The effect of methionine and folic acid administered in ovo on the blood biochemical parameters of chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus)

• Published in: Poultry science 2024-07, Vol.103 (7), p.103731, Article 103731
• Main Authors: Tombarkiewicz, Barbara, Trzeciak, Karolina, Lis, Marcin W., Makulska, Joanna, Pawlak, Krzysztof, Bojarski, Bartosz
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: amino acid; Animals; biochemical parameter; Blood Glucose - drug effects; Chick Embryo - drug effects; chicken embryo; Chickens - blood; Chickens - growth & development; Dietary Supplements - analysis; Embryonic Development - drug effects; Folic Acid - administration & dosage; Folic Acid - pharmacology; Homocysteine - blood; Methionine - administration & dosage; Methionine - pharmacology; supplementation; Uric Acid - blood
• ISSN: 0032-5791; 1525-3171; 1525-3171
• DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2024.103731

Methionine is one of the most frequently supplemented amino acids in raising of poultry. However, an overdose of methionine can cause hyperhomocysteinemia. Folic acid, taking part in the process of homocysteine remethylation, is a factor affecting the reduction of the concentration of this amino acid. The study was carried out in 2 stages. The experiment of step I was to investigate the effect of methionine and/or folic acid administration in ovo in the early stage of embryogenesis (E4), and the experiment of the second stage – in the late stage of embryogenesis (E17) on the following biochemical parameters of chicken blood: glucose concentration in whole blood and concentration of homocysteine and uric acid in plasma of domestic chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus). Our results confirm that methionine supplementation may increase the concentration of uric acid and homocysteine. Moreover, we demonstrated that folic acid administered during embryogenesis decreased homocysteine concentration, also in groups simultaneously supplemented with methionine, especially in the initial stage of postnatal life of the bird.