Effects of maternal methionine supplementation on the response of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) chicks to heat stress.

This study investigated the hypothesis that methionine supplementation of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) hens can reduce the effects of oxidative stress and improve the performance of the offspring exposed to heat stress during growth. For that, the quail hens were fed with three diets related to the methionine supplementation: methionine-deficient diet (Md); diet supplemented with the recommended methionine level (Met1); and diet supplemented with methionine above the recommended level (Met2). Their chicks were identified, weighed, and housed according to the maternal diet group from 1 to 14 d of age. On 15 d of age, chicks were weighed and divided into two groups: thermoneutral ambient (constant temperature of 23 °C) and intermittent heat stress ambient (daily exposure to 34 °C for 6 h). Methionine-supplemented (Met1 and Met2) hens had higher egg production, better feed conversion ratio, higher hatchability of total and fertile eggs, and offspring with higher body weight. Supplemented (Met1 and Met2) hens showed greater expression of glutathione synthase (GSS) and methionine sulfoxide reductase A (MSRA) genes, greater total antioxidant capacity, and lower lipid peroxidation in the liver. The offspring of hens fed the Met2 diet had lower death rate (1 to 14 d), higher weight on 15 d of age, weight gain, and better feed conversion ratio from 1 to 14 d of age. Among chicks reared under heat stress, the progeny of methionine-supplemented hens had higher weight on 35 d, weight gain, expression of GSS, MSRA, and thermal shock protein 70 (HSP70) genes, and total antioxidant capacity in the liver, as well as lower heterophil/lymphocyte ratio. Positive correlations between expression of glutathione peroxidase 7 (GPX7) and MSRA genes in hens and offspring were observed. Our results show that maternal methionine supplementation contributes to offspring development and performance in early stages and that, under conditions of heat stress during growth, chicks from methionine-supplemented hens respond better to hot environmental conditions than chicks from nonsupplemented hens. Supplementation of quail hens diets with methionine promoted activation of different metabolic pathways in offspring subjected to stress conditions.

The deficiency of nutrients such as methionine in the diet of birds is affecting fertility rate, egg production, egg weight, and progeny weight. In addition, the maternal environment influences gene expression through epigenetic mechanisms, where the conditions experienced by the parental generation during embryonic development can produce effects on the progeny. This study investigates how methionine supplementation in the diet of quail hens can reduce the effects of oxidative stress and improve the performance of progeny subjected to heat stress during growth. For that, the quail hens were fed with diets containing three different levels of methionine; and their chicks were created (15 on 35 d of age) into thermoneutral and/or intermittent heat stress ambient. It was observed that methionine supplementation in the quail hens had a positive effect on mortality during the initial phase and greater weight gain in the progeny growth phase. In addition, genetic inheritance was observed through the positive correlation between the expression of genes (maternal and progeny) related to oxidative stress. The results show that methionine supplementation in the maternal diet contributes to the development and performance of the progeny when subjected to heat stress during the growth phase.

Immune response in sexual inverted and non-inverted Nile tilapia fingerlings supplemented with organic acid and essential oil.

The development and intensification of tilapia farming depends on the manipulation of some physiological functions, such as the sexual inversion of larvae using a synthetic androgen (17α-methyltestosterone). This inversion, however, may represent a potential oxidative stress factor and cause damage to animals in the short, medium, and long term. Dietary supplementation of natural antioxidant compounds is an interesting alternative to combat such damage. To test this hypothesis, an experimental trial was carried out involving sexual inverted and non-inverted Nile tilapia fingerlings, both supplemented and not supplemented with a blend of organic acids and essential oils protected by microencapsulation. Animals were divided into four experimental groups: NI (non-inverted animals), I (sexual inverted animals), NI + M (non-inverted animals supplemented with microcapsules), and I + M (sexual inverted animals supplemented with microcapsules). Blood parameters (WBC - white blood cells; LY - lymphocytes; RBC - red blood cells; HGB - hemoglobin; HCT - hematocrit number; MCH - mean corpuscular hemoglobin; MCV - mean corpuscular volume and MCHC - mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration), as well as oxidative stress markers (enzymatic activity of superoxide dismutase - SOD and catalase - CAT; and total antioxidant capacity - 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH)) and gene expression (heat shock protein 70 kDa - HSP70) were evaluated. The HGB (p < 0.001) and HCT (p = 0.005) parameters were reduced beyond the recommended limits for the animals in group I. The MCV varied statistically between the groups (p < 0.001). However, all values were within the recommended range for the species, jointly indicating normocytic anemia in group I fingerlings at the time of collection. The activity of CAT and SOD, as well as DPPH differed statistically between the experimental groups (p < 0.001), with the lowest SOD and CAT activity, as well as the highest DPPH registered in animals supplemented with microcapsules. The expression of HSP70 was lower in I + MI animals (p < 0.001). The synergistic evaluation of the results indicates that animals sexual inverted during the larval stage have a lower total antioxidant capacity in the fingerling stage, which reflects a worsening in hematological and enzymatic parameters related to immunity; and that dietary supplementation with blend of organic acids and essential oils protected by microencapsulation is sufficient to improve the immunological response both in sexual inverted and non-inverted fingerlings.

