Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-2pzkn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-05T17:29:51.080Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effect of in ovo feeding of vitamin C on antioxidation and immune function of broiler chickens

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 January 2019

Y. F. Zhu ,
S. Z. Li ,
Q. Z. Sun  and
X. J. Yang
Y. F. Zhu
Affiliation:
College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, P. R. China
S. Z. Li
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
Q. Z. Sun
Affiliation:
College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, P. R. China
X. J. Yang*
Affiliation:
College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, P. R. China
*
†E-mail: yangxj@nwsuaf.edu.cn
Get access

Abstract

Hypoimmunity and numerous stresses are two major challenges in broiler industry. Nutrient intervention at the specific time of embryonic stage is a feasible way to improve animal performance. This study was conducted to investigate the possible effects of in ovo feeding (IOF) of vitamin C at embryonic age 15th day (E15) on growth performance, antioxidation and immune function of broilers. A total of 240 broiler fertile eggs were randomly divided into two groups (0 and 3 mg injected dose of vitamin C at E15), and new-hatched chicks from each treatment were randomly allocated into six replicates with 10 chicks per replicate after incubation. The results indicated that in ovo vitamin C injection improved the hatchability (P < 0.05) and increased immunoglobulin M (IgM) (at the broiler’s age 1st day, D1), IgG and IgM concentrations (D21), as well as lysozyme activity (D21, P < 0.05) and total antioxidant capacity (D42, P < 0.01) in plasma of broilers. On D21, the splenic expression level of DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) was up-regulated in vitamin C (VC) group, whereas interleukin (IL)-6, interferon-γ, ten-eleven translocation protein 1 and thymine-DNA glycosylase were down-regulated (P < 0.05). On D42, in ovo vitamin C injection up-regulated splenic expression levels of DNMT1, DNA methyltransferase 3B (DNMT3B) and growth arrest and DNA-damage-inducible protein beta (P < 0.05), whereas down-regulated splenic expression levels of IL-6, tumour necrosis factor-α and methyl-CpG-binding domain protein 4 (P < 0.05). Our findings suggested that IOF of 3 mg vitamin C at E15 could improve, to some extent, the antioxidant activity and immune function in plasma, corresponding with the lower expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in spleen. However, IOF of vitamin C leading to the changes in the expression of DNA methyltransferases and demethylases may suggest an increased trend of DNA methylation level in spleen and whether DNA methylation variation is associated with the lower expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in spleen warrants future study.

Keywords

ascorbic acidplasmaspleencytokinesin ovo injection
Type
Research Article
Information
animal , Volume 13 , Issue 9 , September 2019 , pp. 1927 - 1933
Copyright
© The Animal Consortium 2019 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

a

These two authors contributed equally to this work.

