Effects of dietary supplementation with leonurine hydrochloride on growth performance, immune response, antioxidant capacity and blood parameters in male broiler chicks

The aim of the present study was to explore the effects of different dietary levels (0, 15, 30, 60, 120 mg/kg) of leonurine hydrochloride (LHy) supplementation on growth performance, immune response, antioxidant capacity, hematological parameters and serum lipid profiles in broiler chicks. A total of 600 1-day-old Ross × Ross male broilers were randomly allocated to five treatment groups consisting of eight pens of fifteen birds. The feeding programme included a starter diet until day 21 and a finisher diet from day 22 to day 42. The results indicate that LHy did not alter the growth performance of broilers (P > 0.05). Supplementation of the basal diet with LHy increased (linear, P < 0.05) relative spleen weights at d 21 and 42. In both 21- and 42-day-old chicks, dietary LHy supplementation linearly increased (P < 0.05) the serum immunoglobulin A (IgA) and M (IgM) concentrations, catalase (CAT), total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) activities, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels, while linearly (P < 0.05) decreased serum malondialdehyde (MDA) activity, red blood cell (RBC) count, hemoglobin, triglyceride (TC) levels and total cholesterol (CHOL) content. In addition dietary LHy supplementation linearly (P < 0.05) increased the GSH activity in 42-day-old broilers. Taken together, dietary LHy supplementation was able to promote immune function and antioxidant capacity, and decrease blood lipid levels in broilers.