Vitamin D₃ enhanced intestinal phosphate cotransporter genes in young and growing broilers

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Nutritional Biochemistry
• Poultry Science

Background:

• Dietary vitamin D3 is crucial for broiler chicken development.
• Understanding its role in bone metabolism and nutrient transport is essential for optimizing poultry production.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of varying dietary vitamin D3 levels on broiler growth, bone parameters, and duodenal NaPi-IIb gene expression.
• To determine the optimal dietary vitamin D3 inclusion for broiler starter and grower diets.

Main Methods:

• One-day-old male Ross308 broilers were fed diets with vitamin D3 ranging from 80 to 7,813 IU/kg for 31 days.
• Body weight gain, toe ash, tibia ash, and tibia breaking strength were measured.
• Relative expression of duodenal NaPi-IIb genes was analyzed using qPCR.

Main Results:

• Dietary vitamin D3 linearly increased toe and tibia ash content.
• Higher vitamin D3 levels (3,125 and 7,813 IU/kg) significantly increased duodenal NaPi-IIb gene expression.
• A dietary inclusion of 500 IU/kg vitamin D3 was found adequate for optimal growth and bone characteristics.

Conclusions:

• Dietary vitamin D3 supplementation significantly influences bone mineralization and duodenal phosphate transporter expression in broilers.
• Optimal vitamin D3 levels are critical for broiler performance, with 500 IU/kg being sufficient for growth and bone health.
• High vitamin D3 doses enhance NaPi-IIb expression, suggesting a role in phosphate absorption regulation.