) inclusion as an alternative to antibiotics on growth performance, intestinal morphology, barrier function, antioxidant capacity, and immunity in broilers. In total, 144 one-day-old Arbor Acres broiler chicks were randomly assigned into 3 groups and fed a basal diet free from antibiotics (control group) or the same basal diet further supplemented with either chlortetracycline (antibiotic group) or COS, for 21 days. Compared with the control group, inclusion of COS reduced the feed to gain ratio, the jejunal crypt depth, the plasma diamine oxidase activity, and the endotoxin concentration, as well as jejunal and ileal malondialdehyde contents, whereas increased duodenal villus height, duodenal and jejunal ratio of villus height to crypt depth, intestinal immunoglobulin G, and jejunal immunoglobulin M (IgM) contents were observed, with the values of these parameters being similar or better to that of the antibiotic group. Additionally, supplementation with COS enhanced the superoxide dismutase activity and IgM content of the duodenum and up-regulated the mRNA level of claudin three in the jejunum and ileum, when compared with the control and antibiotic groups. In conclusion, dietary COS inclusion (30 mg/kg), as an alternative to antibiotics, exerts beneficial effects on growth performance, intestinal morphology, barrier function, antioxidant capacity, and immunity in broilers.

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Dietary Enteromorpha Polysaccharide Enhances Intestinal Immune Response, Integrity, and Caecal Microbial Activity of Broiler Chickens

Frontiers in Nutrition ◽

10.3389/fnut.2021.783819 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Teketay Wassie ◽

Zhuang Lu ◽

Xinyi Duan ◽

Chunyan Xie ◽

Kefyalew Gebeyew ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Broiler Chickens ◽

Marine Algae ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Control Group ◽

Villus Height ◽

Crypt Depth ◽

Caecal Microbiota

Marine algae polysaccharides have been shown to regulate various biological activities, such as immune modulation, antioxidant, antidiabetic, and hypolipidemic. However, litter is known about the interaction of these polysaccharides with the gut microbiota. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of marine algae Enteromorpha (Ulva) prolifera polysaccharide (EP) supplementation on growth performance, immune response, and caecal microbiota of broiler chickens. A total of 200 1-day-old Ross-308 broiler chickens were randomly divided into two treatment groups with ten replications of ten chickens in each replication. The dietary treatments consisted of the control group (fed basal diet), and EP group (received diet supplemented with 400 mg EP/kg diet). Results showed that chickens fed EP exhibited significantly higher (P < 0.05) body weight and average daily gain than the chicken-fed basal diet. In addition, significantly longer villus height, shorter crypt depth, and higher villus height to crypt depth ratio were observed in the jejunal and ileal tissues of chickens fed EP. EP supplementation upregulated the mRNA expression of NF-κB, TLR4, MyD88, IL-2, IFN-α, and IL-1β in the ileal and jejunal tissues (P < 0.05). Besides, we observed significantly higher (P < 0.05) short-chain volatile fatty acids (SCFAs) levels in the caecal contents of the EP group than in the control group. Furthermore, 16S-rRNA analysis revealed that EP supplementation altered gut microbiota and caused an abundance shift at the phylum and genus level in broiler chicken. Interestingly, we observed an association between microbiota and SCFAs production. Overall, this study demonstrated that supplementation of diet with EP promotes growth performance, improves intestinal immune response and integrity, and modulates the caecal microbiota of broiler chickens. This study highlighted the application of marine algae polysaccharides as an antibiotic alternative for chickens. Furthermore, it provides insight to develop marine algae polysaccharide-based functional food and therapeutic agent.

