Table 6.
Effects of in ovo feeding of N-acetyl-L-glutamate (NAG) on intestinal morphology of broilers at 7 D post-hatch.1
| Item | Variables | Treatment groups |
SEM5 | P-value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NC2 | SC3 | NAG4 | ||||
| Duodenum | VH6 (μm) | 873.14b | 985.54b | 1,031.58a | 26.54 | 0.029 |
| CD7 (μm) | 169.70 | 184.20 | 165.88 | 4.82 | 0.283 | |
| VH/CD8 | 5.18b | 5.37b | 6.25a | 0.17 | 0.008 | |
| Jejunum | VH6 (μm) | 569.67b | 563.02b | 631.98a | 12.40 | 0.021 |
| CD7 (μm) | 147.75 | 165.32 | 145.73 | 3.97 | 0.060 | |
| VH/CD8 | 3.90a,b | 3.43b | 4.35a | 0.15 | 0.023 | |
| Ileum | VH6 (μm) | 578.66a | 489.62b | 595.92a | 17.19 | 0.012 |
| CD7 (μm) | 142.50 | 136.38 | 153.34 | 3.11 | 0.067 | |
| VH/CD8 | 4.07 | 3.90 | 3.73 | 0.09 | 0.309 | |
a–bMeans within a row without common superscript differ significantly (P < 0.05) among the groups.
1
N = 6, one chick was selected from each replicate.
2
NC: non-punctured control group.
3
SC: saline-injected control group (eggs injected with 300 μL of saline water at 17.5 D of incubation).
4
NAG: NAG solution–injected group (eggs injected with 300 μL of saline water containing NAG 1.5 mg/egg at 17.5 D of incubation).
5
SEM: standard error of the mean.
6
VH: villus height.
7
CD: crypt depth.
8
VH/CD = villus height (μm)/crypt depth (μm).