Impacts of sex steroids and aromatase inhibitor on performances, carcass characteristics and gonadal histology of broiler chickens slaughtered at different ages

Mona E M Younis; Fatima S Alaryani; Fatima A Jaber; Asmaa Aboelnour; Mustafa Shukry; Ayman E Taha; Mohamed E Abd El-Hack; Vincenzo Tufarelli; Caterina Losacco; Mahmoud M Abo Ghanima

doi:10.1111/rda.14215

Impacts of sex steroids and aromatase inhibitor on performances, carcass characteristics and gonadal histology of broiler chickens slaughtered at different ages

Reprod Domest Anim. 2022 Nov;57(11):1375-1393. doi: 10.1111/rda.14215. Epub 2022 Aug 1.

Affiliations

¹ Department of Animal Husbandry and Animal Wealth Development, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Damanhour University, Damanhour, Egypt.
² University of Jeddah, College of Science, Department of Biology, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
³ Department of Histology and Cytology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Damanhour University, Damanhour, Egypt.
⁴ Department of Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh, Egypt.
⁵ Department of Animal Husbandry and Animal Wealth Development, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Alexandria University, Behira, Rasheed, Edfina, Egypt.
⁶ Poultry Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt.
⁷ Department of DETO, Section of Veterinary Science and Animal Production, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro', Valenzano, Italy.

PMID: 35876715
DOI: 10.1111/rda.14215

Abstract

This experiment was established to evaluate the influence of synthetic steroid hormone and aromatase inhibitor on performance, carcass characteristics, hormonal profile and gonadal structure of broiler chickens slaughtered at two different ages. A total of 360 Cobb Avian48 chicks were sexed and distributed randomly into three groups: Tam10 group; birds received Tamoxifen10mg (Tamfen 10 mg^@ ) orally at a level of 10 mg/kg body weight daily from the 3rd till the 9th day of age; BOL group: birds injected intramuscularly with Boldenone undecylenate (BOLD-GAN^@ 0.1 mg/kg) at the 5th and the 9th day of age; and Control group. BOL injection or Tam supplementation improved performance traits compared with the control group. Although Tam positive effect appeared early before the 5th week of age, the BOL effect was delayed to the 6th week. BOL injection improved carcass characteristics of both sexes at both 5 and 6 weeks slaughtering ages. Regardless of treatment effect, the mortality% was higher in the late weeks of age than in the early weeks. Moreover, BOL treatment increased comb% compared with control and Tam treatments. Generally, males had significantly higher testosterone levels and lower oestrogen levels than females. Males treated with Boldenone had the highest testosterone level, although testosterone levels did not differ considerably among females of the various groups. BOL treatment females had the lowest oestrogen level. Both Tam10 and Boldenone had adverse effects on testicular and ovarian histology, affecting the typical structures. Finally, we concluded that the anabolic effect of Tam10 may be achieved in griller broilers production without changing the sex hormones assay. Although Boldenone achieved an anabolic effect without changing blood sex hormone levels, this effect is induced early with females and delayed with males, which prolongs the marketing period. The goal is to shorten this period. Therefore, this material can only be used with the possibility of separating females from males to be used with females only.

Keywords: broilers; gonadal histology; performance; sex hormones; steroids.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial, Veterinary

MeSH terms

Anabolic Agents*
Animals
Aromatase Inhibitors / pharmacology
Chickens*
Estrogens
Female
Male
Testosterone

Substances

Anabolic Agents
Aromatase Inhibitors
Estrogens
Testosterone