Effects of dietary oligosaccharides on serum biochemical index, intestinal morphology, and antioxidant status in broilers

In order to determine the effect of different oligosaccharides on growth performance, intestinal health, and antioxidant status of broilers, 240 1-day-old XiangHuang broilers were randomly distributed to 4 treatments with 6 replicates each. Birds were fed corn-soybean-based diets (CON), and birds in xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS), fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), and iso-maltooligosaccharide (IMO) groups were given the basal diet supplemented with 200 mg/kg XOS, FOS, and IMO, respectively. Result showed that average daily gain (ADG) during the whole 5 weeks in FOS group was greater than that in control group (p < 0.05). Both breast and thigh muscle percentages were higher for birds fed XOS versus CON (p < 0.05). Oligosaccharides supplementation increased jejunal villus height compared with control group (p < 0.05). Malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration in breast muscle was lower for birds fed diet containing FOS versus CON (p < 0.05). Activities of total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) in serum and thigh muscle were higher in IMO than in control group (p < 0.05). Serum T-SOD and breast muscle's glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity was higher in XOS compared with control group (p < 0.05). Conclusion, dietary oligosaccharides such as XOS, FOS, and IMO could improve intestinal health and antioxidant ability of muscle without affect growth performance in broilers.