Study of long effects of administration of aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) on bone in broiler chickens

Abstract

Tibial dyschondroplasia (TD) is considered to be a major production-related health and welfare problem in meat-type chickens and turkeys. One cause of such poultry leg problems is traced to a defect arising in the growing end of leg bones which partially fail to become bone, making the ends prone to breakage and infection. In this study, we investigate the possible role of prostaglandins and their deleterious effects on TD in broiler chickens, experimentally receiving dietary administration of aspirin. Fourteen male Ross chickens aged 1 day were divided into two groups to receive either only water or aspirin (400 mg/L) in the drinking water. Chickens were observed for clinical signs of lameness twice daily. None of the chickens in treatment and control groups showed clinical signs of lameness. However, histopathologic observations of tibiotarsal bones in treatment group showed vascular abnormality along with degenerative changes in chondrocytes at growth pales, attributed to over mineralization of the bone. In addition, alkaline phosphatase activity in treatment groups was decreased, suggesting TD in chickens receiving aspirin. In conclusion, our study showed that dietary administration of aspirin at dose of 400 mg/L for 21 days induced histopathological changes in broiler chickens. Inhibition of prostaglandins seems to contribute majorly with disruption of normal chondrocyte differentiation in growth plates of tibiotarsal bones in chickens receiving aspirin.