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Effects of Dietary Taurine Supplementation to Gilts during Late Gestation and Lactation on Offspring Growth and Oxidative Stress

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani9050220 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (5) ◽

pp. 220 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Mengmeng Xu ◽

Long Che ◽

Kaiguo Gao ◽

Li Wang ◽

Xuefen Yang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Stress ◽

Protein Expression ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Barrier Function ◽

Average Daily Gain ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Intestinal Morphology ◽

Late Gestation ◽

Villus Height ◽

And Oxidative Stress

Birth is one of the most important events of animal production agriculture, as newborns are abruptly forced to adapt to environmental and nutritional disruptions that can lead to oxidative damage and delay in growth. Taurine (Tau) is an important regulator of oxidative stress and possesses growth-enhancing properties. In the present study, we investigated the effects of dietary Tau supplementation in gilts during late gestation and lactation on the growth performance of piglets by assessing intestinal morphology and barrier function, and oxidative stress status. Sixteen gilts were randomly allocated to the Con (basal diet) and Tau (basal diet with 1% Tau) groups from 75 d of gestation to weaning. Maternal dietary Tau supplementation significantly increased weaning weight and average daily gain weight in piglets. Piglets in the Tau group had higher villus height and villus height-to-crypt depth ratio (VCR), ZO-1 protein expression, and secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) content in the jejunum. Meanwhile, Tau bebeficial affected the milk quality of gilts, as indicated by decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration and increased total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), total antioxidative capability (T-AOC), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and catalase (CAT) activity. Furthermore, Tau supplementation increased T-SOD activity in plasma and SOD2 protein expression in the jejunum in the piglets. In conclusion, this study provides evidence that dietary Tau supplementation to gilts improves growth performance in piglets, owing to improved intestinal morphology and barrier function, as well as inhibition of oxidative stress.

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Effects of Xylo-Oligosaccharides on Growth and Gut Microbiota as Potential Replacements for Antibiotic in Weaning Piglets

Frontiers in Microbiology ◽

10.3389/fmicb.2021.641172 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Yuxia Chen ◽

Yining Xie ◽

Ruqing Zhong ◽

Lei Liu ◽

Changguang Lin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Intestinal Morphology ◽

Short Chain ◽

Control Group ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Weaned Piglets ◽

Villus Height ◽

Crypt Depth ◽

Weaning Piglets

Xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS) is a well-known kind of oligosaccharide and extensively applied as a prebiotic. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of XOS supplementation substituting chlortetracycline (CTC) on growth, gut morphology, gut microbiota, and hindgut short chain fatty acid (SCFA) contents of weaning piglets. A total of 180 weaned piglets were randomly allocated to three treatments for 28 days, as follows: control group (basal diet, CON), basal diet with 500 mg/kg (XOS500) XOS, and positive control (basal diet with 100 mg/kg CTC). Compared with the CON group, the piglets in the XOS500 group improved body weight (BW) on days 28, average daily gain (ADG) and reduced feed: gain ratio during days 1–28 (P < 0.05). The XOS500 supplementation increased Villus height and Villus height: Crypt depth ratio in the ileum (P < 0.05). Villus Height: Crypt Depth of the ileum was also increased in the CTC treatment group (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, the XOS500 supplementation increased significantly the numbers of goblet cells in the crypt of the cecum. High-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed distinct differences in microbial compositions between the ileum and cecum. XOS500 supplementation significantly increased the bacterial diversity. However, CTC treatment markedly reduced the microbial diversity (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, XOS500 supplementation in the diet significantly increased the abundance of Lactobacillus genus compared to the CON and CTC group in the ileum and cecum (P < 0.01), whereas the level of Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, Escherichia-Shigella, and Terrisporobacter genus in the XOS500 group were markedly lower than the CON and CTC group (P < 0.05). In addition, dietary supplementation with XOS500 significantly increased the total short-chain fatty acids, propionate and butyrate concentrations and decreased the acetate concentration compared to the CON group in the cecum (P < 0.05). In summary, dietary supplemented with XOS500 could enhance specific beneficial microbiota abundance and decrease harmful microbiota abundance to maintain the structure of the intestinal morphology and improve growth performance of weaned piglets. Thus, XOS may potentially function as an alternative to in-feed antibiotics in weaned piglets in modern husbandry.

