title: Supplementation of glutamine and vitamin E on the morphometry of the intestinal mucosa in broiler chickens.
abstract: The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the influence of Gln and vitamin E (VE) supplementation in the diet of broiler chickens (Cobb-Vantress) on the morphometry of the intestinal mucosa. The design was completely randomized in a 2 x 3 (VE x periods of administering Gln) factorial arrangement. The levels of VE used were 10 and 500 mg/kg of diet and 3 periods of administering (1%) Gln-supplemented starter diet (for the first 7 or 14 d of life or for no added Gln), totaling 6 treatments with 5 replicates of 50 birds per experimental unit. In the growth period (d 22 to 41 posthatch), the treatments consisted only in the respective levels of VE. On d 7, 14, 21, and 41 posthatch, 2 birds per replicate were killed, and samples of the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum were subsequently removed, fixed in Bouin solution, and later embedded in paraffin and stained with hematoxylin-eosin. The parameters analyzed were villus height and crypt depth. An ANOVA was applied to the obtained data, and the means were compared using Tukey's test (5% significance level). Greater development was observed in the duodenum, followed by the jejunum and ileum. On 41 d of life, diets with 10 mg of VE/kg supplemented with Gln (for the first 7 d of life) provided better development of the intestinal mucosa in broiler chickens.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, and Department of Morphophysiological Sciences, State University of Maringá, 87020-900 Paraná, Brazil. aemurakami@uem.br
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Sakamoto
authors.forename: M R M
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Natali
authors.forename: L M G
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.forename: J R G
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Franco
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000821:Animal Feed; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens / Q000378:metabolism*; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004386:Duodenum / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development; D005973:Glutamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007082:Ileum / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000187:drug effects*; D007583:Jejunum / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development; D008297:Male; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D005973:Glutamine; D014810:Vitamin E