Ahmed A. Saleh

Ovarian follicular development, lipid peroxidation, antioxidative status and immune response in laying hens fed fish oil-supplemented diets to produce n-3-enriched eggs

The objective of the present study was to research the effect of feeding laying hens fish oil-supplemented diets to produce n-3-enriched eggs on their ovarian follicular development, serum lipid peroxidation, antioxidative status and immune response. A total of 105 white Bovens hens at 24 weeks of age were housed in cages in an open-sided building under a 16 h light : 8 h dark lighting schedule. Birds were randomly divided into five treatments and were fed, ad libitum, diets containing 0% (control), 1.25%, 2.5%, 3.5% or 5.0% fish oil from 24 to 36 weeks of age. Egg production and weight were recorded. By weeks 35 and 36 of age 15 eggs were taken at random from each treatment to determine the yolk lipid profile and cholesterol content. At the end of the experimental period, 10 females from each treatment were randomly chosen, anaesthetised and killed by decapitation. Ovary and oviduct samples were immediately weighted and ovarian follicles were classified. Serum thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance (TBARS), hepatic TBARS and hepatic glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity were measured. No clear trend was observed concerning egg production and egg yolk cholesterol. As dietary fish oil levels increased, n-3-polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) increased, whereas n-6 PUFA tended to decrease in yolk lipids. No negative effects were detected in ovary and oviduct weights, expressed in both absolute terms and relative to body weight. The numbers and total weights of large yellow follicles (LYF) in the ovary were not significantly affected by fish oil supplementation. Low levels (1.25% to 2.5%) of fish oil reduced both plasma and hepatic TBARS and enhanced GSH-Px activity. It is also interesting to note that inclusion of 2.5% fish oil in laying hen diets enhanced the antibody titre in laying hens. Therefore, it could be concluded that inclusion of fish oil in laying hen diets at moderate levels increased the n-3 fatty acids content in eggs, improved antioxidative status, enhanced the antibody response and did not have a negative influence on the different reproductive morphology parameters in laying hens.

Aspergillus awamori Feeding Modifies Lipid Metabolism in Rats

In the present study, an experiment was conducted to show that A. awamori modifies lipid metabolism in mammals. A total number of 24 rats at 6 weeks of age were divided into 2 groups (10% and 30% fat dietary groups), and each group was further divided into control and experimental groups (6 rats per group). Rats in the experimental groups were given diets containing 0.05% A. awamori. The diets were administered for 3 weeks to evaluate the effects of A. awamori on growth, plasma lipid profile, and the expressions of genes related to lipid metabolism in the liver. After the rats were fed A. awamori, body weight gain was increased, while food intake was decreased; therefore, food efficiency was increased in both A. awamori groups. Plasma triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, and glucose levels were decreased, but plasma HDL cholesterol levels were increased. Furthermore, saturated fatty acids were decreased while; unsaturated fatty acids were increased in the liver. The liver mRNA levels of FAS, ACC, delta-6-desaturase, and HMG-CoA reductase were increased, while the mRNA level of LDL receptor was decreased. From these data, it is proposed that A. awamori could be used as an effective probiotic to prevent lifestyle-related diseases in humans.

Synergistic effect of feeding Aspergillus awamori and lactic acid bacteria on performance, egg traits, egg yolk cholesterol and fatty acid profile in laying hens

Abstract This study was conducted to examine the effects of a combined supplementation of Aspergillus awamori (AA) and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in feed on growth and egg quality. Hens (28-week old) were fed on a basal diet as control group; diets supplemented with 0.05% AA, 0.10% LAB, or a combination of AA and LAB (6 birds/group) for 6 weeks. The growth performance of the birds was improved by all the treatments. Synergistic effects of AA and LAB were observed on feed intake, egg production, total egg weight and feed conversion (p < .05). Weights and heights of yolk and albumin was not affected by treatment while, yolk fat, shell weight and thickness were increased (p < .05). On the other hand, egg yolk total cholesterol was decreased and synergistically by the combination of AA and LAB (p < .05). Serum glucose, total cholesterol, ALT and triglyceride were reduced by all the treatment groups. Conversely, serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) was synergistically increased by the combination. Ca, P and Zn concentration in yolk was increased by AA and LAB and synergistically increased by the combination (p < .05). Interestingly, saturated fatty acids (SFA) were decreased while; unsaturated fatty acids (USFA) were increased in egg yolk in all groups. In conclusion, the combined supplementation of AA and LAB synergistically had no effect on the growth of laying hens. In addition, AA and LAB modify the egg yolk fatty acid profile by increasing unsaturated fatty acid and reducing saturated fatty acid.

