Effect of dietary arginine supplementation after hatching on the intestinal morphometry and integrity of chicks housed under health challenge conditions

Background: Arginine (Arg) is an essential amino acids for birds, especially in the starter phase. The degradation of Argproduces ornithine, a precursor of polyamines that are considered nutritionally important local factors for growth and thedevelopment of small intestinal of the newly hatched chick. The first week is a critical time intestine development andthe aggression to the mucosa may compromise the final productive result. This study aimed to evaluate the productiveperformance, intestinal morphometry and integrity of broilers housed under health challenge conditions and supplementedwith L-Arginine in the pre-starter diet.Materials, Methods & Results: Three-hundred-twenty male Cobb chicks were randomly assigned according to a completelyrandomized design with 4 treatments and 5 replications of 16 birds each. Treatments consisted of: A: control (basal diet);B: diet with 1% L-Arginine; C: health challenge (reused poultry manure litter) + basal diet; D: health challenge (reusedpoultry manure litter) + diet with 1% L-Arginine. The reused poultry manure litter was obtained from a commercial poultryfarm with birds in the final growth phase and without any previous treatment. In order to achieve the supplemented dietsit was added 1% Arg replacing the inert. At the ages of seven days, all the birds and the feed remains were weighed inorder to determine body weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio. The small intestine of twenty birds per treatment was weighed and measured; samples of duodenum, jejunum and ileum were taken for injury assessment scores, formorphometric study and counting of goblet cells in segments of the duodenum...(AU)

Effect of dietary arginine supplementation after hatching on the intestinal morphometry and integrity of chicks housed under health challenge conditions

Background: Arginine (Arg) is an essential amino acids for birds, especially in the starter phase. The degradation of Argproduces ornithine, a precursor of polyamines that are considered nutritionally important local factors for growth and thedevelopment of small intestinal of the newly hatched chick. The first week is a critical time intestine development andthe aggression to the mucosa may compromise the final productive result. This study aimed to evaluate the productiveperformance, intestinal morphometry and integrity of broilers housed under health challenge conditions and supplementedwith L-Arginine in the pre-starter diet.Materials, Methods & Results: Three-hundred-twenty male Cobb chicks were randomly assigned according to a completelyrandomized design with 4 treatments and 5 replications of 16 birds each. Treatments consisted of: A: control (basal diet);B: diet with 1% L-Arginine; C: health challenge (reused poultry manure litter) + basal diet; D: health challenge (reusedpoultry manure litter) + diet with 1% L-Arginine. The reused poultry manure litter was obtained from a commercial poultryfarm with birds in the final growth phase and without any previous treatment. In order to achieve the supplemented dietsit was added 1% Arg replacing the inert. At the ages of seven days, all the birds and the feed remains were weighed inorder to determine body weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio. The small intestine of twenty birds per treatment was weighed and measured; samples of duodenum, jejunum and ileum were taken for injury assessment scores, formorphometric study and counting of goblet cells in segments of the duodenum...

Effects of starter diet supplementation with arginine on broiler production performance and on small intestine morphometry / Efeito da suplementação de arginina na dieta de frangos na performance produtiva e na morfologia do intestino delgado

The effects of starter diet (days 1 to 21) supplemented with arginine (Arg) on the production performance and duodenum and jejunum mucosa morphometry of broilers were studied. Male Cobb broiler chickens (990) were randomly assigned to one of five treatments in a complete random design. Measurements of 33 chicks per treatment were made in six repetitions. The treatments consisted of a basal diet with 1.390% digestible Arg (no supplementation) and four dietary levels (1.490%, 1.590%, 1.690%, and 1.790%), providing a relationship with lysine of 1.103; 1.183; 1.262; 1.341 and 1.421%, respectively. From the age of 22 days on, all birds received conventional grower diet. The data were submitted to regression analysis by polynomial decomposition of the degrees of freedom in relation to the levels of Arg. The Arg supplementation increased (P<0.05) the live weight and the feed conversion ratio without increasing the feed intake of the birds. However, no effect was observed (P>0.05) in the growth phase (days 22 to 42) in the absence of the Arg supplementation. The supplementation of Arg over of NRC recommendation during the starter phase may be necessary for the expression of the maximal weight gain potential in birds. No effect (P<0.05) of Arg dietary supplementation was observed either on small intestine weight and length at any age. However, the duodenum villus:crypt ratio increased and the crypt depth decreased in the first week in response to increasing dietary Arg. It is concluded that broiler Arg dietary supplementation in the starter diet improved production performance and small intestine morphometry, especially in the first week.(AU)

O efeito na dieta inicial (1-21 dias) da suplementação de arginina (Arg) foi estudada sobre o desempenho e a morfologia da mucosa do jejuno em frangos de corte. Pintos machos Cobb (990) foram utilizados em um delineamento inteiramente casualizado com 5 tratamentos e 6 repetições com 33 aves cada. Os tratamentos consistiram em uma dieta basal com 1,390% de Arg digestível (sem suplementação) e 4 dietas com adição (1,490%; 1,590%; 1,690% e 1,790%), fornecendo uma relação de lisina de 1,103; 1,183; 1,262; 1,341 e 1,421%, respectivamente. A partir de 22 dias todas as aves receberam ração convencional. Os dados foram submetidos à análise de regressão pela decomposição polinomial dos graus de liberdade, referentes aos níveis de Arg A suplementação de Arg melhorou (P<0,05) o peso vivo e a conversão alimentar sem aumentar o consumo de ração. No entanto, não houve efeito (P>0,05) na fase de crescimento (22 a 42 dias) na ausência de suplementação de Arg. A suplementação acima do recomendado pelo NRC na fase inicial pode ser necessária para a expressão máxima do potencial de ganho de peso em aves. Não houve efeito da suplementação de Arg na dieta no peso e comprimento do intestino delgado em nenhuma idade. No entanto, a relação vilo:cripta no duodeno aumentou e a profundidade da cripta diminuiu na primeira semana em resposta ao incremento de Arg na dieta. Concluiu-se que em frangos de corte a suplementação de Arg na dieta inicial melhorou o desempenho e a morfometria do intestino delgado, especialmente na primeira semana.(AU)