876 Effects of sporoderm-broken spores of Ganoderma lucidum on growth performance, antioxidant function, and immune response of broiler chickens

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of sporoderm-broken spores of Ganoderma lucidum (SSGL), a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, on growth performance, oxidative stress, and immunity of broiler chickens. A total of three hundred 1-d-old male Arbor Acre broiler chickens with similar BW (40 ± 1.0 g) were assigned randomly to 4 dietary treatments. Each treatment contained 5 replicate pens of 15 birds per pen. The treatment diets were prepared by supplementing SSGL to a basal corn–soybean meal diet with the concentrations of 0 (control), 100, 200, and 500 mg/kg diet. The BW and feed intake were recorded based on pen on d 21 and 44 after a 12-h feed withdrawal. On 44 d of the experiment, 1 bird from each pen with BW close to the average was selected and slaughtered. Blood was drawn from the wing vein with a heparinized syringe and collected into tubes and then centrifuged at 1,000 × g for 10 min to obtain serum. The serum was immediately stored at −20°C. A portion of liver and spleen tissues were harvested, coded snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen, and then maintained at −80°C for analyses. Pen was used as the experimental unit, and 1-way ANOVA was performed using the GLM procedure in SAS software (version 9; SAS Inst. Inc., Cary, NC). Duncan's multiple range test was used for multiple comparisons when a significant difference was detected. The results showed that diets with SSGL significantly increased (P < 0.05) ADFI and ADG and decreased the feed:gain ratio (P < 0.05) of the birds during the finisher period (22–44 d). Dietary SSGL also increased hydroxyl radical scavenging activity and decreased the concentrations of malondialdehyde and lipid peroxidation in the liver and spleen of the broilers (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the capability of total antioxidant, the activities of glutathione reductase and catalase, and the concentration of reduced glutathione in the liver and spleen were significantly higher in broilers fed diets with SSGL than in broilers that received the control diet (P < 0.05). In addition, the levels of serum IL-2, IgA, and IgG in the broilers fed SSGL were significantly increased compared with those from the broilers fed the control diet (P < 0.05). These results suggest that dietary supplementation of SSGL has ameliorative effects on growth performance, free radical scavenging activity, antioxidant capability, and immune function of broilers.