Dietary Moringa oleifera oil improves growth performance through modulation of intestinal functionality and physiological homeostasis in Japanese quail.

Abstract

Dietaat.odulation of intestinal functionality has emerged as an effective nutritional strategy for enhancing poultry productivity by improving digestive efficiency, maintaining microbial balance, and supporting normal physiological functions. Therefore, this study investigated whether dietary supplementation with Moringa oleifera oil could improve intestinal functionality and, consequently, the productive and physiological performance of growing Japanese quail. A total of 375 one-week-old quail chicks were randomly allocated to five dietary treatments receiving a basal diet supplemented with 0, 100, 200, 300, or 400 mg Moringa oleifera oil/kg diet for 35 days. Dietary supplementation significantly enhanced intestinal functionality by increasing digestive enzyme activities, lowering intestinal pH, and reducing pathogenic microbial populations (P < 0.05). These improvements were accompanied by favorable hematological and biochemical changes, including increased red blood cell count, hemoglobin, total protein, globulin, high-density lipoprotein, and serum concentrations of potassium, calcium, zinc, and iron, together with reduced glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein, very-low-density lipoprotein, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, creatinine, and urea concentrations (P < 0.05). Birds fed Moringa oleifera oil also exhibited enhanced immune responses, as indicated by increased lysozyme activity, immunoglobulin Y, immunoglobulin M, and complement component C3 concentrations. In addition, antioxidant status was improved through increased activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, reduced glutathione, and total antioxidant capacity, together with a reduction in malondialdehyde concentration (P < 0.05). These responses were associated with higher body weight, body weight gain, and improved feed conversion ratio, while feed intake remained unaffected. Overall, dietary supplementation with Moringa oleifera oil was associated with changes in growth performance and selected intestinal, biochemical, antioxidant, and immune-related variables in growing Japanese quail. Although several responses were most pronounced at 300 mg/kg, responses differed among traits.