References

Abhilash, PA, Harikrishnan, R and Indira, M 2012. Ascorbic acid supplementation down-regulates the alcohol induced oxidative stress, hepatic stellate cell activation, cytotoxicity and mRNA levels of selected fibrotic genes in guinea pigs. Free Radical Research 46, 204–213.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Alkhalifa, H 2015. Immunological techniques in avian studies. Worlds Poultry Science Journal 72, 573–584.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bhanja, SK, Mandal, AB, Agarwal, SK, Majumdar, S and Bhattacharyya, A 2007. Effect of in ovo injection of vitamins on the chick weight and post-hatch growth performance in broiler chickens. In Proceedings of the European Symposium on Poultry Nutrition, 26–30 August, Strasbourg, France, pp. 143–146.Google Scholar
Burdge, GC and Lillycrop, KA 2010. Nutrition, epigenetics and developmental plasticity: implications for understanding human diseas. Annual Review of Nutrition 30, 315–339.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carr, AC and Maggini, S 2017. Vitamin C and immune function. Nutrients 9, 1211–1235.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carrillo-Vico, A, Lardone, PJ, Naji, L, Fernández-Santos, JM, Martín-Lacave, I, Guerrero, JM and Calvo, JR 2005. Beneficial pleiotropic actions of melatonin in an experimental model of septic shock in mice: regulation of pro-/anti-inflammatory cytokine network, protection against oxidative damage and anti-apoptotic effects. Journal of Pineal Research 39, 400–408.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chung, TL, Brena, RM, Kolle, G, Grimmond, SM, Berman, BP, Laird, PW, Pera, MF and Wolvetang, EJ 2010. Vitamin C promotes widespread yet specific DNA demethylation of the epigenome in human embryonic stem cells. Stem Cells 28, 1848–1855.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cui, H, Kong, YH and Zhang, H 2012. Oxidative Stress, Mitochondrial Dysfunction, and Aging. Journal of Signal Transduction 2012, 1–13.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Du, J, Cullen, JJ and Buettner, GR 2012. Ascorbic acid: chemistry, biology and the treatment of cancer. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 1826, 443–457.Google ScholarPubMed
Elibol, O, Turkoglu, M, Akan, M and Erol, H 2001. Effects of ascorbic acid injection during incubation on the hatchability of large broiler eggs. Turkish Journal of Veterinary and Animal Sciences 25, 245–248.Google Scholar
He, L, He, T, Farrar, S, Ji, L, Liu, T and Ma, X 2017. Antioxidants maintain cellular redox homeostasis by elimination of reactive oxygen species. Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry 44, 532–553.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ipek, A., Sahan, U and Yilmaz, B 2004. The effect of in ovo ascorbic acid and glucose injection in broiler breeder eggs on hatchability and chick weight. Archiv Fur Geflugelkunde 68, 132–135.Google Scholar
Jena, BP, Panda, N, Patra, RC, Mishra, PK, Behura, NC and Panigrahi, B 2013. Supplementation of vitamin E and C reduces oxidative stress in broiler breeder hens during summer. Food and Nutrition Sciences 4, 33–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jones, PA and Takai, D 2001. The role of DNA methylation in mammalian epigenetics. Science 293, 1068–1070.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jr, ME 2007. Nutrition of the developing embryo and hatchling. Poultry Science 86, 1043–1049.Google Scholar
Khan, RU, Naz, S, Nikousefat, Z, Selvaggi, M, Laudadio, V and Tufarelli, V 2012. Effect of ascorbic acid in heat-stressed poultry. Worlds Poultry Science Journal 68, 477–490.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kornasio, R, Halevy, O, Kedar, O and Uni, Z 2011. Effect of in ovo feeding and its interaction with timing of first feed on glycogen reserves, muscle growth, and body weight. Poultry Science 90, 1467–1477.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Livak, KJ and Schmittgen, TD 2001. Analysis of relative gene expression data using real-time quantitative PCR and the 2 (T)(-Delta Delta C) method. Methods 25, 402–408.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Möck, A and Peters, G 2010. Lysozyme activity in rainbow trout, oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), stressed by handling, transport and water pollution. Journal of Fish Biology 37, 873–885.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mosmann, T 1983. Rapid colorimetric assay for cellular growth and survival: application to proliferation and cytotoxicity assays. Journal of Immunological Methods 65, 55–63.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mujahid, A, Pumford, NR, Bottje, W, Nakagawa, K, Miyazawa, T, Akiba, Y and Toyomizu, M 2007. Mitochondrial oxidative damage in chicken skeletal muscle induced by acute heat stress. Journal of Poultry Science 44, 439–445.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nowaczewski, S, Kontecka, H and Krystianiak, S 2012. Effect of in ovo injection of vitamin C during incubation on hatchability of chickens and ducks. Folia Biologica-Krakow 60, 93–97.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Parkin, J and Cohen, B 2001. An overview of the immune system. Lancet 357, 1777–1789.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Peng, S, Shi, Z, Gao, Q, Yin, F, Sun, P and Wang, J 2013. Effects of increasing dietary vitamin C on serum lysozyme activity and antioxidant ability of tissues in Pampus argenteus. South China Fisheries Science 9, 16–21.Google Scholar
Reik, W, Dean, W and Walter, J 2001. Epigenetic reprogramming in mammalian development. Science 293, 1089–1093.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Smith, KG and Hunt, JL 2004. On the use of spleen mass as a measure of avian immune system strength. Oecologia 138, 28–31.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tullett, SG 1990. Science and the art of incubation. Poultry Science 69, 1–15.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vickers, MH 2014. Early life nutrition, epigenetics and programming of later life disease. Nutrients 6, 2165–2178.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yao, BB 2014. On serum immunoglobulin A and G influenced by the intake of vitamin C after aerobic exercise exhaustion: a case study of martial arts. Journal of Shijiazhuang University 3, 171–173.Google Scholar
You, ZL, Luo, CM, Zhang, WZ, Chen, YB, He, JJ, Zhao, QY, Zuo, R and Wu, YH 2011. Pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines expression in rat’s brain and spleen exposed to chronic mild stress: involvement in depression. Behavioural Brain Research 225, 135–141.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Young, JI, Zuchner, S and Wang, GF 2015. Regulation of the epigenome by vitamin C. Annual Review of Nutrition 35, 545–564.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zakaria, AH and Al-Anezi, MA 1996. Effect of ascorbic acid and cooling during egg incubation on hatchability, culling, mortality and the body weights of broiler chickens. Poultry Science 75, 1204–1209.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zhai, W, Neuman, S, Latour, MA and Hester, PY 2008. The effect of in ovo injection of L-carnitine on hatchability of white leghorns. Poultry Science 87, 569–572.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Supplementary material: File

Zhu et al. supplementary material

Tables S1-S2

Download Zhu et al. supplementary material(File)
File 22.4 KB