Effect of Moringa Oleifera Leaf Powder Supplementation on Serum Parameters, Gut Micro-Flora, Muscle and Bone Health in Broilers under Dexamethasone-Induced Stress

Huma Bahri; Ubaid Ullah; Maaz Ahmad; Mansoor Ahmad; Asad Ullah; Samina Younas; Raheela Taj; Shumaila Gul; Faiza Khan; Rafiq Ullah; Muhmmad Sadeeq; Imad  Khan

doi:10.55627/agrivet.03.02.0562

Authors

Huma Bahri Department of Zoology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, 23200
Ubaid Ullah Department of Zoology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, 23200
Maaz Ahmad Department of Zoology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, 23200
Mansoor Ahmad Department of Zoology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, 23200
Asad Ullah College of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, 23200
Samina Younas Department of Zoology, Government College University, Lahore 54000
Raheela Taj Institute of Chemical Sciences (ICS), University of Peshawar 25120
Shumaila Gul Department of Chemical and Life Sciences, Qurtuba University of Science and information Technology Peshawar, KP 25000
Faiza Khan Department of Radiology, Hayatabad Medical Complex Peshawar 25100, KP
Rafiq Ullah Department of Zoology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, 23200
Muhmmad Sadeeq Department of Anatomy, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Swat 19200, KP
Imad Khan College of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55627/agrivet.03.02.0562

Keywords:

Broiler, Dexamethasone, Gut health, Muscle, Tibia

Abstract

The research investigates the impact of Moringa oleifera leaf powder (MOLP) supplementation on broilers subjected to dexamethasone-induced stress. A total of 200-day old chicks were divided into five groups (A, B, C, D and E), each group having four replicates (ten chicks/replica). Negative control group (A) received only basal diet, positive control group (B) given dexamethasone (day 21^st onward) in basal diet, group C, D, and E received 0.8%, 1.2%, and 1.6% MOLP respectively. Results indicate that significant (P ≤ 0.05) improvements in liver health, evidenced by decreased levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alkaline phosphate (ALP) in MOLP-treated groups, urea and creatinine levels remained non-significant. Significant alterations in gut microbiota composition, with positive (P ≤ 0.05) changes in Escherichia coli, Bifidobacteria, and Lactobacilli in MOLP-treated birds, indicated potential benefits for gut health. Mineral content analysis revealed higher (P ≤ 0.05) phosphorus % in MOLP-administered groups, ash% and Ca% were non-significant. Bone morphological parameter demonstrated significant (P ≤ 0.05) improvements in tibia length, body weight, tibiotarsal index and weight/length index in 1.2% and 1.6% MOLP groups, diaphysis diameter, medullary canal diameter, medial wall diameter, lateral wall diameter and robusticity index of tibial bones were non-significant. MOLP supplements significantly (P ≤ 0.05) changed muscle fascicle diameter and muscle fascicle cross-sectional area, while muscle fiber diameter, muscle fiber cross-sectional area and muscle fiber density were remained non-significant. It was concluded that up to 1.6% MOLP in broiler feed improves broilers health.

References

Abbas, T. E. 2013. The use of Moringa oleifera in poultry diets. Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, 37: 492-96.

Abu Hafsa, S. H., S. A. Ibrahim, Y. Z. Eid and A. A. Hassan. 2020. Effect of dietary Moringa oleifera leaves on the performance, ileal microbiota and antioxidative status of broiler chickens. Journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition, 104: 529-38.

Ademu, L., O. Daudu, N. Jibrin and F. Mohammed. 2021. Thermoregulatory, Tibia Bone Geometry and Calcium Indices of Heat-Stressed Broiler Chickens Fed Toasted Sorrel Seed Meal. Nigerian Journal of Animal Science and Technology (NJAST), 4: 29-39.

Alnidawi, A., F. Ali, S. Abdelgayed, F. Ahmed and M. Farid. 2016. Moringa oleifera leaves in broiler diets: Effect on chicken performance and health. Food Science and Quality Management, 58: 40-48.

