Dietary effects of soy and citrus flavonoid on antioxidation and microbial quality of meat in broilers.

The current study investigated dietary effects of soy genistein (SG) and citrus hesperidin (CH) on microbial spoilage and antioxidant quality of chicken meat. Broilers were divided to six treatment groups: control (C), SG and CH, supplemented with 5 mg of SG and 20 mg of CH per kg of feed, respectively, and SGCH1, SGCH2 and SGCH3, supplemented with 5, 10 or 20 mg of SG + CH (1:4) per kg of feed respectively. Both SG and CH reduced (p < .01) the microbial load of spoilage organisms in breast meat at 0 and 15 days of refrigeration. Hepatic and muscle total antioxidant and superoxide dismutase activities, and crude protein contents were generally improved (p < .05), whereas hepatic malondialdehyde concentration and muscle fat was decreased (p < .01) by the dietary treatments. In conclusion, soy genistein and CH supplementation could improve meat composition, antioxidant and microbial quality of broilers meat.

In vivo immunomodulatory effects of plant flavonoids in lipopolysaccharide-challenged broilers.

Plant flavonoids are generally regarded as natural replacers of synthetic growth promoters in poultry production. This study investigated the immunomodulatory effects of plant flavonoids, such as genistein and hesperidin, in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenged broilers. A total of 700 21-day-old commercial Arbor Acres broiler chicks were randomly assigned into six treatment groups, each having six pens of 20 chicks/pen. Chicks were fed a basal diet without any additive (control, CON), 5 mg genistein/kg feed (G5), 20 mg hesperidin/kg (H20), or a basal diet with a combination of genistein and hesperidin (1 : 4) with doses of 5 mg/kg feed (GH5), 10 mg/kg (GH10) and 20 mg/kg (GH20) for 6 weeks. Half of the birds from each treatment were separated, and either challenged with 0·9% sodium chloride solution or Escherichia coli LPS (250 µg/kg BW) on days 16, 18 and 20. The results showed that both genistein and hesperidin improved (P<0.01) the plasma antioxidant status of growing broilers, by increasing total antioxidant capacity (TAOC), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and decreasing malondialdehyde production. LPS challenge further increased (P<0.05) TAOC and SOD levels. Regardless of LPS challenge, both genistein and hesperidin improved the humoral and mucosal immunity by increasing the intestinal intraepithelial lymphocyte numbers (P<0.01), as well as anti-Newcastle disease and anti-avian influenza antibody titers (P<0.05). Supplementation of both the plant flavonoids generally increased (P<0.05) the immune organs indices (spleen, thymus and bursa). Thus, supplementation of basal diet of broiler chicks, either with genistein or hesperidin, improved immune and antioxidant status of growing broilers. In addition, combined supplementation of both the flavonoids showed further improvement than individual compounds.

Individual and combined effects of genistein and hesperidin on immunity and intestinal morphometry in lipopolysacharide-challenged broiler chickens.

Genistein and hesperidin have been shown to have beneficial effects in several animal models including mice, rats, pigs, and humans. This study investigated the individual and combined effects of genistein (an isoflavone) and hesperidin (a flavanone) on immunity and intestinal morphometry in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenged broiler chickens. Seven hundred twenty 1-d-old commercial Arbor Acres broiler chicks were randomly divided into 6 treatments, with 6 replicates of 20 birds each. Chicks were fed a basal diet without any additive (control), supplemented with 5 mg of genistein/kg of feed (G5) and 20 mg of hesperidin/kg of feed (H20), or a mixture of genistein and hesperidin (1:4) with doses of 5 (GH5), 10 (GH10), and 20 (GH20) mg/kg of feed for 42 d. On d 16, 18, and 20, one-half the birds from each group were separated and injected intraperitoneally with Escherichia coli LPS (250 µg/kg of BW) to induce the immunological stimulation. Samples were collected on 21 and 42 d. The results showed that LPS treatment exerts immunomodulatory effects (P < 0.05) in phagocytic activity at 21 d, whereas a few negative effects including reduced villus length and increased crypt depth were observed in some segments of the small intestine. Both genistein and hesperidin seemed to modify the immunity positively by altering the phagocytic activity (P < 0.01). Parameters of intestinal morphometry such as villus length, crypt depth, villus width, and villus length/crypt depth ratios were also improved (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05) by the supplemental genistein and hesperidin in both LPS-unchallenged and -challenged groups. However, no effect (P > 0.05) was observed for BWG, FI, and FCR of broilers. Overall, genistein and hesperidin improved the immunity and the morphometry of small intestine in a dose-dependent manner. These findings provided the first account on the in vivo effects of genistein and hesperidin for immunostimulation and morphometric gut development in LPS-challenged chickens. Thus, both compounds may be used as alternative feed additives in the poultry industry to promote gut health and improve immunity against infections.

