Effect of boron supplementation on bone mineralization and antioxidant status in broiler Chicken

Functionality and requirement of Boron as a trace element in livestock feeding has not been well established. Limited research conducted worldwide suggests B is a trace element known to influence various physiological functions specifically the metabolism of minerals, hormones, immunity and antioxidant defense mechanism; thereby the performance of the birds. The whole grains widely used in poultry diets contain very little boron and currently, there is no definitive information regarding the boron requirement for any class of poultry and inclusion levels are far from standardized. Therefore, the present experiment has been conducted to study the influence of boron on bone mineralization and antioxidant status in broiler.

A total of 240 day-old broiler chicks (Vencob) of mixed sex (avg. BW 47.50±0.26 g) were distributed in a completely randomized design into five treatments each with four replicates of 12 birds (6 of each sex). The dietary treatments involved supplementation of boron at 0 (B-0), 25 (B-25), 50 (B-50), 75 (B-75) and 100 (B-100) mg/kg diet. The birds were offered starter (d 1 to 21) and finisher (d 22 to 42) diet in mash form. At d 42, Whole blood (2 ml) sample was collected for the estimation of total antioxidant status and reduced glutathione by FRAP and DTNB method, respectively. Two birds per replication were selected randomly; sacrificed and right femur bone was collected to measure the bone ash and mineral content.

Boron supplementation enhanced the bone ash, calcium and phosphorus content but decreased the manganese and iron content in bone. Supplementation of Boron significantly enhanced (P<0.05) the total antioxidant capacity but lowered the plasma reduced glutathione level.