Effects of Dietary Purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) Oil and Vitamin E Supplementation on Blood Biochemical Parameters and Oxidative Stress Biomarkers in Hydrogen Peroxide-Challenged Laying Hens

• Hawraa Hassan Amin1* Ammar Qahtan-Shanoon 2

  Author

Oxidative stress is one of the major factors adversely affecting the physiological status and health of laying hens. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation with purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) oil, either alone or in combination with vitamin E, on blood biochemical parameters and antioxidant status in laying hens subjected to hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress.

A total of 160 Lohmann White laying hens were randomly allocated to eight experimental treatments with four replicates per treatment (five birds per replicate) for 90 days. Oxidative stress was induced by adding 0.5% hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) to the drinking water. Birds received purslane oil at 250 or 500 mL/ton of feed, either alone or in combination with vitamin E. At the end of the experiment, serum biochemical parameters, including glucose, total protein, cholesterol, and uric acid, together with antioxidant biomarkers, namely reduced glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA), were determined.

The results demonstrated that dietary supplementation with purslane oil, particularly when combined with vitamin E, significantly (P ≤ 0.05) increased GSH concentration and decreased MDA concentration compared with the oxidative stress treatment, indicating an enhanced antioxidant defense system. Furthermore, supplementation maintained normal serum biochemical parameters without causing adverse effects on protein metabolism or the general physiological status of the birds.

In conclusion, dietary supplementation with purslane oil, especially in combination with vitamin E, effectively alleviated hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress and enhanced the antioxidant status of laying hens. These findings suggest that purslane oil can be used as a natural dietary antioxidant to support physiological homeostasis and improve the health of laying hens under oxidative stress conditions.

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