Dietary arginine silicate inositol complex improves bone mineralization in quail

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Nutritional Science
• Bone Biology

Background:

• Skeletal abnormalities, low bone mass, and fractures pose public health and economic challenges, increasing risks for osteoporosis and osteoarthritis.
• Poultry industry faces challenges with skeletal deterioration in birds due to hot climate conditions.
• Arginine silicate inositol complex (ASI) is a bioavailable source of silicon and arginine, potentially benefiting vascular and bone health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effects of Arginine silicate inositol complex (ASI) supplementation on performance and bone mineral density (BMD) in Japanese quail.
• To assess ASI's impact on quails exposed to heat stress (34°C) compared to thermoneutral conditions (22°C).

Main Methods:

• 180 Japanese quail (10 days old) were assigned to 6 groups, fed a basal diet or diet supplemented with 500 or 1,000 mg ASI/kg.
• Birds were housed under thermoneutral (22°C) or heat stress (34°C) conditions for 8 hours daily.
• Performance metrics (feed intake, body weight, feed efficiency, carcass traits) and bone mineral density were measured.

Main Results:

• Heat exposure reduced performance and bone mineralization in control birds.
• ASI supplementation significantly improved bone mineral density (BMD) in both thermoneutral and heat-stressed quail.
• ASI increased serum osteocalcin, dehydroepiandrosterone, and alkaline phosphatase, while decreasing inflammatory markers (TNF-α, CRP) under heat stress.
• ASI supplementation decreased mineral excretion and increased tibia ash mineral concentrations (Ca, P, Mg, Mn) under heat stress.

Conclusions:

• Arginine silicate inositol complex (ASI) supplementation effectively improves bone mineralization in Japanese quail, even under heat stress conditions.
• ASI supplementation did not adversely affect feed intake, body weight gain, or feed efficiency in quail.
• ASI demonstrates potential as a nutritional supplement to enhance bone health in poultry facing environmental stressors.