Asgari-Kafrani, A., M. Fazilati and H. Nazem. 2020. Hepatoprotective and antioxidant activity of aerial parts of Moringa oleifera in prevention of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in Wistar rats. South African Journal of Botany, 129: 82-90.

Bourais, I., S. Elmarrkechy, D. Taha, Y. Mourabit, A. Bouyahya, M. El Yadini, O. Machich, S. El Hajjaji, H. El Boury and N. Dakka. 2023. A review on medicinal uses, nutritional value, and antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and anticancer potential related to bioactive compounds of J. regia. Food Reviews International, 39: 6199-249.

Browning, L. and A. Cowieson. 2013. Effect of vitamin D3 and strontium on performance, nutrient retention, and bone mineral composition in broiler chickens. Animal Production Science, 54: 942-49.

Divya, S., A. B. Mandal, A. Biswas, A. Yadav and A. Biswas. 2014. Effect of dietary Moringa oleifera leaves powder on growth performance, blood chemistry, meat quality and gut microflora of broiler chicks. Animal Nutration and Feed Technology, 14: 349-57.

Duff, A. F., M. F. Baxter, B. D. Graham, B. M. Hargis and L. R. Bielke. 2019. Mode of action of dietary dexamethasone may not be dependent upon microbial mechanisms in broilers. Microorganisms, 7: 346.

Edens, F. 2003. An alternative for antibiotic se in poultry: probiotics. Brazilian Journal of Poultry Science, 5: 75-97.

Egbu, C. F. 2023. Effect of Moringa oleifera extracts on physiological and meat quality responses of broiler chickens, North-West University (South Africa).

Fakurazi, S., S. A. Sharifudin and P. Arulselvan. 2012. Moringa oleifera hydroethanolic extracts effectively alleviate acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity in experimental rats through their antioxidant nature. Molecules, 17: 8334-50.

González-Burgos, E., I. Ureña-Vacas, M. Sánchez and M. P. Gómez-Serranillos. 2021. Nutritional value of Moringa oleifera Lam. leaf powder extracts and their neuroprotective effects via antioxidative and mitochondrial regulation. Nutrients, 13: 2203.

Hammadi Jasim, N., A. D Kareem, M. A. Ali and B. Abbas. 2022. Effect of Long-Term Treatment with Dexamethasone on the Liver and Kidney Histopathology, as well as Blood Biochemistry in Male Rabbits (Lepus Cuniculus). Archives of Razi Institute, 77: 333-43.

Hassan, R. A., M. E. Shafi, K. M. Attia and M. H. Assar. 2020. Influence of oyster mushroom waste on growth performance, immunity and intestinal morphology compared with antibiotics in broiler chickens. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 7: 333.

Hua, C., Y. Geng, Q. Chen, L. Niu, L. Cai, S. Tao, Y. Ni and R. Zhao. 2018. Chronic dexamethasone exposure retards growth without altering the digestive tract microbiota composition in goats. BMC microbiology, 18: 1-11.

Khan, I., H. Zaneb, S. Masood, S. Ashraf, H. F. Rehman, S. K. Tahir, H. U. Rehman, A. Khan, R. Taj and S. U. Rahman. 2021. Supplementation of selenium nanoparticles-loaded chitosan improves production performance, intestinal morphology, and gut microflora in broiler chickens. The journal of poultry science, 59: 272-81.

Khan, I., H. Zaneb, S. Masood, M. Yousaf, H. Rehman and H. Rehman. 2017. Effect of Moringa oleifera leaf powder supplementation on growth performance and intestinal morphology in broiler chickens. Journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition, 101: 114-21.

Khattak, S. R., A. Hussain, A. A. Ali, T. Ahmad, S. Ayaz, M. Akram and M. I. MR. 2020. Comparative studies of leaves and bark of Moringa oleifera originated from Khyber Pakhtoon Khwa and Punjab, Pakistan. Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, 9: 1505-09.

Kornegay, E. 1999. Feeding to reduce nutrient excretion: effects of phytase on phosphorus and other nutrients.

Kumar, V., N. Pandey, N. Mohan and R. P. Singh. 2012. Antibacterial & antioxidant activity of different extract of Moringa oleifera Leaves–an in vitro study. International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Review and Research, 12: 89-94.

