A BIOCHEMICAL STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF DIET SUPPLEMENTATION ON THE ANTIOXIDANT STATUS OF JAPANESE QUAIL (COTURNIX COTURNIX JAPONICA )

Abstract

A biochemical study was conducted in Japanese quail to find out the efficiency of supplementation of diet with Selenium, Vitamin E, Ocimum Sanctum and their combinations on the blood antioxidant status. Day old Japanese quail chicks belonging to the same hatch were purchased and maintained in the Institute of Poultry Production and Management, Nandanam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Chicks were weighed and randomly distributed into 8 dietary treatments with 3 replicates of 7 chicks each (168 chicks). The control chicks were fed, only with basal diet (T1) and the other treatments had, 0.2mg of selenium per kg diet (T2), 40mg of vitamin E per kg diet (T3),1g of Ocimum sanctum per kg diet (T4), Selenium 0.2mg and vitamin E 40 mg per kg diet (T5), Vitamin E 40 mg  and Ocimum sanctum 1g per kg diet (T6), Selenium 0.2 mg and Ocimum sanctum 1g per kg diet (T7), Selenium 0.2mg , vitamin E 40 mg and Ocimum sanctum 1g per kg diet (T8). Isocaloric and Isonitrogenous feed and water were given ad libitum. Blood  was drawn at the end of 4th, 8th and 12th week of age and the following  antioxidant analysis were carried out using standard procedures. Reduced glutathione (Eyer 1986), Catalase  (Sinha 1974), Glutathione peroxidase ( Rotruck 1973), MDA lipid peroxidation  (Yagi 1998). The results of the antioxidant analysis showed a highly significant (p<0.01) increase in all supplemented groups with respect to control in all weeks. The MDA levels showed a highly significant (p<0.01) decrease in supplemented groups with respect to control in all weeks. The dietary supplementation of Selenium, Vitamin E and Ocimum sanctum has improved the blood antioxidant status. The combination of all the three supplements produced higher improvement than given alone.