. 2022 Jan 12;8(2):660–667. doi: 10.1002/vms3.721

TABLE 3.

Effects of dietary stinging nettle on the serum levels of cortisol, total protein, cholesterol and uric acid (mean ± SE) in various groups of broilers subjected to chronic heat stress

		Age (days)				p‐value
Indices	Groups	14	21	29	35	Group	Days	Group × days
Cortisol (ng/ml)	Control	1.36 ± 0.27^a	1.44 ± 0.22^a	1.44 ± 0.25^a	1.49 ± 0.24^a	<0.001	<0.001	<0.001
	HS	1.41 h ± 0.24^a	1.75 ± 0.08^a	3.59 ± 0.25^b	2.76 ± 0.21^b
	HS‐SN2	1.47 ± 0.20^a	1.30 ± 0.26^a	2.97 ± 0.29^c	2.22 ± 0.24^b
	HS‐SN4	1.44 ± 0.19^a	1.36 ± 0.25^a	2.18 ± 0.14^c	1.61 ± 0.25^a
	SN2	1.43 ± 0.24^a	1.22 ± 0.19^a	1.63 ± 0.25^a	1.50 ± 0.23^a
	SN4	1.41 ± 0.18^a	1.43 ± 0.19^a	1.48 ± 0.14^a	1.46 ± 0.24^a
Total protein (g/dl)	Control	3.09 ± 0.22^a	2.94 ± 0.22^a	2.83 ± 0.12^a	2.84 ± 0.31^a,b	<0.001	<0.001	<0.001
	HS	2.99 ± 0.21^a	3.42 ± 0.21^a	2.47 ± 0.21^a	2.84 ± 0.18^a,b
	HS‐SN2	2.55 ± 0.21^a	3.23 ± 0.39^a	2.88 ± 0.17^a,b	3.28 ± 0.31^a,b
	HS‐SN4	2.99 ± 0.22^a	3.27 ± 0.22^a	3.33 ± 0.26^b	3.58 ± 0.26^a
	SN2	2.69 ± 0.18^a	3.20 ± 0.23^a	3.49 ± 0.23^b	2.91 ± 0.18^a,b
	SN4	3.17 ± 0.25^a	3.07 ± 0.26^a	3.29 ± 0.27^b	2.69 ± 0.31^b
Cholesterol (mg/dl)	Control	130.30 ± 3.63^a	137.05 ± 10.01^a	127.02 ± 8.52^a	135.11 ± 6.85^a	<0.001	<0.001	<0.001
	HS	129.40 ± 3.46^a	149.32 ± 6.15^a	149.51 ± 6.65^b	134.19 ± 7.26^a
	HS‐SN2	133.10 ± 2.84^a	133.11 ± 10.80^a	109.21 ± 10.21^a	103.75 ± 7.02^b
	HS‐SN4	129.90 ± 3.50^a	143.23 ± 11.26^a	125.20 ± 7.75^a	125.21 ± 7.57^a,b
	SN2	128.30 ± 4.87^a	132.47 ± 9.72^a	128.78 ± 5.22^a	135.81 ± 6.03^a
	SN4	130.60 ± 2.02^a	132.11 ± 8.83^a	113.21 ± 10.85^a	115.55 ± 10.42^b
Uric acid (mg/dl)	Control	3.65 ± 0.22^a	3.22 ± 0.29^a	2.80 ± 0.15^a	3.04 ± 0.16^a	<0.001	<0.001	<0.001
	HS	3.17 ± 0.23^a	2.97 ± 0.15^a	6.80 ± 0.24^b	3.62 ± 0.20^b
	HS‐SN2	2.58 ± 0.18^b	2.87 ± 0.06^a	4.45 ± 0.24^c	3.23 ± 0.18^a,b
	HS‐SN4	3.25 ± 0.28^a	2.71 ± 0.12^a	3.98 ± 0.22^c	3.39 ± 0.28^a,b
	SN2	3.04 ± 0.25^a	2.96 ± 0.07^a	2.69 ± 0.19^a	2.87 ± 0.14^a
	SN4	3.32 ± 0.30^a	3.01 ± 0.13^a	3.05 ± 0.19^a	3.35 ± 0.17^a,b

Control: basal diet at normal temperature; HS: basal diet at cyclic heat stress; HS‐SN2: basal diet supplemented by 2% stinging nettle at cyclic heat stress; HS‐SN4: basal diet supplemented by 4% stinging nettle at cyclic heat stress; SN2; basal diet supplemented by 2% stinging nettle at normal temperature; SN4: basal diet supplemented by 4% stinging nettle at normal temperature.

Different letters in the superscripts of the same columns indicate significant differences (p < 0.05).