Liao, S. F. and M. Nyachoti. 2017. Using probiotics to improve swine gut health and nutrient utilization. Animal nutrition, 3: 331-43.

Liu, R., J. Liu, Q. Huang, S. Liu and Y. Jiang. 2022. Moringa oleifera: a systematic review of its botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicity. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, 74: 296-320.

Liu, Y., Y. Chen, H. Zhao, L. Zhong, L. Wu and L. Cui. 2011. Effects of different doses of dexamethasone on bone qualities in rats. Sheng wu yi xue Gong Cheng xue za zhi= Journal of Biomedical Engineering= Shengwu Yixue Gongchengxue Zazhi, 28: 737-43, 47.

Mahfuz, S. and X. S. Piao. 2019. Application of Moringa (Moringa oleifera) as natural feed supplement in poultry diets. Animals, 9: 431.

Maizuwo, A. I., A. S. Hassan, H. Momoh and J. A. Muhammad. 2017. Phytochemical constituents, biological activities, therapeutic potentials and nutritional values of Moringa oleifera (Zogale): a review. Journal of drug design and medicinal chemistry, 3: 60-66.

Mandal, A., A. Biswas, A. Yadav and A. Biswas. 2014. Effect of dietary Moringa oleifera leaves powder on growth performance, blood chemistry, meat quality and gut microflora of broiler chicks. Animal Nutrition and Feed Technology, 14: 349-57.

Mir, N. A., A. Rafiq, F. Kumar, V. Singh and V. Shukla. 2017. Determinants of broiler chicken meat quality and factors affecting them: a review. Journal of food science and technology, 54: 2997-3009.

Mohamed, M. A., A. A. El-Mleeh, R. T. Hamad, I. S. Abu-Alya, M. H. El-Hewaity, A. R. Elbestawy, A. M. Elbagory, A. S. Sayed-Ahmed, M. A. Abd Eldaim and O. I. Elshabrawy. 2023. Immunostimulant potential of Moringa Oleifera leaves alcoholic extract versus Oregano Essential Oil (OEO) against cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppression in broilers chicks. Tropical Animal Health and Production, 55: 209.

Mutuş, R., N. Kocabağli, M. Alp, N. Acar, M. Eren and Ş. Gezen. 2006. The effect of dietary probiotic supplementation on tibial bone characteristics and strength in broilers. Poultry science, 85: 1621-25.

Nathaniel, E. U. 2021. Efficacy of Moringa oleifera and Moringa stenopetala leaves on growth performance, haemato-biochemical profiles and gut microbiota in Broiler chicken, KeMU.

Nawaz, A., S. Irshad, I. A. Khan, I. Khalifa, N. Walayat, R. M. Aadil, M. Kumar, M. Wang, F. Chen and K.-W. Cheng. 2022. Protein oxidation in muscle-based products: Effects on physicochemical properties, quality concerns, and challenges to food industry. Food Research International, 157: 111322.

Nduku, X., S. Mabusela and T. Nkukwana. 2020. Growth and meat quality of broiler chickens fed Moringa oleifera leaf meal, a probiotic and an organic acid. South African Journal of Animal Science, 50.

Nkukwana, T., V. Muchenje, P. Masika, L. Hoffman and K. Dzama. 2014. The effect of Moringa oleifera leaf meal supplementation on tibia strength, morphology and inorganic content of broiler chickens. South African Journal of Animal Science, 44: 228-39.

Nouman, W. 2019. Potential of Moringa for Livestoc k Production 14.2 The Potential of Moringa oleifera as Livestock Feed Ingredient. The Miracle Tree: Moringa Oleifera.

Pan, L., X. Ma, P. Zhao and X. Piao. 2019. Weeping forsythia extract alleviates dexamethasone-induced oxidative injury of breast muscles in broilers. animal, 13: 2660-68.

Rehman, H., H. Zaneb, S. Masood, M. Yousaf, S. Ashraf, I. Khan, M. Shah, M. Khilji and H. Rehman. 2018. Effect of Moringa oleifera leaf powder supplementation on pectoral muscle quality and morphometric characteristics of tibia bone in broiler chickens. Brazilian Journal of Poultry Science, 20: 817-24.

