Forsythia suspensa extract enhances performance via the improvement of nutrient digestibility, antioxidant status, anti-inflammatory function, and gut morphology in broilers

• Published in: Poultry science 2020-09, Vol.99 (9), p.4217-4226
• Main Authors: Long, S.F., He, T.F., Wu, D., Yang, M., Piao, X.S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal Feed - analysis; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; anti-inflammatory; Anti-Inflammatory Agents - pharmacology; antioxidant status; broilers; Chickens; Diet - veterinary; Dietary Supplements; Digestion - drug effects; Enzyme Activation - drug effects; Forsythia - chemistry; Forsythia suspensa extract; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Immunology, Health and Disease; Male; Nutrients - metabolism; Oxidoreductases - metabolism; Plant Extracts - pharmacology
• ISSN: 0032-5791; 1525-3171
• DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2020.05.011

This experiment aims to determine the effects of Forsythia suspense extract (FSE) as an antibiotic substitute on performance, antioxidant status, anti-inflammatory function, intestinal morphology, and meat fatty acid deposition in broilers. 192 male Arbor Acre broilers (1-day-old, weighing 45.6 ± 1.3 g) were randomly allocated to 3 treatments, 8 replicate pens per treatment, 8 broilers per pen. The treatments contain a control diet (corn-soybean meal basal diet, CTL), an antibiotic diet (basal diet + 75 mg/kg chlortetracycline, CTC), and an FSE diet (basal diet + 100 mg/kg FSE; FSE). The experiment includes phase 1 (day 1 to 21) and 2 (day 22 to 42). Compared with CTL and CTC, broilers supplemented with FSE showed higher (P