Effects of dietary supplementation of methionine and its hydroxy analog DL-2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutanoic acid on growth performance, plasma hormone levels, and the redox status of broiler chickens exposed to high temperatures.

ABSTRACT Heat stress is known to impair performance and to induce oxidative stress in poultry. The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of dietary supplementation of dl -methionine ( dl -M) or the synthetic analog 2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutanoic acid ( dl -HMTBA) on broiler growth performance, plasma hormone levels, and some oxidative stress-related parameters under conditions of chronic exposure to high temperatures (HT). From 2 to 6 wk of age, male broiler chickens were reared under either a constant temperature of 32°C until 6 wk of age or a normal temperature scheme (gradual decrease to 18°C at 5 wk of age). Chicks in both the normal and HT treatments were provided with a commercial grower diet supplemented with either 1.0 or 1.2 g/kg of dl -M or 1.0 or 1.2 g/kg of dl -HMTBA. Because there were no effects of supplement dose, data were pooled over both doses within each temperature treatment. The chronic HT treatment impaired feed intake and BW gain, but these negative effects were less pronounced when the chickens received dl -HMTBA. Exposure to HT was also associated with decreased (P dl -M and not for those receiving dl -HMTBA. High temperatures induced a significant increase in hepatic total glutathione (GSH) and oxidized GSH levels, regardless of the supplemental source. However, the hepatic ratios of reduced GSH to total GSH and reduced GSH to oxidized GSH were highest in chickens supplemented with dl -HMTBA. In conclusion, dl -HMTBA supplementation partially prevented the growth-depressing effects of chronic heat exposure compared with dl -M supplementation. It can be inferred that dl -HMTBA is more efficient in alleviating HT-induced oxidative damage because of a more favorable reduced GSH-to-total GSH ratio.