Impact of Dietary Taurine Supplementation on Broiler bird’s lipid metabolism, Tissue enzyme Activities and antioxidant Status

Abstract

Taurine, a sulphur-containing semi-essential amino acid, has recently gained interest for its potential health benefits in poultry. This study investigated the effects of dietary taurine supplementation on lipid metabolism, tissue enzyme activities, and antioxidant status in broiler chickens. A total of 175 one-day-old-unsexed broiler chicks were randomly assigned to five treatment groups (5 replicates per treatment, 7 birds per pen) and fed diets supplemented with 0.00%, 0.01%, 0.02%, 0.03%, and 0.04% taurine for 49 days. Lipid profiles (total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, HDL, LDL), liver and kidney function markers (ALT, AST, ALP), and antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, CAT) were evaluated. Birds fed 0.01% taurine showed reduced total cholesterol and increased HDL; 0.03% taurine increased HDL and reduced triacylglycerol (p < 0.05). In contrast, 0.02% taurine increased both the serum total cholesterol and LDL concentrations (p < 0.05). Liver enzyme responses varied among treatments: 0.03% taurine increased ALT activity, 0.01% taurine elevated AST activity, and 0.04% taurine increased ALP activity (p < 0.05). Serum SOD activity was significantly reduced at 0.02% and 0.03% taurine compared with the control (p < 0.05), whereas liver SOD activity increased across multiple supplemented groups. Serum CAT activity decreased at 0.02% and 0.04% taurine (p < 0.05), while kidney CAT activity increased, and liver CAT activity was higher in birds fed 0.02% to 0.04% taurine (p < 0.05). Conclusively, dietary taurine supplementation modulated lipid profiles, liver and kidney enzyme activities, and antioxidant status, with optimal effects observed at 0.01% for lipid parameters and 0.02–0.04% for antioxidant enhancement.