Ameliorative Effects of Vitamin-E and Selenium Supplementation on Arsenic-Induced Toxicity in Japanese Quails (Coturnix Japonica)

This study explored the ameliorative effect of vitamin E (Vit. E) and selenium (Se) against arsenic (As)- induced toxicity in Japanese quails (Coturnix Japonica). Three hundred seven-day-old quails were divided into six groups (n=10/replicate, 5 replicates/group): T1 basal diet (BD; negative control), T2 BD + 20 mg/kg As (positive control), T3 BD + 0.3 mg/kg Se + 250 mg/kg Vit E, T4 BD + 20 mg/kg As + 250 mg/kg Vit. E, T5 BD + 20 mg/kg As + 0.3 mg/kg Se, and T6 BD + 20 mg/kg As + 0.3 mg/kg Se + 250 mg/kg Vit. E). At 35 days, six birds per group were slaughtered for different histological and serological analysis. The supplementation of Vit. E and Se significantly improved feed intake in T3, T4, and T6 groups than the control groups, while body weight gains and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were superior in T3 and T4 groups. The serological data show improvements in serum glucose and triglycerides levels in T3-T6 than in T1 and T2 groups. The levels of uric acid and creatinine were also improved in T3 and T6 groups. However, malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were reduced, and catalase (CAT) levels were increased in T4-T6 groups than in T2 group. Histomorphometrically, the muscle fiber and fascicle diameter, intestinal villus height (VH), crypt depth (CD), and VH:CD ratio were improved in T3–T6 than in T2 groups. In conclusion, these findings suggested that dietary Vit. E and Se may alleviate As-induced oxidative stress and cellular damage in quail birds.