Effect of prenatal ambient temperature on the performance physiological parameters, and oxidative metabolism of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) layers exposed to heat stress during growth.

A strategy to mitigate the negative effects of stress on animals is to enhance their ability to beneficially respond to stressful conditions. This study aimed to assess whether prenatal ambient temperature influences the response of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) chicks to environmental challenges during growth. The experiment was conducted in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement: two temperature conditions for the mothers (thermoneutral and heat stress by continuous exposure to 32 °C) and two offspring ambient temperature conditions (thermoneutral and heat stress by intermittent exposure to 34 °C for 6 h/day from 15 to 35 days of age). Heat stress in mothers led to lower laying rate, egg mass, expression of methionine sulfoxide reductase A (MSRA) gene, and antioxidant capacity as well as higher chick mortality rate (1-15 days of age). Maternal heat stress led to lower weight gain and total antioxidant capacity and higher feed conversion ratio. Maternal temperature × Offspring temperature interaction effects were observed on carbonylated protein content and HSP70, GSS, and MSRA gene expression. It was observed that, for chicks hatched from heat-stressed mothers, exposure to heat stress led to higher carbonylated protein content and HSP70 expression than exposure to thermoneutral conditions. Maternal heat stress was also responsible for increasing GSS expression in chicks grown under thermoneutral conditions. Chicks hatched from non-stressed mothers and subjected to heat stress had higher MSRA expression compared to chicks maintained in a thermoneutral environment. Our results show that, although maternal heat stress had no negative effects on performance or oxidative metabolism of offspring grown under thermoneutral conditions, it was associated with lower performance and higher protein oxidation in offspring exposed to heat stress during growth. These results could be due in part to alterations in the expression of genes related to antioxidant capacity.

Supplementation with free methionine or methionine dipeptide improves meat quality in broilers exposed to heat stress.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of methionine dipeptide supplementation on the meat quality of broilers subjected to heat stress. A completely randomized 3 × 2 factorial design with four repetitions of each treatment was used. Three diets, unsupplemented (U), supplemented with methionine (M), and supplemented with methionine dipeptide (MM), were fed to 96 broilers subjected to thermal comfort (TC) or heat stress (HS, 32 °C for 24 h) conditions antemortem. Meat quality parameters, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), protein and lipid oxidation, and ryanodine receptor type 3 (RYR3) gene expression in breast muscle of 35-day-old broilers were evaluated. Methionine supplementation (M and MM) enhanced the nutritional quality of breast meat. Diet had a significant effect on breast meat pH, color (a*), and nitrogen and lipid contents. Interaction effects of diet and HS on TAC and protein oxidation were not observed. Diet and HS influenced lipid oxidation of breast meat after 7 days of refrigerated storage. High RYR3 expression was observed in breast meat of broilers subjected to heat stress and fed the U diet. No differences were observed between M and MM diets in any of the parameters evaluated. The results showed that both sources of methionine (M and MM) can be supplemented in broiler diets with beneficial effects on breast yield and meat nutritional quality. In addition, HS has made chickens more susceptible to biomolecule oxidation, and MM can potentiate chicken TAC. Further study is needed to better understand the effects of MM on broilers.

Thermal stress induces changes in gene expression and blood parameters in high and low feed efficiency meat quail.

In this study, we analysed markers of stress, plasma creatinine and T3 content, and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), growth hormone receptor (GHR), uncoupling protein (UCP), adenine nucleotide translocase (ANT) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit III (COX III) mRNA expression in the liver and muscle of high (0.22 g/g) and low (0.14 g/g) feed efficiency (FE) meat quail at three different air temperatures, comfortable, heat and cold stress, for 24 h. High FE quail presented higher plasma T3 and lower creatinine levels. IGF-I mRNA expression was higher in the livers of high FE quail than in the livers of low FE quail under both comfortable and cold stress conditions. In the muscle, regardless of the environment, high FE birds showed higher IGF-I mRNA expression. High FE birds also showed higher GHR mRNA expression under comfortable conditions. Regarding the environment, higher expression was observed in birds at comfortable conditions, and lower expression in birds under heat stress. UCP mRNA expression in the liver was lower in high FE birds and higher under heat stress compared with the other conditions. Low and high FE birds showed greater ANT mRNA expression in the muscle under cold stress. Greater mRNA COX III expressions were observed in the liver and muscle of quails under comfortable conditions. Our results suggest that temperature affects the expression of genes related to growth and mitochondrial energy production, and quail with different FEs respond differently to environmental stimuli. In comfortable conditions, high FE animals show higher IGF-I mRNA expression and plasma T3 and lower creatinine content.