Effect of dietary Allium hookeri on growth performance and anti-oxidant activity in young broiler chicken

Authors: LEE, YOUNG SUB - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA); LEE, SUNG HYEN - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA); HAN, HONGYOU - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA); GADDE, DEEPTHI UJVALA - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA); OH, SUNGTAEL - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA); Lillehoj, Hyun

Submitted to: Research in Veterinary Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/2/2016
Publication Date: 1/1/2018
Citation: Lee, Y., Lee, S., Han, H., Gadde, D., Oh, S., Lillehoj, H.S. 2018. Effect of dietary Allium hookeri on growth performance and anti-oxidant activity in young broiler chicken. Research in Veterinary Science. 11()118:345-350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rvsc.2018.03.007.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rvsc.2018.03.007

Interpretive Summary: Antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) are commonly used as a dietary supplement to improve growth performance as well as to reduce the incidence of illness and mortality from infectious diseases in livestock and poultry. However there has been growing concerns on increasing incidence of antibiotic resistance and the emergence of superbugs. Therefore, it is of timely importance to develop potential drug alternatives to promote growth performance, reduce economic losses from infectious diseases, and mitigate the use of antibiotics in agricultural animal production. In this report, ARS scientists, in collaboration with scientists in South Korea, developed a new plant-derived phytochemical antibiotic alternative from a medicinal plant Allium hookeri which has been used to treat cough, the common cold, burns, and wounds in eastern India and southern China. In this report, scientists showed that dietary feeding of newly hatched chickens with A. hookeri-supplemented feed from hatch enhanced growth rate and reduced the negative effects of intestinal stress associated with growth condition. These results clearly demonstrate the beneficial effects of plant-derived antibiotic alternative to promote the growth of young chickens and this information can be used to develop a commercial poultry diet for antibiotic-free poultry production.

Technical Abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation of Allium hookeri root on anti-oxidant activity and growth performance in young broiler chickens. A total of 125 male Ross-708 broiler chickens were randomly assigned to 5 groups (n=25 birds/group) and fed with standard diet supplemented with root or fermented root of A. hookeri at 2 different levels (1 or 5%) for 3 weeks from hatch. Control birds were provided with non-supplemented basal diets. Body weight and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were measured to assess the growth performance at days 14 and 21 of age. For monitoring anti-oxidant activities, haemeoxygenases (HMOX), aflatoxin B1 aldehyde reductases (AFAR), superoxide dismutase1 (SOD1), and catalase (CAT) enzyme levels were quantified by real time RT-PCR in jejunum at day 21 of age. Also serum levels of SOD, CAT and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured using commercial kits. The results showed an improved body weight at day 14 and FCR at day 21 of age in chickens fed diets supplemented with 1% root of A. hookeri compared to control group (P<0.05). Up-regulated transcript levels of AFAR, Hmox1 and CAT were observed in jejunum of chickens given diets supplemented with A. hookeri additives. The levels of serum SOD and CAT were significantly increased (P<0.05) in the groups treated with A. hookeri whereas that of MDA was decreased in the groups fed diets supplemented with A. hookeri compared to control group. In conclusion, these results indicated that optimum level of dietary A. hookeri as a feed additive given to young broiler chickens influences the growth and improve anti-oxidant activities.