Background: Broilers are continuously stressed because of the rapid growth rate and the environmental issues
associated with industrialized poultry production systems, which lead to higher susceptibility for infection with
pathogens. It is well known that vitamin E (Vit. E) and selenium (Se) supplementation have protective functions in
such stressful conditions. This protocol was to investigate the impact of Vit. E and/or Se on the production
performance, some serum biochemistry, and expression of some growth-related gene in the liver tissue of the
broilers. The day-old chicks were allotted into four groups according to the supplement; Control group and groups
supplemented with Vit. E and/or Se into Vit. E group (100 mg Vit. E/kg diet), Se group (0.3 mg sodium selenite/kg
diet), and Vit E + Se group that supplemented with both Vit. E and Se.
Results: The data of the present experiment showed that dietary inclusion of Vit. E and/or Se significantly (P ≤ 0.05)
improved the production parameters without any side effect on the general health status of the broilers, which
indicated by normal serum biochemical parameters. Moreover, the treatments positively affected the expression of
some genes related to growth performance including growth hormone receptor (GHR) and insulin-like growth
factor 1 (IGF1) in the liver tissue of broilers.
Conclusion: Dietary supplementation of Vit. E and/or Se improved the production parameters and upregulate the
growth-related genes without effect on the general health status of the broilers. |
