Effect of Meat from Chickens Fed Diets Supplemented with Selenium Nanoparticles or Cannabidiol on the Health Status of Rats

Background/Objectives: Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) and cannabidiol (CBD) supplementation may alter chicken meat composition. This study investigated health indicators in rats consuming meat from chickens fed SeNPs-, and/or CBD-supplemented diets. Methods: Forty male rats received for 10 weeks a control diet without chicken meat or diets containing 24% meat from chickens supplemented with sodium selenate, SeNPs, CBD, or both. Body weight, fat mass, fecal calprotectin, hematological and biochemical parameters, and gene expression in epididymal white adipose tissue were measured. Results: Neither body weight nor fat mass differed significantly (P > 0.05). In the SeNPs and CBD groups, genes expressions of fatty acid synthase (FASN), solute carrier family 2 member 4 (SLC2A4), glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4), lipoprotein lipase (LPL), and protein kinase AMP-activated catalytic subunit alpha 2 (PRKAA2) genes were lower than in control and the sodium selenate group (P<0.05). Fecal calprotectin was highest in the SeNPs/CBD group (p < 0.001). Blood hematological and biochemical indices did not show health disorders in rats fed experimental diets. Conclusions: The results indicate that following the enrichment of broiler chicken meat with selenium and/or CBD through dietary supplementation resulted that when being used in the chicken diets, they were well tolerated and did not adversely affect their health status, as evaluated based on the analyzed parameters and indicators. These findings provide valuable data that may contribute to the assessment of the safety of SeNPs and CBD in chicken nutrition and legislative regulations.