Dietary Corn Silk (Stigma maydis) Extract Supplementation Modulate Production Performance, Immune Response and Redox Balance in Corticosterone-Induced Oxidative Stress Broilers

Farid S Nassar; Abdulaziz M Alsahlawi; Hasan A E Abdellatif; Nancy N Kamel; Ahmed O Abbas

doi:10.3390/ani13030441

Dietary Corn Silk (Stigma maydis) Extract Supplementation Modulate Production Performance, Immune Response and Redox Balance in Corticosterone-Induced Oxidative Stress Broilers

Animals (Basel). 2023 Jan 28;13(3):441. doi: 10.3390/ani13030441.

Authors

Farid S Nassar^{1

2}, Abdulaziz M Alsahlawi³, Hasan A E Abdellatif⁴, Nancy N Kamel⁵, Ahmed O Abbas^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Animal and Fish Production, College of Agricultural and Food Sciences, King Faisal University, P.O. Box 420, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia.
² Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, P.O. Box 12613, Giza 12613, Egypt.
³ Department of Finance, College of Business Administration, King Faisal University, P.O. Box 420, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, P.O. Box 71511, Assuit 71524, Egypt.
⁵ Department of Animal Production, National Research Center, El Buhouth St., Dokki, P.O. Box 12622, Giza 12622, Egypt.

Abstract

Immunosuppression is a serious consequence of oxidative stress exposure that negatively affects the productivity and profitability of birds, as well as their well-being. Thus, the present investigation was designed to evaluate the potential of corn silk extract (CSE) supplementation to overcome the negative impacts of oxidative stress induced by corticosterone administration (CORT) in broiler chickens. A total of 280 one day old Cobb 500 male chicks were divided into four groups in 2 × 2 factorial arrangements. The experimental groups included CSE supplementation (0 or 500 mg/kg diet, from 20 to 35 days of age) and CORT administration (0 or 25 mg/kg diet, from 22 to 35 days of age) as independent factors. At the end of week five of age, production performance parameters were measured. The humoral and cell-mediated immune response parameters, redox status, and stress markers were determined. Data revealed deleterious effects of CORT administration on the broilers' body weight, body weight gain, and feed conversion ratio. Moreover, an exponential increase in stress marker levels, in addition to immunosuppression and redox imbalance, were associated with CORT administration. However, CSE supplementation, with its high total phenols content, partially alleviated the negative impacts of CORT administration, as shown by a significant improvement in immune response parameters and antioxidant activity, as well as a reduction in stress marker levels. Furthermore, CSE supplementation to non-stressed birds even significantly improved total antioxidant activity, total white blood cells (TWBCs) count, T-lymphocyte stimulating index, and wattle thickness. It can be concluded that, under stress conditions in commercial broiler farms, dietary CSE supplementation can strongly be recommended to modulate the negative impacts of stress. Therefore, CSE can be used as an effective immunomodulator and antioxidant agent to increase commercial broiler farm productivity and profitability.

Keywords: broiler; corn silk extract; immune response; production performance; redox status; stress markers.

Grants and funding

GRANT853/Deanship of Scientific Research, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia