Table 2.

Effect of dietary L-theanine on growth performance, mortality of LPS-challenged broilers.

Item1	LPS2	FI, g				BWG, g				F:G				Mortality, %
		d 1 to 21	d 22 to 28	d 29 to 56	d 1 to 56	d 1 to 21	d 22 to 28	d 29 to 56	d 1 to 56	d 1 to 21	d 22 to 28	d 29 to 56	d 1 to 56	d 1 to 21	d 22 to 28	d 29 to 56	d 1 to 56
Control	–	532.3c	259.5	854.3b	1,632.4c	221.4cd	92.5b	340.3c	643.7bc	2.41ab	2.89	2.50b	2.54ab	1.56	3.00	2.78cd	3.01
	+	552.8bc	225.4	681.9c	1,473.8d	226.7c	76.7d	235.6d	549.6d	2.44a	2.94	2.88a	2.68a	1.63	13.55	8.15a	17.2
Antibiotic	–	566.2b	300.2	1,221.3a	2,087.6a	239.7b	109.6a	585.1a	897.6a	2.36c	2.74	2.08c	2.35b	1.41	2.47	1.21d	2.67
	+	555.5bc	229.6	1,175.5a	1,920.6b	229.8bc	84.4cd	558.3ab	879.3a	2.41ab	2.73	2.11c	2.19cd	1.38	9.13	3.99c	8.26
L-theanine	–	589.1a	274.3	708.0c	1,564.7cd	256.0a	97.1ab	353.9c	691.5b	2.31cd	2.82	2.00cd	2.27bc	1.49	2.92	1.75d	2.81
	+	589.9a	250.4	701.3c	1,548.3cd	245.5ab	89.3c	338.5c	688.6b	2.41ab	2.85	2.07c	2.25c	1.34	8.98	4.78b	6.67
SEM		2.561	6.852	17.518	19.598	2.114	1.800	9.363	9.804	0.023	0.078	0.043	0.031	0.297	1.551	0.671	1.372
P-value	LPS	0.495	0.004	0.382	0.834	0.242	<0.001	0.021	0.225	0.141	0.887	0.017	0.106	0.356	<0.001	<0.001	0.017
	Diet	<0.001	0.355	<0.001	<0.001	<0.001	0.026	<0.001	<0.001	<0.001	0.641	<0.001	<0.001	0.608	0.097	0.025	0.089
	Interaction	0.057	0.356	0.017	0.008	0.242	0.161	0.100	0.054	0.820	0.988	0.330	0.627	0.721	0.069	0.132	0.271

LPS = lipopolysaccharide; FI = feed intake; BWG = body weight gain; F:G = feed to gain ratio.

^a–d Within a column, different superscript letters mean significant difference (P < 0.05).

¹Control, basal diet; antibiotic, basal diet supplemented with antibiotics; L-theanine, basal diet supplemented with L-theanine.

²“−” means broilers injected with saline, while “+” means broilers injected with LPS.