Effects of Yucca saponin on growth performance, immunity, and antioxidant function of broilers.

The experiment aimed to investigate the effects of Yucca saponin on the growth, immunity, and antioxidant function of broilers. A total of 1 600 one-day-old AA broilers were randomly divided into four groups, with four replicates per group and 100 broilers per replicate. The control group and the experimental groups 1, 2, and 3 were fed experimental diets supplemented with 0, 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg of Yucca saponin, respectively. The trial period was 42 days. The results showed that compared with the control group, the weight of broilers in experimental group 2 at 42 days of age was significantly increased (P<0.05), and the average daily weight gain of broilers in experimental group 2 was significantly increased (P<0.05) from four to six weeks and from one to six weeks, while the feed conversion ratio was significantly decreased ( P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the spleen and thymus indices of broilers in experimental groups 2 and 3 were significantly increased (P<0.05), and the level of immunoglobulin M (IgM) in serum was significantly increased ( P<0.05). The levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG), interleukin-10 (IL-10) in serum, and Newcastle disease antibody titers in all experimental groups were significantly increased (P<0.05), the level of interleukin-6 (IL-6) was significantly decreased (P<0.05), and the IL-6 level in experimental group 2 was significantly lower than that in experimental groups 1 and 3 (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in serum of broilers in experimental groups 2 and 3 was significantly decreased ( P<0.05), the total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) was significantly increased (P<0.05), and the activity of catalase (CAT) was significantly enhanced (P<0.05). The activity of total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) in serum of experimental group 2 was significantly enhanced (P<0.05). The study indicates that Yucca saponin can improve the growth performance, enhance immunity and antibody levels, and strengthen antioxidant performance in AA broilers, with the optimal addition level of Yucca saponin is 100 mg/kg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]