Effects of genistein and hesperidin on biomarkers of heat stress in broilers under persistent summer stress.

This study investigated the supplemental effects of the flavonoids genistein and hesperidin for biomarkers of heat stress in broilers reared under persistent summer stress. A total of 360 one-day-old, mixed-sex broiler chickens were divided into 6 treatment groups: control or supplemented with 5 mg of genistein•kg of feed(-1), 20 mg of hesperidin•kg of feed(-1), or a mixture of genistein and hesperidin (1:4) at a dosage of 5 mg•kg(-1), 10 mg•kg(-1), and 20 mg•kg(-1) of feed. Broilers were slaughtered at 42 d and samples were analyzed for hematological profile, creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, and heat shock protein 70 mRNA levels. Results showed that dietary genistein and hesperidin improved (P < 0.05) the weekly performance of broilers particularly during the finisher period. The circulating heterophils and heterophil-to-lymphocyte ratios were found to decrease (P < 0.01) in the treated groups. Moreover, biomarkers of heat stress including the level of creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, and heat shock protein 70 mRNA of breast muscle was also changed (P < 0.01) positively by the dietary compounds with pronounced effects of combined treatments. These findings suggested that genistein and hesperidin could be a prime strategy to ameliorate summer stress effects in broilers; and a combination of both compounds may lead to mutual synergistic effects. It could be suggested that dietary use of both genistein and hesperidin as a feed supplement may offer a potential nutritional strategy in tropical and subtropical regions to overcome the deleterious effects of persistent summer stress in broiler production.

Effect of increasing levels of bioflavonoids in broiler feed on plasma anti-oxidative potential, lipid metabolites, and fatty acid composition of meat.

This study was conducted to investigate the supplemental effects of purified bioflavonoids (genistein and hesperidin), as potential alternatives to plant/herbs or synthetic antioxidants, individually and in combination for fatty acid profile, lipid metabolites, and antioxidant status of broilers. Three hundred sixty 1-d-old broilers were divided into 6 treatment groups: control (basal diet), G5 (5 mg of genistein per kg of feed), and H20 (20 mg hesperidin per kg of feed), whereas the other 3 groups were supplemented with a mixture of genistein and hesperidin (20% genistein + 80% hesperidin) having a dosage of 5 mg•kg(-1) (GH5), 10 mg•kg(-1) (GH10), and 20 mg•kg(-1) (GH20), respectively. Broilers were slaughtered at 42 d, and breast muscle, liver, and blood samples were collected. A dose-dependent increase (P < 0.05) was observed for plasma antioxidant parameters, including total antioxidant capacity, malondialdehyde production, and total superoxide dismutase activity. Cholesterol and triglyceride contents were found to decrease (P < 0.05) in serum and breast muscle. The proportion of total polyunsaturated fatty acids and the ratio of n-6 to n-3 fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acids in breast muscles was significantly improved (P < 0.05) by increasing levels of dietary bioflavonoids. The current results implied that dietary bioflavonoids genistein and hesperidin could positively improve the fatty acid and lipid metabolite profile of broiler breast meat in a dose-dependent fashion. Thus, bioflavonoids could be a feasible alternative of antioxidant plants/herbs and synthetic feed additives for the production of healthier chicken meat.