Beneficial performance in heat stress by GAA
- Post by: Admin
- March 18, 2023
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Dietary guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) has been shown to affect creatine (Cr) metabolic pathways resulting in increased cellular Cr and hitherto broiler performances. Yet, the impact of dietary GAA on improving markers of oxidative status remains equivocal. A model of chronic cyclic heat stress, known to inflict oxidative stress, was employed to test the hypothesis that GAA could modify bird’s oxidative status. A total of 720 day-old male Ross 308 broilers were allocated to 3 treatments: 0, 0.6 or 1.2 g/kg GAA was added to corn-SBM diets and fed for 39d, with 12 replicates (20 birds each) per treatment. The chronic cyclic heat stress model (34°C with 50-60% RH for 7h daily) was applied in the finisher phase (d25-39). Samples from one bird per pen were taken on d26 (acute heat stress) and d39 (chronic heat stress). GAA and Cr in plasma were linearly increased by feeding GAA on either sampling day, illustrating efficient absorption and methylation, respectively. Energy metabolism in breast and heart muscle was greatly supported as visible by increased Cr and phosphocreatine:ATP, thus providing higher capacity for rapid ATP generation in cells. Glycogen stores in breast muscle were linearly elevated by incremental GAA, on d26 only. More Cr seems to be directed to heart muscle as opposed to skeletal muscle during chronic heat stress as tissue Cr was higher in heart but lower in breast muscle on d39 as opposed to d26. The lipid peroxidation marker malondialdehyde, and the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase showed no alterations by dietary GAA in plasma. Opposite to that, superoxide dismutase activity in breast muscle was linearly lowered when feeding GAA (trend on d26, effect on d39). Significant correlations between the assessed parameters and GAA inclusion were identified on d26 and d39 using principal component analysis. To conclude, beneficial performance in heat stressed broilers by GAA are associated with enhanced muscle energy metabolism which indirectly may also support tolerance against oxidative stress.