Abstract
Simple SummaryTransport stress (TS) can impact the physiology and psychology of broilers, and this can be an important factor affecting liver iron metabolism in broilers. By establishing a transport model group, broilers (n = 144) reared under the same conditions were allocated into six groups and transported duration for 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 6 h. The results showed that the enrichment of iron content in the liver was the highest at a transport duration of 4 h, so the effect of transport duration of 4 h on iron metabolism was further investigated using TMT quantitative proteomic analysis. It was found that TS caused the enrichment of iron ions in the liver, TMT identified FTH1, IREB2, and HEPH as key proteins affecting iron metabolism, and key genes regulating iron homeostasis were validated using RT-PCR.Abnormal iron metabolism can cause oxidative stress in broilers, and transport stress (TS) may potentially influence iron metabolism. However, the mechanisms by which TS affects iron metabolism are unclear. This study used quantitative proteome analysis based on tandem mass tag (TMT) to investigate the effects of TS on liver iron metabolism in broilers. Broilers (n = 24) reared under the same conditions were selected randomly into the transported group for 4 h (T2) and non-transported group (T1). Results showed that the serum iron level and total iron-binding capacity of broilers in the T2 were significantly higher than those in the T1 (p < 0.05). The liver iron content of broilers in the T2 (0.498 ± 0.058 mg·gprot−1) was significantly higher than that in the T1 (0.357 ± 0.035 mg·gprot−1), and the iron-stained sections showed that TS caused the enrichment of iron in the liver. We identified 1139 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs). Twelve DEPs associated with iron metabolism were identified, of which eight were up-regulated, and four were down-regulated in T2 compared with T1. Prediction of the protein interaction network for DEPs showed that FTH1, IREB2, and HEPH play vital roles in this network. The results provide new insights into the effects of TS on broilers’ liver iron metabolism.
Highlights
The pre-slaughter transport process is an important integral part of poultry management [1]
The liver iron content in T2 was significantly higher than T1 (p < 0.05) (Table 2), which may be because hepatocytes are the primary iron storage cells in the body, and the liver is an essential organ in regulating iron homeostasis
The findings of this study suggest that iron metabolism was disturbed during pre-slaughter transport in broilers, especially in the liver
Summary
The pre-slaughter transport process is an important integral part of poultry management [1]. Pre-slaughtering transport of market-age broilers from their geographically dispersed farms is an unavoidable common practice [2]. Chickens are exposed to numerous potential stressors, including handling, feed withdrawal, noise, vibration, thermal extremes, social disruption, crowding, and restriction of movement [3], which may lead to undesirable changes in animal welfare and immunity. The transport stress (TS) responses comprise mainly autonomic responses via activation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) mediated by adrenaline and noradrenaline including increased respiration and heart rate, elevated body temperature, and promotion of energy utilisation from body reserves [4], accelerating glycogenolysis and suppressing energy storage [5]. TS increases the concentration of circulating corticosterone hormone, via activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, which has a significant impact on the hepatic glycogen, protein and lipid metabolism, and meat quality [7]
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