The optimal dietary arginine level of laying hens fed with low-protein diets

Mingfa Sun; Ning Ma; Hui Liu; Yu Liu; Yunlei Zhou; Jingpeng Zhao; Xiaojuan Wang; Haifang Li; Baishun Ma; Hongchao Jiao; Hai Lin

doi:10.1186/s40104-022-00719-x

The optimal dietary arginine level of laying hens fed with low-protein diets

J Anim Sci Biotechnol. 2022 Jun 17;13(1):63. doi: 10.1186/s40104-022-00719-x.

Authors

Mingfa Sun^#¹, Ning Ma^#¹, Hui Liu¹, Yu Liu¹, Yunlei Zhou², Jingpeng Zhao¹, Xiaojuan Wang¹, Haifang Li³, Baishun Ma⁴, Hongchao Jiao⁵, Hai Lin⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Animal Science, Shandong Agricultural University, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, 61 Daizong Street, Taian City, 271018, Shandong Province, China.
² College of Chemistry and Material Science, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian City, 271018, Shandong Province, China.
³ College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian City, 271018, Shandong Province, China.
⁴ Shandong He-Mei-Hua Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd, Jinan City, 250101, Shandong Province, China.
⁵ Department of Animal Science, Shandong Agricultural University, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, 61 Daizong Street, Taian City, 271018, Shandong Province, China. hongchao@sdau.edu.cn.
⁶ Department of Animal Science, Shandong Agricultural University, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, 61 Daizong Street, Taian City, 271018, Shandong Province, China. hailin@sdau.edu.cn.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Background: Arginine (Arg) is an essential amino acid (EAA) in poultry, an important substrate for protein synthesis and a precursor of several molecules. Supplementation of EAAs with low protein (LP) diet increases the utilization efficiency of dietary crude protein (CP). However, if the EAA requirement is changed in hens fed a LP diet remains to be elucidated. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the optimal level of dietary Arg in the LP diet of hens. A total of 1350 Hy-Line Brown laying hens were randomly allocated to six dietary treatments: a basal diet (16% CP, positive control), or an isoenergetic LP diet (14% CP, 0.80% Arg) supplemented 0, 0.05%, 0.10%, 0.15%, and 0.20% L-Arg, corresponding to 0.80%, 0.85%, 0.90%, 0.95% and 1.00% dietary Arg, respectively.

Results: The feed efficiency was decreased (P < 0.05) by 0.80% and 1.00% Arg-LP diets, compared to control. Within LP diets, dietary Arg level had significant quadratic effects (P < 0.05) on laying rate, egg mass, and feed efficiency. Compared to control, the plasma CAT activity or T-AOC content were decreased by 0.80% (P < 0.001). However, the hens offered 0.85% and 0.90% Arg-LP diets had higher CAT activity (P < 0.001) than 0.80% Arg-LP diet. In contrast, 1.00% Arg-LP group had the highest MDA and the lowest T-AOC content in plasma, liver, duodenal and jejunal mucosa (P < 0.05). Compared to control, the villus height was decreased by 0.80%, 0.95% and 1.00% Arg-LP diets, while the villus height to crypt depth (V/C) ratio was reduced by 0.95% and 1.00% Arg-LP diets in duodenum.

Conclusion: The result demonstrates that LP diet (14% CP) deficient in Arg (0.80% Arg) result in augmented oxidative damage and impaired development of intestinal mucosa. According to the quadratic broken-line regression model, the optimal dietary arginine levels for Hy-Line Brown laying hens fed with low protein diet (14% CP) aged 33 to 40 weeks are 0.85%, 0.86%, and 0.86% to obtained the maximum laying rate, egg mass, and feed efficiency, respectively.

Keywords: Anti-oxidation; Arginine; Laying performance; Low protein diet.

Abstract

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