Integrative Effects of Feeding Aspergillus awamori and fructooligosaccharide on Growth Performance and Digestibility in Broilers: Promotion Muscle Protein Metabolism

This study was conducted to show the effect of Aspergillus awamori (AA), fructooligosaccharide (FOS), and combined Aspergillus awamori and fructooligosaccharide (AA + FOS) on growth, digestibility, blood parameters, and expression of some growth-related genes. A total of 60 broiler chicks at the age of 15 d were divided into a control group (n = 15) and 3 treatment groups. The control group was fed a basal diet, and the treatment groups were fed basal diets supplemented with 0.05% AA, 0.05% FOS, and combined of 0.05% AA and 0.05% FOS. Results from measurement of growth performance and digestibility revealed a significant increase in the body weight gain with improved feed conversion rate in the experimental groups. Interestingly, dry matter digestibility (DMD) and crude protein utilization (CPU) were improved. In addition, plasma total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) were decreased, while plasma high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) was increased by feeding AA, FOS, and AA + FOS. Expressions of growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), and insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R) were increased in experimental groups. In conclusion, the supplementation of either Aspergillus awamori or fructooligosaccharide or both improves digestibility and growth performance probably by promoting skeletal muscle protein metabolism.

Effect of dietary zinc-methionine supplementation on growth performance, nutrient utilization, antioxidative properties and immune response in broiler chickens under high ambient temperature

ABSTRACT This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of zinc-methionine (ZnM) on growth performance, nutrient utilization, antioxidant status and immune response in broiler chickens reared at high ambient temperature. A total of 480 one-day-old chicks were randomly distributed into 24 floor pens (20 chicks/pen) and were given either a control diet, 0 ZnM (G0) or 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg ZnM (G1, G2 and G3, respectively). The growth performance was significantly affected by the treatments, ZnM supplementation increased body weight gain and improved feed conversion (p < .05) in broilers. Protein utilization was improved by feeding ZnM (p < .05). Plasma total cholesterol was decreased, while plasma HDL-cholesterol was tending to be increased. Interestingly, an increase in ZnM supplementation enhanced Zn concentrations (p < .05) in breast muscle along with a reduction in malondialdehyde concentration and saturated fatty acids (p < .05) and an augmentation in unsaturated fatty acids (p < .01). Dietary ZnM supplementation resulted in a significant increase in serum glutathione peroxidase concentration which accompanied with an improving in humoral immune response. It could be concluded that dietary organic Zn supplementation improved growth performance, nutrient digestibility, Zn content in raw meat, antioxidative properties and humoral immunity and reduced meat lipid peroxidation in broilers under high ambient temperature.

Exogenous dietary enzyme formulations improve growth performance of broiler chickens fed a low-energy diet targeting the intestinal nutrient transporter genes

Diminishing the cost of broiler chicken diet is a critical issue in the poultry industry. Numerous studies were performed to achieve this pivotal objective by diet supplementation with alternative feed additives. In the current study, low-energy broiler rations were supplemented with different commercial multienzyme formulations to minimize the cost, and increase the digestibility and absorption of the digested macronutrients. Cobb Avian 48 broiler chicks (mixed sex, 1-d-old, n = 3120) were randomly allocated into six groups, and each group was subdivided into four replicates (130 birds per replicate). The birds were randomly allocated into a control group fed basal diet (CB); control group fed low-energy diet (CL); and birds fed low-energy diets supplemented with different enzyme formulations. The enzyme formulations used were Xylam 500® (CLX group), Hemicell® (CLH group), Avizyme® (CLA group), and Megazyme® (CLM group,) following the doses recommended by the manufacturers. The growth performance of CLA and CLH group birds was significantly improved when compared with CL. In comparison with CB, Avizyme® significantly (p < 0.001) increased the intestinal PEPT1, GLUT2, ACC, and IL-2 expression; PEPT1 facilitates the absorption of micronutrients. In conclusion, exogenous multienzyme complexes may be included in the low-energy diet to enhance the performance of broiler chickens (Avizyme® ˃ Hemicell® ˃ Megazyme®), and reduce the diet cost by up-regulating the expression of intestinal nutrient transporter genes, and improving the immunity and serum biochemical parameters of broiler chickens.