Table 7.
Effects of in ovo feeding of N-acetyl-L-glutamate (NAG) on intestinal morphology of broilers at 14 D post-hatch.1
| Item | Variables | Treatment groups |
SEM5 | P-value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NC2 | SC3 | NAG4 | ||||
| Duodenum | VH6 (μm) | 1,411.08 | 1,330.58 | 1,392.30 | 37.68 | 0.706 |
| CD7 (μm) | 242.25 | 238.56 | 257.80 | 3.74 | 0.052 | |
| VH/CD8 | 5.83 | 5.61 | 5.41 | 0.19 | 0.698 | |
| Jejunum | VH6 (μm) | 900.15 | 1,016.82 | 909.27 | 28.08 | 0.172 |
| CD7 (μm) | 207.87 | 193.48 | 195.32 | 4.70 | 0.421 | |
| VH/CD8 | 4.37 | 5.28 | 4.68 | 0.18 | 0.106 | |
| Ileum | VH6 (μm) | 617.30 | 686.90 | 706.18 | 22.66 | 0.254 |
| CD7 (μm) | 193.75 | 167.37 | 167.30 | 7.57 | 0.273 | |
| VH/CD8 | 3.34 | 4.11 | 4.25 | 0.19 | 0.095 | |
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).