Effects of the Vitamin D3 on Alleviating the Oxidative Stress Induced by Diquat in Wenchang Chickens

Simple SummaryOur study showed that a Vitamin D3(VD3) addition in Wenchang chickens’ diet could improve the adverse effects of diquat (DQ) on the performance and oxidation status of broilers, recover the secretion of inflammatory-related factors, and the content of serum biochemical indicators associated with intestine, liver, and kidney injury, and increase antioxidant enzyme activity. In addition, the liver and intestinal morphology were protected after supplementing VD3. This is a research basis for the application of VD3as a feed additive in poultry against oxidative stress.AbstractVitamin D3(VD3) is an indispensable micronutrient in livestock and poultry feed. Its function in antioxidant stress has been reported. We investigate whether the addition of different concentrations of VD3to the diet affects the production performance, slaughter performance, meat quality, organ index, and gut injury on the diquat (DQ)-induced model of oxidative stress in Wenchang chickens. Four hundred and eighty one-day-old chickens were randomly divided into six groups: control (basal diet), 4000 VD (basal diet + VD34000 IU per kg feed intake), 1000 VD+DI (DQ, basal diet + VD31000 IU per kg feed intake), 2000 VD+DI (DQ, basal diet + VD32000 IU per kg feed intake), and 4000 VD+DI (DQ, basal diet + VD34000 IU per kg feed intake). The results showed that the addition of VD3to the diet promoted DQ-induced weight loss and reduced ADFI, slaughter rate, splenic index, and pH after 1 h and 24 h in the leg muscles. VD3decreased the increase in content of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) among proinflammatory cytokines (p <0.05) and increased the reduction in anti-inflammatory cytokines content of interleukin-10 (IL-10) (p <0.05) induced by DQ. In addition, liver and kidney injury biomarkers and the intestinal permeability index in serum were disordered after treatment with DQ (p <0.05). VD3perfected the increase of D-lactic acid (D-LA), diamine oxidase (DAO), total cholesterol (T-CHO), creatinine (CR), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) content, aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity (p <0.05); it increased the decrease of albumin (ALB) content (p <0.05). Meanwhile, VD3regulated the intestinal morphology and intestinal barrier. Moreover, DQ induced a decrease in total antioxidant capacity and antioxidant enzyme activity in the serum, liver, and jejunum (p <0.05), and an increase in malonaldehyde (MDA) content (p <0.05). However, the addition of different levels of VD3could alleviate the above phenomenon of oxidative stress in Wenchang chickens to different degrees. Thus, this research suggested that the addition of VD3can relieve the DQ-induced oxidative stress of Wenchang chickens, and the level of VD3acquisition is positively correlated with the remission effect.Keywords:Vitamin D3;antioxidant;broiler;intestinal health;biochemical blood indexed;production performance