Effects of silymarin on productive performance, liver function and serum biochemical profile in broiler Japanese quail challenged with dietary aflatoxins

Abstract

A 2 × 3 factorial experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of feeding silymarin (0, 1000 and 2000 mg/kg) in aflatoxin contaminated diets (0 and 2.2 mg/kg) on selected performance, blood and liver parameters in broiler Japanese quails using 480 7-day-old mixed sex birds up to Day 35 of age. Feed intake, daily weight gain (DWG) and European production index (EPI) in Days 7–35 of age were reduced by 5.56, 5.97 and 10. 97%, respectively, and mortality was increased in the birds fed on diets containing 2.2 mg/kg aflatoxin (p < .05). Mean ALT, alkaline phosphatase (ALK), uric acid in birds grown on aflatoxin contaminated diet were 28.32, 12.29 and 16.34% greater than those fed with control diet, respectively (p < .05). The birds fed with diets containing 1000 mg/kg silymarin showed greater DWG (6.35%) and EPI (12.89%) and lesser feed conversion ratio (6.6%) during Days 7–35 compared with control birds (p < .05). Mean ALT (37.46%), AST (16.90%) and ALK (27.67%) activity reduced in birds grown on diets containing 2000 mg/kg silymarin (p < .05). Mean serum concentration of phosphorous increased (13.44%) and glucose (GLU) decreased (10.37%) in the same birds compared with control quails (p < .05). A significant dietary silymarin × aflatoxin interaction observed for DWG, blood concentrations of ALT, AST, calcium, GLU, LDL, triglyceride and proportional weight of liver, testis and spleen in Day 35 of age. It was concluded that Supplementation of 1000 mg/kg silymarin into the contaminated diets alleviated the adverse impact of aflatoxins on bird’s performance.

Highlights

• Diets contaminated with aflatoxins cause impaired growth and altered hepatic function in broiler quails.

• Inclusion of silymarin in diet, alleviate the adverse impact of aflatoxins on bird’s performance.

• Greater levels of silymarin (2000 mg/kg) relives the AF-induced intimidating alterations in the liver and blood parameters in quails.

Keywords:

• Aflatoxin
• hepatoprotective
• productive performance
• quail
• silymarin

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Dr. Hossein Irandoust, Department of Animal Science, Isfahan Agricultural Research Center, Isfahan, Iran, for its collaboration in data analysis.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was financially supported by the Directorate of Research and Technology, Lorestan University.