Influence of Bamboo Leaf Extract on Welfare, Immune Response and Antioxidant Status of Bill-trimmed Mule Ducks

Abstract

 It has been indicated that bamboo leaf extract (BLE) displays physiological activities in mammals. The goal of this research was to evaluate the effects of different doses of dietary supplementation of BLE on behavior, inflammation and antioxidant activity of bill trimmed (BT) mule ducks. One hundred- and twenty-one-day-old mule ducklings were randomly divided on 24 floor pens (5 birds per pen), each pen was assigned at random to one of four dietary treatments that each contained the following: a BLE at 0 (Control), 0 (BT-control), 1.0 (BT-BLE1), and 2.0 (BT-BLE2). At 21 d, all birds were exposed to bill trimming except control group. There was a significant rise in TNF-α, INF-γ, IL-6, MDA and homocysteine levels while there was a significant drop in the level of TAC in BT- control group as opposed to the control. Both doses of bamboo leaf extracts significantly decreased TNF-α, INF-γ, IL-6, MDA and homocysteine while significantly enhanced TAC activities in comparison with BT- control group, moreover, BT-BLE2 was more efficient in repairing all blood parameters measured than that of BT-BLE1 group. However, there were no significant differences in the gait score, tonic immobility and stride length tests between all groups. These results suggest that the BLE could inhibit the negative effects of bill trimming on mule ducks health through improvement of immunity and antioxidant status, regulation of inflammatory reactions with a reduction in homocysteine level.