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PSVI-40 Effects of dietary glucan on intestinal morphology, immunity response, barrier function and antioxidant capacity in weaning pigs

Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.1093/jas/skz258.436 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 97 (Supplement_3) ◽

pp. 212-213

Author(s):

xia xiong ◽

Lvliang Wu ◽

Yirui Shao ◽

Jian zou ◽

Yulong Yin

Keyword(s):

Antioxidant Capacity ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Mrna Expression ◽

Dietary Supplementation ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Intestinal Morphology ◽

Control Group ◽

Gut Health ◽

Weaned Piglets ◽

Weaning Piglets

Abstract Glucan has been studied as a potential alternative to antibiotics for animals in recent years. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of dietary glucan on growth performance and gut health of weaning piglets, which is a water-soluble extracellular ꞵ-glucan produced by Agrobacterium sp. ZX09. A total of 108 weaned piglets (21 d of age; 6.05 ± 0.36 kg) were randomly assigned (6 pens/diet; 18 piglets/pen) to 3 dietary treatments consisting of a basal diet (control group) or the basal diet supplemented with 20 ppm olaquindox or 200 ppm glucan for 14 days, respectively. The results showed that piglets fed with glucan had greater (P < 0.05) body weight and average daily gain than piglets in control group. Piglets fed with glucan or antibiotic had greater villus height to crypt depth ratio on duodenum compared with control group (P < 0.05). The mRNA expression of Claudin-1 on duodenum or ileum was higher (P < 0.05) in glucan group than that on the other groups. The mRNA expression of TLR4, MYD88 and NFκB on jejunum were lower (P < 0.05) in glucan or antibiotic group than those in control group. Dietary supplementation with glucan tended to increase the IL-10 and SIgA concentration on ileum (0.05 < P < 0.1). Dietary supplementation with glucan tended to increase the total antioxidant capacity on jejunum (P = 0.093). In conclusion, 200 ppm glucan or 20 ppm olaquindox can improve the growth performance of weaning piglets. The glucan may can accelerate the growth of weaned piglets by improving gut health. This research will provide guidance for the olaquindox alternative on growing piglets.

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Effects of Glutamine on Growth Performance, Intestinal Morphology and Intestinal Barrier Function of Broilers

Indian Journal of Animal Research ◽

10.18805/ijar.b-1207 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Q. J. Wu ◽

Z. H. Liu ◽

C. Jiao ◽

B. Y. Cheng ◽

D. D. Zhu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Growth Performance ◽

Feed Intake ◽

Barrier Function ◽

Average Daily Gain ◽

Intestinal Barrier ◽

Intestinal Morphology ◽

Intestinal Barrier Function ◽

Villus Height ◽

Crypt Depth ◽

Daily Gain

The effect of glutamine (Gln) on growth performance, intestinal morphology and intestinal barrier function were evaluated in broilers. A total of 320 birds were divided into a control group (CON) and three experimental groups (Gln 1, Gln 2 and Gln 3). Broilers of group CON received basal diet; broilers in group Gln 1, Gln 2 and Gln 3 were supplemented with 0.5%, 1.0% and 1.5 % Gln, respectively, for 42 days. The results indicated that Gln has no influence on the average daily gain (ADG) among the treatments in the periods of 1 to 21 d, 22 to 42 d and 1 to 42 d (P > 0.05). However, Gln improved average daily feed intake (ADFI) and feed intake: average daily gain (F: G), increased the villus height, villus height to crypt depth ratio (V/C) and the activities of sucrose, the ZO1, claudin-1 and occluding mRNA expression levels (P 0.05). Moreover, Gln decreased the crypt depth of jejunum and ileum in broilers at days 21 and 42 (P 0.05). In conclusion, Gln had a positive effect on growth performance and gut parameters by modifying the function of the intestinal mucosa barrier.

