Effect of arginine supplementation on the growth performance, intestinal health, and immune responses of broilers during necrotic enteritis challenge.

Authors: FATHIMA, SHAHNA - University Of Georgia; HAKEEM, WALID GHAZI AL - University Of Georgia; Shanmugasundaram, Revathi; SELVARAJ, RAMESH - University Of Georgia

Submitted to: Poultry Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/24/2024
Publication Date: 5/2/2024
Citation: Fathima, S., Hakeem, W., Shanmugasundaram, R., Selvaraj, R. 2024. Effect of arginine supplementation on the growth performance, intestinal health, and immune responses of broilers during necrotic enteritis challenge.. Poultry Science. 103: 7, 103815. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2024.103815.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2024.103815

Interpretive Summary: For many poultry farmers, necrotic enteritis (NE) has been a major economic challenge, causing significant losses in the poultry industry. This disease is caused by the bacterium Clostridium perfringens, and its prevalence has increased globally due to factors such as coccidiosis and in-feed mycotoxins. The problem escalated with restrictions on antibiotic use in poultry feed, leading to a rise in NE cases.Amidst these challenges, a recent study explored the potential of L-Arginine, a nutraceutical, as an alternative to antibiotics for controlling enteric infections in poultry. The accomplishment of this study lies in its investigation into the effects of arginine supplementation on growth performance, intestinal pathology, and immune response in birds facing an NE challenge. The contribution of arginine supplementation is notable in its ability to attenuate the immune response of birds to the NE challenge. By doing so, it helps reduce tissue injury caused by inflammation. However, the study found that arginine did not have a significant impact on reversing the NE-induced loss in growth performance. In summary, while arginine supplementation may not fully mitigate the adverse effects of NE, the comprehensive exploration of growth, immune, and biochemical parameters in this study provides valuable insights. These insights are crucial for future research endeavors aimed at developing effective strategies to manage and prevent necrotic enteritis in poultry, especially considering the growing demand for antibiotic-free poultry products and the need for sustainable alternatives in poultry farming.

Technical Abstract: The 35-day experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of 25% arginine supplementation on growth performance, serum biochemistry, gut integrity, and gene expression of tight junction proteins, inflammatory cytokines, and enzymes of broilers during necrotic enteritis (NE). Three hundred and sixty-one-day-old chicks were randomly allocated to 4 treatments in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement -basal diet and 125% arginine diet: with or without NE challenge. NE was induced by inoculating 1×104 Eimeria maxima sporulated oocysts on day 14 and 1×108 CFU/bird C. perfringens on days 19,20, and 21 of age. The NE challenge had a significant effect on the BWG (p < 0.01), FCR (p < 0.01), serum AST (p < 0.01), GLU (p < 0.01), and K+ (p = 0.03) levels, and intestinal permeability (p < 0.01). The NE challenge also significantly increased the jejunal lesion score (p < 0.01). A significant challenge × diet interaction effect was observed in the cecal tonsil CD8+: CD4+ T-cell ratio on days 21 (p = 0.003) and 28 (p = 0.02). Arginine supplementation significantly increased the CD8+: CD4+ Tcell ratio in uninfected birds but decreased the CD8+: CD4+ T-cell ratio in infected birds. Similar challenge × diet interaction was observed on the spleen CD8+: CD4+ T-cell ratio on days 21 (p = 0.03) and 35 (p = 0.03). On day 21, a significant interaction effect was observed on the relative expression of the iNOS gene (p = 0.01). Arginine supplementation upregulated the expression of the iNOS gene in uninfected birds but downregulated in infected birds. A significant effect of the challenge (p = 0.01) was observed on the relative gene expression of the ZO-1 gene in the jejunum. NE challenge significantly downregulated the expression of the ZO-1 gene on day 21. In conclusion, arginine supplementation did not alleviate the depression in growth performance and disease severity during the NE challenge. However, arginine downregulated the expression of inflammatory cytokines and enzymes, preventing inflammatory injury to the tissues during NE.