Hepatic metabolism of guanidinoacetic acid on broilers

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the hepatic metabolism and performance of broilers fed reduced-energy diets (50 kcal/kg less), with or without guanidinoacetic acid (GAA). A total of 432-day-old male chicks of the Cobb 500 lineage were distributed in a completely randomized design with three treatments and eight replications. The treatments consisted of a basal diet (BD), basal diet with a reduction of 50 kcal/kg (RBD) and a basal diet with a reduction of 50 kcal/kg supplemented with GAA (GAAD). The parameters evaluated were broiler performance, lipid metabolism, and hepatic histomorphometry. A multivariate analysis of lipid profile, hepatic histopathology, and energy intake was performed. At 21 and 28 days, birds fed BD and GAAD exhibited lower feed intake (FI) and birds fed BD showed the best feed conversion ratio (FCR) (P<0.05). At 41 days, the best FCR was observed in birds fed BD and GAAD (P<0.05). There was no difference in energetic intake of broilers at 41 days (P>0.05). However, birds fed BD had a higher FI (P<0.05). Birds fed GAAD showed a higher level of very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) and triglycerides (TGL) and a lower level of albumin (ALB) (P<0.05). The hepatic histopathology showed a higher level of inflammation infiltrated in birds fed BD and GAAD (P<0.05). A multivariate analysis showed that birds fed GAAD had higher levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), VLDL, and TGL and a better liver interstitial pattern. The use of GAA improves the performance of birds fed GAAD compared with RBD and increases the availability of VLDL and TGL in the birds’ blood.