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Intestinal Morphology in Broiler Chickens Supplemented with Propolis and Bee Pollen

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani9060301 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

pp. 301 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Ivana Prakatur ◽

Maja Miskulin ◽

Mirela Pavic ◽

Ksenija Marjanovic ◽

Valerija Blazicevic ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Beneficial Effect ◽

Broiler Chickens ◽

Dietary Supplementation ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Intestinal Morphology ◽

Control Group ◽

Villus Height ◽

Bee Pollen ◽

Crypt Depth ◽

Surface Areas

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of dietary supplementation with propolis and bee pollen on the intestinal morphology and absorptive surface areas of chickens. Two hundred day-old Ross 308 chickens (100 male and 100 female) were equally allocated into five groups. Throughout the whole study, the control group of chickens was fed with a basal diet, while the experimental groups of chickens were fed with the same diet supplemented with propolis and bee pollen: P1 = 0.25 g of propolis/kg + 20 g of bee pollen/kg; P2 = 0.5 g of propolis/kg; P3 = 1.0 g of propolis/kg; P4 = 20 g of bee pollen/kg. The duodenal villi of chickens from all experimental groups were significantly higher and wider (p < 0.001), while their duodenal villi crypts were significantly deeper (p < 0.001) in comparison with these parameters in chickens from the control group. The villus height to crypt depth ratio, as well as the absorptive surface areas of broiler chickens, were significantly increased (p < 0.001) in experimental groups of chickens in comparison with the control group. These findings suggest that dietary supplementation with propolis and bee pollen has a beneficial effect on broilers chickens’ intestinal morphophysiology.

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Dietary Supplementation With Didancao (Elephantopus scaber L.) Improves Meat Quality and Intestinal Development in Jiaji Ducks

Frontiers in Veterinary Science ◽

10.3389/fvets.2021.753546 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Chengjun Hu ◽

Lihong Gu ◽

Mao Li ◽

Fengjie Ji ◽

Weiping Sun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Growth Performance ◽

Meat Quality ◽

Dietary Supplementation ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Intestinal Morphology ◽

Intestinal Development ◽

Microbiota Composition ◽

Villus Height ◽

Crypt Depth ◽

Elephantopus Scaber

Didancao (Elephantopus scaber L.) has been used as a traditional herbal medicine and has exhibited a beneficial role in animal health. This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with E. scaber on growth performance, meat quality, intestinal morphology, and microbiota composition in ducks. A total of 480 Jiaji ducks (42 days old, male:female ratio = 1:1) were randomly assigned to one of four treatments. There were six replicates per treatment, with 20 ducks per replicate. The ducks in the control group (Con) were fed a basal diet; the three experimental groups were fed a basal diet supplementation with 30 (T1), 80 (T2), and 130 mg/kg (T3) of E. scaber. After a 48-day period of supplementation, growth performance, meat quality, intestinal morphology, and microbiota composition were evaluated. The results showed that no differences were observed in the final body weight, average daily feed intake, and average daily gain among the four groups. Compared with that in the Con group, the feed conversion in the T1 and T2 groups was increased significantly; the T2 group was shown to decrease the concentration of alanine aminotransferase in serum; the T3 group was lower than the Con group in the concentration of aspartate aminotransferase and was higher than the Con group in the concentration of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol. The highest concentration of creatinine was observed in the T1 group. The T2 group was higher than the Con group in the contents of Phe, Ala, Gly, Glu, Arg, Lys, Tyr, Leu, Ser, Thr, Asp, and total amino acids in the breast muscle. Moreover, the T2 group was higher than the Con group in the contents of meat C18:2n−6 and polyunsaturated fatty acid. The concentration of inosinic acid in the T1, T2, and T3 groups was significantly higher than that in the Con group. However, the Con group was higher than the T2 or T3 group in the Zn content. The T2 group was lower than the Con group in the jejunal crypt depth. The T3 group was higher than the Con group in the ileal villus height and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth. In addition, the T3 group had a trend to significantly increase the abundance of Fusobacteria. Compared with the Con group, the T1 and T2 groups displayed a higher abundance of Subdoligranulum. Collectively, dietary supplementation with 80 mg/kg of E. scaber improves meat quality and intestinal development in ducks.

