article · Stress
High ambient temperatures negatively affect poultry production. Administering an oral gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) solution to commercial Ross 308 broiler chickens exposed to two weeks of chronic heat stress at 33 degrees Celsius counteracts several detrimental physical and physiological changes. Supplementation significantly lowers elevated body temperatures and improves weight gain during heat exposure. These benefits correspond with structural protections in the gut, including preserved jejunal villus length, crypt depth, mucous membrane thickness, and reduced vascular damage. At the cellular and biochemical level, the treatment modulates glucose and peptide transporter expression as well as heat shock protein 70 levels in the gut lining. In addition, GABA administration enhances antioxidant enzyme activity in the liver, lowers oxidative stress markers, raises triiodothyronine and haemoglobin levels, and improves immune-related blood parameters.
Heat stress poses a serious challenge to poultry farming by reducing bird welfare, impairing growth, and disrupting gut health. Demonstrating that an oral supplement like GABA can mitigate intestinal damage, support metabolic function, and restore weight gain offers valuable insight into managing heat-related production losses in commercial broiler flocks kept in hot climates.
This applied research demonstrates a potential nutritional additive for commercial broiler producers and poultry nutrition companies seeking to reduce heat stress losses. Tested in a controlled trial on commercial broilers, the findings indicate functional efficacy. The concept remains at an early to intermediate stage of development, as practical mass delivery formats, large-scale dosing protocols, and economic viability are yet to be established.
AI-generated from the published abstract. Always read the original work before citing.
High ambient temperature adversely influences poultry production. In the present study, gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) supplementation was used to alleviate the adverse changes due to heat stress (HS) in a broiler chicken strain (Ross 308). At 21 days of age, the birds were divided into four groups of 13. Two groups were housed under normal room temperature, one group was given orally 0.2 ml 0.9% physiological saline (CN) daily, the other group received 0.2 ml of 0.5% GABA solution orally (GN). A third group was exposed to environmental HS (33 ± 1 °C lasting for 2 weeks) + physiological saline (CH) and a fourth group was exposed to HS + GABA supplementation (GH). GABA supplementation during HS significantly reduced the birds' increased body temperature (p <.0001) and increased their body weight gain (p <.0001). This effect was associated with increases in the heat stress-induced reductions in jejunal villus length, crypt depth and mucous membrane thickness, and decreases in the vascular changes occurred due to HS. Additionally, GABA supplementation significantly modulated HS-induced changes in glucose facilitated transporter 2 (GLUT2), peptide transporter 1 (PEPT1) and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) mRNA expression in the jejunal mucosa (p < .0001). GABA supplementation also significantly elevated the triiodothyronine (T<sub>3</sub>) hormone level and hemoglobin levels and decreased the heterophil-lymphocyte ratio (H/L ratio) (p <.0001). Furthermore, it induced higher hepatic glutathione peroxidase enzyme (GSH-Px) activities and decreased the malondialdehyde dehydrogenase (MDA) content. These results indicate that GABA supplementation during HS may be used to alleviate HS-related changes in broiler chickens.
This page summarises published work. The authoritative version sits with the publisher.
DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2017.1377177
Is something wrong with this record? Report it or request removal.
Discussion
Have you built on this work, tried to replicate it, or seen it applied in practice? Share what you know. Verified researchers and MARATTO™ domain experts can open a discussion, and any member can reply. Contributions are reviewed before they appear.
No discussion yet. Open the first thread.
New to MARATTO™? Create a free account.
