Effects of Dietary Vitamin D3 Supplementation on Growth Performance, Immune and Antioxidant Functions in the Adipose Tissue of Luhua Broilers (Gallus gallus)
TAN Li-You, WU Jia-Hui, LI Jia-Wei, WANG Ya-Peng, CHEN Yan, DAI Hong-Wei, LU Jian-Xiong, JIANG Su-Su*, ZHANG Guo-Hua*
School of Life Sciences and Engineering, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou 730124, China
Abstract：Vitamin D3 (VD3) has various biological functions. Beyond regulating the absorption and utilization of calcium and phosphorus, it also plays a significant role in the metabolism and overall health of animals. A total of 210 one-day-old male Luhua broilers (Gallus gallus) were randomly assigned to a control (basal diet) and VD3 group (basal diet supplemented with 3750 IU/kg VD3), with 7 replicates per group in this study. The 84-day experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary vitamin D3 supplementation on growth performance, immunity and antioxidant function of Luhua broilers, by determining the relative weight of immune organs, as well as immune factors and antioxidant indexes in serum and adipose tissue. The results showed that dietary VD3 supplementation significantly increased body weight gain of broilers aged from 1 to 84 d (P<0.05). Supplementary VD3 significantly increased the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25(OH)D3) level and upregulated the mRNA expression of vitamin D receptor (VDR), cytochrome P450 family 2 subfamily R member 1 (CYP2R1), cytochrome P450 family 27 subfamily C member 1 (CYP27C1), cytochrome P450 family 24 subfamily A member 1 (CYP24A1), and vitamin D binding protein (VDBP) in the adipose tissue of broilers (P<0.05). Dietary VD3 significantly decreased serum malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and increased the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and catalase (CAT) in the serum of broilers at 56 days of age, as well as GSH-Px and CAT activities at 84 days of age; additionally, VD3 significantly upregulated the mRNA expression of antioxidant-related genes, including nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), NADPH quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1), GSH-Px, and SOD in the adipose tissue of broilers at 56 and 84 days of age (P<0.05). Dietary VD3 significantly increased the organ indices of thymus and bursa of Fabricius in broilers at 56 and 84 days of age, and serum levels of immunoglobulin A (IgA), IgG, interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) in broilers at 28, 56 and 84 d; significantly increased levels of IgA, IgG, IL-10 in adipose tissue at all ages, as well as IgM levels at 56 and 84 days of age. It also significantly downregulated the mRNA expression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB), toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4) and IL-1β, and upregulated mRNA expression of IL-10 in the adipose tissue (P<0.05). These results indicated that dietary supplementation with 3 750 IU/kg VD3 could enhance VD3 metabolism and improve systemic and adipose tissue antioxidant and immune functions, thereby supporting the health and growth of Luhua broilers. The findings of this study provide a basis for a deeper understanding of the nutritional and physiological functions of VD3 and for optimizing its utilization in broiler production.
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