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Effects of dietary Lasia spinosa Thw. powder supplementation on growth performance, blood metabolites, antioxidant status, intestinal morphology, and cecal microbiome in Chinese yellow-feathered broilers

10.21203/rs.3.rs-710808/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Hong Yongxing ◽

Zhang Lang ◽

Tian Kui ◽

Sun Haodong ◽

Liu Xingting ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Antioxidant Status ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Intestinal Morphology ◽

Breast Muscle ◽

Blood Metabolites ◽

Villus Height ◽

Crypt Depth ◽

Group A

Abstract Background: Lasia spinosa Thw. (LST) has been proven to be nutritious and have growth-promoting, antioxidant functions and so on, but its effect in chicken is still unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary LST powder supplementation on growth performance, blood metabolites, antioxidant status, intestinal morphology and cecal microbiome in Chinese yellow-feathered broilers.Methods: A total of 400 one-day-old yellow-feather broilers were randomly allotted to 4 dietary treatments: LST0 group (a basal diet), LST1 group (a basal diet with 1% LST powder), LST2 group (a basal diet with 2% LST powder), LST4 group (a basal diet with 4% LST powder), ten replicates for each treatment and 10 broilers in each treatment group. Results: Results indicated that the average daily feed intake of broilers during 22-42d and the average daily gain of chickens over all periods were significantly increased by dietary supplementation of LST powder compared to a control group, while the feed conversion ratio during the overall periods was markedly decreased. The levels of SOD, CAT and GSH-Px in serum, liver and breast muscle were also significantly increased in LST supplemented groups, while ROS and MDA in serum, liver and breast muscle were decreased. Furthermore, the levels of TG and LDL-C were significantly decreased by the addition of dietary LST powder, while levels of HDL-C, Ca, Fe, Mg and P were linearly increased. Regarding the gut morphometric, crypt depth was significantly decreased by LST supplementation, while villus height and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth were notably increased. Sequencing of 16S rRNA from the cecal contents of broilers revealed that the composition of the chicken gut microbiota was altered by LST supplementation. Moreover, the diversity of microbiota in broilers was increased in the LST1 groups but was decreased in the LST2 and LST4 groups compared with LST0 groups. The differential genera enriched in LST1 groups, such as Bacillus, Odoribacter, Sutterella, Anaerofilum, Peptococcus, were closely related to the increased growth performance, antioxidant status, intestinal morphology, Ca, Mg and reduced blood lipid in the treated broilers. Conclusions: The supplementation of LST powder to the diets of Chinese yellow-feathered broilers improved growth performance, lipid profile, antioxidant indices, intestinal morphology and gut microbiota balance, with its optimum level in yellow-feathered broilers’ diet being 1%.

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Effects of Plotytarya strohilacea Sieb. et Zuce Tannin on the Growth Performance, Oxidation Resistance, Intestinal Morphology and Cecal Microbial Composition of Broilers

Frontiers in Veterinary Science ◽

10.3389/fvets.2021.806105 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Zhenkai Tong ◽

Fuhong Lei ◽

Lixuan Liu ◽

Fei Wang ◽

Aiwei Guo

Keyword(s):

Growth Performance ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Intestinal Morphology ◽

