Chitosan oligosaccharides alleviate acute heat stress-induced oxidative damage by activating ERK1/2-mediated HO-1 and GSH-Px gene expression in breast muscle of broilers.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of chitosan oligosaccharides (COS) on acute heat stress (AHS) induced poor meat quality by alleviating oxidative damage through mitogen-activated protein kinase-nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2-antioxidant responsive element (MAPK-Nrf2-ARE) signaling pathway. A total of 108 thirty-five-day-old Chinese indigenous broilers (Luhua chicken) was used for this 42-d experiment. The broilers were randomly allocated to 3 treatments: control group (CON), AHS group, and AHS with 400mg/kg COS supplementation (AHS-C) group. Both CON and AHS groups given the basal diet, and the AHS-C group given the basal diet with 400mg/kg COS supplementation. On d 42, broilers in the AHS and AHS-C group s treated with AHS (increasing temperature from 24 to 34°C in 2-h and held for another 2-h), and the CON group under normal temperature (24°C). AHS exposure elevated (P < 0.05) body temperature (rectal, comb, eyelids, and feet) of broilers, increased...