The Effects of Vitamin E and Nano-Selenium Supplementation on Growth Performance, Intestinal Health, Antioxidant Status and Meat Quality Traits of Broilers

This study investigated the effects of dietary supplementation with vitamin E (VE) and nano-selenium (Nano-Se) on growth performance, meat quality traits, intestinal morphology, antioxidant biomarkers, and gut microbiota in broiler chickens.A total of 250 one-day-old Ross 308 broiler chicks were randomly allocated to five dietary treatments viz a viz: (1) control (basal diet without additives), (2) basal diet supplemented with 150mg/kg VE, (3) 150mg/kg VE+2mg/kg Nano-Se, (4) 150 mg/kg VE+4mg/kg Nano-Se and (5) 150mg/kg VE+6 mg/kg Nano-Se.Growth performance parameters, including body weight, body weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio, were not significantly affected (P>0.05) by dietary treatments.However, significant improvements (P<0.05) were observed in intestinal morphology, where supplementation with 2mg/kg Nano-Se increased duodenal villus height and width, while 4mg/kg Nano-Se enhanced crypt depth.Meat antioxidant status was markedly improved in supplemented groups, as evidenced by reduced lipid oxidation, particularly in birds receiving 6mg/kg Nano-Se.In addition, VE and Nano-Se supplementation significantly improved water-holding capacity, crude protein, ash, and fat contents of meat (P<0.05).Blood antioxidant biomarkers, including vitamin E, selenium, and glutathione concentrations, reached their highest levels in the group supplemented with 4mg/kg Nano-Se, whereas the highest Nano-Se level (6mg/kg) showed reduced antioxidant efficiency.Gut microbiota analysis revealed increased populations of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Escherichia coli in birds receiving 2mg/kg Nano-Se, while higher Nano-Se levels exerted inhibitory effects on microbial populations.Overall, the results indicate that the combined supplementation of vitamin E and Nano-Se at 2-4mg/kg improves intestinal health, meat quality and oxidative stability in broilers, whereas excessive Nano-Se supplementation may disrupt antioxidant balance and intestinal microbial homeostasis.