Control Group ◽

Villus Height ◽

Microbial Composition ◽

Antioxidant Function ◽

Total Antioxidant ◽

Quadratic Relationship ◽

Addition Amount

The purpose of this experiment was to study the effects of Plotytarya strohilacea Sieb. et Zuce tannin on broilers growth performance, antioxidant function, intestinal development, intestinal morphology and the cecal microbial composition. In this experiment, a total of 360 1-day-old Arbor Acres male broilers were randomly divided into 4 treatment groups, with 6 replicates in each group and 15 broilers in each replicate. The control group (Control) was fed the basal diet, and the broilers were fed a basal diet supplemented with 0 (Control), 100 (PT1), 400 (PT2), and 800 (PT3) mg/kg Plotytarya strohilacea Sieb. et Zuce tannins for 42 days, respectively. The results showed that the average daily feed intake (ADFI) of the PT1 group was significantly lower than that of the control group, and there was a significant quadratic relationship between the ADFI and the concentration of tannin (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the F/G of broilers during the 22–42 days phase in the PT1 group showed a decreasing trend (P = 0.063). The serum catalase (CAT) activity in the PT1 group was significantly higher than those of the other three groups, and the effect was significantly quadratically related to the dosage (P < 0.05). The glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity in the PT1, PT2 and control groups were significantly higher than that of the PT3 group, and the effect was significantly quadratically related to the addition amount (P < 0.05). The serum total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) activity in the PT1 group was significantly higher than that in the control group, and the effect was significantly quadratically related to the addition amount (P < 0.05). Compared to the control group, the villus height of jejunum in the PT1, PT2 and PT3 groups were significantly higher, and there was a significant quadratic relationship between the villus height of jejunum and the addition amount (P < 0.05). In addition, adding tannins to diets significantly increased Parabacteroides in the dominant genus (P < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary supplementation with Plotytarya strohilacea Sieb. et Zuce tannin improved the growth performance, antioxidant function, and intestinal morphology along with an increased abundance of Parabacteroides in the cecum, and the recommended dosage of tannin in broiler diets was 100 mg/kg.

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Algae-Derived Polysaccharides Promote Growth Performance by Improving Antioxidant Capacity and Intestinal Barrier Function in Broiler Chickens

Frontiers in Veterinary Science ◽

10.3389/fvets.2020.601336 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Wen-Chao Liu ◽

Yan Guo ◽

Zhi-Hui Zhao ◽

Rajesh Jha ◽

Balamuralikrishnan Balasubramanian

Keyword(s):

Antioxidant Capacity ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Average Daily Gain ◽

Intestinal Morphology ◽

Intestinal Barrier Function ◽

Control Group ◽

Gut Health ◽

Feed Conversion ◽

Villus Height ◽

Final Body Weight

This study aimed to determine the efficacy of dietary algae-derived polysaccharides (ADPs) from Enteromorpha on growth performance, intestinal morphology, intestinal permeability, and antioxidant capacity in serum, liver, and intestinal mucosa of broilers. Three hundred and ninety six day-old male chicks were randomly assigned to six dietary treatments containing 0 (Control), 1,000, 2,500, 4,000, 5,500, and 7,000 mg ADP/kg basal diet in a 35 day feeding trial. During day 1–21, compared with the control group, dietary 1,000–7,000 mg/kg ADP supplementation improved the average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion ratio (p < 0.05). Overall (day 1–35), dietary inclusion of 1,000 mg/kg ADP increased the final body weight and ADG (p < 0.05). Besides, on day 21, dietary 2,500 mg/kg ADP supplementation increased the serum catalase (CAT) and liver total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) activities (p < 0.05), whereas dietary 1,000–5,500 mg/kg ADP supplementation decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) contents in serum and liver (p < 0.05). On day 35, supplementation of 1,000 mg/kg ADP increased the serum glutathione peroxidase and CAT activities and liver T-SOD activities (p < 0.05). It decreased the MDA level of serum and liver (p < 0.05). Also, dietary 2,500 mg/kg ADP increased the villus height of jejunum and ileum on day 21 (p < 0.05), and dietary 4,000 mg/kg ADP increased the villus height of duodenum and ileum on day 35 (p < 0.05). On day 21, dietary 4,000 mg/kg ADP increased the CAT activities of the duodenum and T-SOD activities of jejunum and ileum and decreased the MDA contents in the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum (p < 0.05). On day 35, dietary inclusion of 1,000–7,000 mg/kg ADP reduced MDA contents of duodenum and jejunum (p < 0.05). Furthermore, dietary inclusion of ADP at 1,000–7,000 mg/kg decreased serum DAO activities at day 21 and day 35 (p < 0.05), and the serum D-lactic acid concentration was reduced by dietary supplementation of 1,000, 2,500, and 7,000 mg/kg ADP on day 21. In conclusion, dietary ADP exerted beneficial effects on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, and gut health in broilers; based on the studied parameters, the appropriate recommended dose is 1,000–4,000 mg/kg. These findings provided new insights into the potential application of ADP as natural growth promoters in broilers.

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