Reis, M., C. Couture, N. Sakomura, L. Hauschild, C. Angel, A. Narcy and M. Létourneau-Montminy. 2023. A first model of the fate of dietary calcium and phosphorus in broiler chickens. animal, 17: 100896.

Rode, S. B., A. Dadmal, H. V. Salankar and A. A. Dadmal Jr. 2022. Nature’s gold (Moringa oleifera): miracle properties. Cureus, 14.

Soundararajan, S., J. Selvakumar, Z. M. Maria Joseph, Y. Gopinath, V. Saravanan and R. Santhanam. 2023. Investigating the modulatory effects of Moringa oleifera on the gut microbiota of chicken model through metagenomic approach. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 10: 1153769.

Srinivas¹, R. L., S. M. Lakshmi¹, S. N. Shama¹, G. K. Reddy¹ and K. Prasanna. 2013. Medicinal plants as anti-ulcer agents. Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, 2: 91-97.

Sultana, N., T. Amin, M. Afrose, S. Aqter Rony and K. Rafiq. 2020. Effects of Dexamethasone on the Morphometry and Biometry of Immune Organs of Broiler Chicken. International Journal of Morphology, 38.

Suprataman, H., R. M. Ismiraj and N. Mayasari. 2020. Effects of probiotic supplimentation to diets on blood urea nitrogen and plasma creatinine in broiler chicken.

Suvarna, K. S., C. Layton and J. D. Bancroft. 2018. Bancroft's theory and practice of histological techniques E-Book. Elsevier health sciences.

Szafraniec, G. M., P. Szeleszczuk and B. Dolka. 2022. Review on skeletal disorders caused by Staphylococcus spp. in poultry. Veterinary Quarterly, 42: 21-40.

Taufek, N. M., S. N. N. Zainol Ariffin, N. Mohd Arshad and M. S. H. Mazlishah. 2022. Current status of dietary Moringa oleifera and its application in poultry nutrition. World's Poultry Science Journal, 78: 397-419.

Tesseraud, S., R. Peresson and A. Chagneau. 1996. Age-related changes of protein turnover in specific tissues of the chick. Poultry science, 75: 627-31.

Virden, W., M. Lilburn, J. Thaxton, A. Corzo, D. Hoehler and M. Kidd. 2007. The effect of corticosterone-induced stress on amino acid digestibility in Ross broilers. Poultry science, 86: 338-42.

Waldenstedt, L. 2006. Nutritional factors of importance for optimal leg health in broilers: A review. Animal feed science and technology, 126: 291-307.

Wang, R., S. Fui, C. Miao and D. Feng. 2005. Effects of different mycotoxin adsorbents on performance, meat characteristics and blood profiles of avian broilers fed mold contaminated corn. Asian-Australasian journal of animal sciences, 19: 72-79.

Wang, X., Z. Song, H. Jiao and H. Lin. 2012. Dexamethasone facilitates lipid accumulation in chicken skeletal muscle. Stress, 15: 443-56.

Weimer, S. L., R. F. Wideman, C. G. Scanes, A. Mauromoustakos, K. D. Christensen and Y. Vizzier-Thaxton. 2018. An evaluation of methods for measuring stress in broiler chickens. Poultry science, 97: 3381-89.

Williams, B., S. Solomon, D. Waddington, B. Thorp and C. Farquharson. 2000. Skeletal development in the meat-type chicken. British Poultry Science, 41: 141-49.

Yadav, S. and R. Jha. 2019. Strategies to modulate the intestinal microbiota and their effects on nutrient utilization, performance, and health of poultry. Journal of animal science and biotechnology, 10: 1-11.

Yan, F., J. Kersey and P. Waldroup. 2001. Phosphorus requirements of broiler chicks three to six weeks of age as influenced by phytase supplementation. Poultry science, 80: 455-59.

Zhang, H., L. Huang, S. Hu, X. Qin and X. Wang. 2023. Moringa oleifera leaf powder as new source of protein-based feedstuff improves growth performance and cecal microbial diversity of broiler chicken. Animals, 13: 1104.