Evaluation the effect of dietary vitamin E, sesamin and thymoquinone bioactive compounds on immunological response, intestinal traits and MUC-2 gene expression in broiler Japanese quails (Coturnix japonica)

Abstract

The current study was performed to determine the effect of dietary vitamin E, sesamin and thymoquinone bioactive lignans derived from sesame and black seed on immunological response, intestinal traits and Mucin₂ gene expression in broiler quails. Three hundred and fifty (one days-old) quails were allotted to seven dietary treatments with five replicates as an experimental randomized design study. Treatments were basal diet as a control, control +100 and +200 mg of vitamin E, sesamin and thymoquinone per each kg of diet respectively. At 35 d of age, two quails from each pen were chosen, weighted, slaughtered, eviscerated and lymphoid organ relative weights were measured. Anti-body titers against Newcastle disease (ND), Sheep red blood cell (SRBC), and infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) and Avian influenza (AI) vaccination were determined. The serum activities of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and serum antioxidant activates such as superoxide dismutase (SOD),glutathione peroxidase(GPX), catalase (CAT) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were examined. The cell mediated immunity by dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) and phytohemagglutinin (PHA) challenges were assessed. The microflora populations of ileum, morphological traits of jejunum and mucin₂ gene expression were analyzed. Data showed that the lymphoid organ (thymus, spleen and Bursa) relative weights and antibody titer against HI, AI, SRBC and IB vaccination were increased compared to the control (p ≤ 0.05). Serum activities of ALP, ALT and AST were decreased under influences of dietary treatments (p ≤ 0.05). The serum antioxidant activates of GPX,SOD,CAT and TAC were increased and Increasing in mean skin thickness after DNCB challenge and decrease wing web swelling response to PHA mitojen injection were observed (p ≤ 0.05). Salmonella enterica, E-coli and Coliforms colonies were decrease and Lactobacillus colonies increased instead (p ≤ 0.05). The villus height and surface, crypt depth and goblet cells density were increased compared to the control (p ≤ 0.05). The expression of MUC₂ gene increased under influnces of vitamin E, sesamin and thymoquinone supplemented diets (p ≤ 0.05).

Keywords:

• Sesamin
• thymoquinone
• humoral immune response
• intestinal traits
• MUC-2 gene expression
• boiler quails

Acknowledgments

The authors of the article many thanks of the members of Dehaghan quail breeding center and specially from veterinary clinic staff of Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord Branch, for the cooperation and assistance us in order to run and performing laboratory tests of the current study. This study did not receive any grant from any agencies or universities in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Ethical approval

All of the procedures of the current study were done according to compliance Ethical Guidelines for the Use of Animals in Research approved by the Committee on Animal Research and Ethics (CARE) of Islamic Azad University of Shahrekord Branch, Shahrekord, Iran (Approval ref. no. 2022.10.06).

Author contributions

All authors reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Geolocation information

The current study was performed in Islamic Republic of Iran, Dehaghan quails farm (Latitude: 31.936761, Longitude: 51.65445).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

All data presented in this study will available free of charge for any researcher upon reasonable request from the corresponding author.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.