Selenium-enriched Saccharomyces cerevisiae ameliorated copper-induced intestinal damage by modulating inflammation, oxidative stress, and immune response genes

Background: Copper (Cu) toxicity induces intestinal mucosal damage in chickens. However, selenized-yeast (SY) is reported to enhance the general health and metabolic state of broiler chickens. Thus, this study was proposed to discover whether SY could protect chickens against Cu-induced intestinal damage. Healthy chicks were divided into 4 groups: Control group received basal diet; Cu group, received CuSO₄ at 300 mg/kg, SY group received 0.4 mg/kg, and SY plus CuSO₄ group received both treatments in diet. Results: The current data indicated a significant reduction (P < 0.05) in residual Cu levels and MDA levels with a substantial increase in (P < 0.05) the activities of GPx, CAT, and SOD in the SY-supplemented birds compared to the Cu-challenged ones. Moreover, the reduced (P < 0.05) NO levels and inflammatory markers affirming the anti-inflammatory role of SY. Besides, SY co-administration significantly (P < 0.05) downregulated the AvBD-2, and AvBD-9 and upregulated (P < 0.05) the Gastrotropin, Calbindin, Cath-B, and Muc2 mRNA expressions compared to Cu-intoxicated group. The histopathological findings validated the protective effect of SY on Cu-induced intestinal damage Conclusion: Our research suggested that SY may be used as a feed supplement to protect the intestine injury during Cu exposure. This might be attributed to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential of SY.