Antioxidant status and serology of laying pullets fed diets supplemented with mistletoe leaf meal

Abstract

The study was conducted to examine the potential of African mistletoe (Viscum album L.) as alternative feed additives for laying pullets. Fresh African mistletoe leaf were harvested from cocoa trees and air dried to constant weight. The leaves were grounded and were designated as mistletoe leaf meal (MLM). Sixty (60) eighteen weeks old ISA Brown pullets were randomly allocated to four dietary treatments when egg production was 4% in a completely randomized design. The birds were fed layer ration and dietary mistletoe supplement as treatments T1 (basal diet + 0% MLM), T2 (basal diet + 2% MLM), T3 (basal diet + 4%MLM) and T4 (basal diet + 6%MLM) during eight week feeding trial. At the end of the feeding trial, blood was collected through the jugular vein into a sample bottle for serum oxidative status assay; malondialdehyde (mMDA/mgprotein), total antioxidant activity (mmol/litre), glutathione peroxidase (GPx, μgGSH/min/mgprotein), superoxide dismutase (SOD, U/min/mg protein) and catalase (nmH₂O₂/min/mg protein) and serum biochemical assay; total protein and its fractions, cholesterol and its fractions, alanine amino transferase (ALT), aspartate amino transferase (AST). The result obtained revealed that lipid peroxidation in laying pullets were significantly (p<0.05) lowered by mistletoe supplementation while total antioxidant activity of laying pullets significantly (p<0.05) increased with mistletoe inclusion. The result revealed that 6% mistletoe supplementation significantly (p<0.05) enhanced catalase and glutathione peroxidase activity. Pullets fed mistletoe leaf meal had significantly (p<0.05) lower serum cholesterol and low density lipoprotein compared to the control. Serum triglyceride and high density lipoprotein were not significantly (p<0.05) influenced by mistletoe. The ALT and AST of birds fed mistletoe leaf meal compared favourably with the control. It can be concluded that mistletoe inclusion in laying pullets diet enhanced antioxidant profile, does not pose organ toxicity and tends to confer hypocholesterolemic response on pullets.

Keywords: Antioxidant activity; Serum cholesterol; Lipid peroxides; Mistletoe; Pullets