Effect of Organic Zinc on the Skin Characteristics of Broilers and the Expression Level of Skin Proteins

Abstract

Organic zinc was included in the diet of broiler chickens to examine its effect on the skin characteristics and the expression level of skin proteins. Broiler chicks (Ross×Ross) were fed a corn-wheat-soybean meal basal diet, either as control or containing an additional 80 ppm of zinc proteinate for 4 weeks, and then five broilers from each treatment were selected randomly, slaughtered, and their skin characteristics were examined. There were significant increases (p＜0.05) in thigh skin epidermis and dermis thickness in the chicks fed organic zinc. Collagen content in the skin of broilers was also increased by the addition of organic zinc to the diet. 2D-gel electrophoresis patterns indicated that expression levels of the three proteins, glyoxylase 1, hypothetical protein, and dispersin B were affected by zinc feeding. These results suggest that adding organic zinc to the chicken’s feed may contribute to decreased skin tearing.