title: Transport stress in broilers. II. Superoxide production, adenosine phosphate concentrations, and mRNA levels of avian uncoupling protein, avian adenine nucleotide translocator, and avian peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1alpha in skeletal muscles.
abstract: The effect of transport stress on superoxide production and adenosine phosphate concentration in addition to avian uncoupling protein (avUCP), avian adenine nucleotide translocator, and avian peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1alpha mRNA levels of skeletal muscles in broilers was investigated. Arbor Acres chicks (n = 360, 46 d old, males) were randomly allotted to 1 of 5 treatments: unstressed control, 45-min (short-term) transport with 45-min (short-term) recovery, 45-min transport with 3-h (long-term) recovery, 3-h (long-term) transport with 45-min recovery, and 3-h transport with 3-h recovery. Each treatment consisted of 6 replicates with 12 birds each. All birds (except control group) were transported according to a designed protocol. Transport time affected reactive oxygen species production in the thigh muscle (P < 0.05), adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content and energy charge (EC) in both breast and thigh muscles (P < 0.05 for all 4 comparisons), ATP:adenosine diphosphate (ADP) ratio in the breast muscle (P < 0.05), and avUCP mRNA levels in the thigh muscle (P < 0.05). Long-term transport increased (P < 0.05) reactive oxygen species production, ATP content, ATP:ADP ratio, and EC in the thigh muscle, but it decreased ATP content, ATP:ADP ratio, and EC in the breast muscle. Long-term transport increased avUCP mRNA in the thigh muscle (P < 0.05). Long-term recovery increased the ATP (P < 0.05) and ADP (P < 0.05) concentrations, avian adenine nucleotide translocator mRNA (P < 0.05), and avian peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1alpha mRNA (P < 0.05) in the thigh muscle, whereas EC decreased (P < 0.05) in the breast muscle. There were interactions between transport and recovery time on ATP (P < 0.05), EC (P < 0.05), and avUCP mRNA level (P < 0.05) in the thigh muscle. This study suggests that long-term transport accelerates muscle energy metabolism and lipid peroxidation. A long-term recovery may help alleviate cellular damage and maintain meat quality by reducing the rate of energy metabolism and scavenging of free radicals formed.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Feed Biotechnology of Ministry of Agriculture, Feed Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: H Y
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Yue
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Y L
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Y S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Qi
mesh_terms: D033741:Adenine Nucleotide Translocator 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000227:Adenine Nucleotides / Q000097:blood*; D000244:Adenosine Diphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000249:Adenosine Monophosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D030161:Avian Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002645:Chickens; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000071245:Mitochondrial Uncoupling Proteins; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000502:physiology*; D013481:Superoxides / Q000378:metabolism*; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014186:Transportation
chemical_list: D033741:Adenine Nucleotide Translocator 1; D000227:Adenine Nucleotides; D030161:Avian Proteins; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins; D000071245:Mitochondrial Uncoupling Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D015534:Trans-Activators; C422907:mitochondrial uncoupling protein, chicken; D013481:Superoxides; D000249:Adenosine Monophosphate; D000244:Adenosine Diphosphate; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate