Effects of Glutamine Supplementation on the Immune Organ Indexes and Intestinal Immunity of Qiandongnan Xiaoxiang Chickens

PurposeTo investigate the effects of glutamine (Gln) supplementation on immune organ index and intestinal immunity of Qiandongnan Xiaoxiang chickens.

MethodA total of 90 one-day-old Qiandongnan Xiaoxiang chickens with good health and similar initial body weight were randomly allotted to 3 groups, each group with 5 replicates and 6 chickens per replicate. Chickens in control group were fed with the basal diet, and chickens in experimental groups were supplemented with 0.5% and 1.0% Gln in the basal diets, respectively. After feeding for 42 days, 10 chickens were randomly selected from each group and euthanized by cervical dislocation for serum collection. Immune organs were moved and jejunal mucosas were collected for subsequent analysis.

ResultCompared with control group, 0.5% Gln supplementation significantly increased the index of spleen of Qiandongnan Xiaoxiang chicken (P<0.05). However, the spleen index, bursa index and thymus index and the contents of IgG, IgM and IgA in serum, combined with sIgA secretin in jejunum mucosa of broilers fed with 1.0% Gln were significantly increased (P<0.05). Meanwhile, the mRNA relative expressions levels of MUC1 and MUC2 in jejunum mucosa were also significantly increased (P<0.05).

Conclusion1.0% Gln supplementation can promote the development of immune organs and strengthen the immune function of intestinal mucosa of Qiandongnan Xiaoxiang chicken.