Influence of paeoniflorin dietary supplementation on growth performance, antioxidant status, blood parameters, carcass characteristics and meat quality in broiler chickens

Paeonia lactiflora Pall, known for its antioxidative and anti-apoptotic properties, is a traditional Chinese medicine. To address the growing demand for animal protein, large-scale commercial broiler production systems often induce excessive stress responses in chickens, impacting their performance and immune function. This study examined the effects of adding paeoniflorin at doses of 150, 300, and 450 mg/kg to broiler diets on antioxidant activities, blood biochemical parameters, carcass characteristics, and meat quality. The results showed that different levels of paeoniflorin significantly enhanced the activity of antioxidant enzyme in serum and liver, and decreased in malondialdehyde level both in serum and meat tissue compared with basal diet broilers (<i>P</i> < 0.05). Paeoniflorin supplementation markedly decreased levels of creatinine, uric acid, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, total cholesterol, and triglycerides (<i>P</i> < 0.05). Diets containing different levels of paeoniflorin significantly increased the eviscerated yield percentage of birds and reduced abdominal fat (<i>P</i> < 0.05). Furthermore, paeoniflorin supplementation notably enhanced the redness and reduced the yellowness of pectoral and thigh muscles, while also significantly decreasing drip and cooking loss in the pectoral muscle (<i>P</i> < 0.05). Although the levels of crude protein, ether extract, and crude ash in the pectoral and thigh muscles did not significantly vary between treatments (<i>P</i> > 0.05), paeoniflorin significantly increased the nucleotide 5'-monophosphate content in meat muscles (<i>P</i> < 0.05). Therefore, the data suggest that paeoniflorin can be an effective natural feed additive for broiler diets, with an optimal dosage of 150-300 mg/kg.