Influence of Ascorbic Acid Supplementation on the Toxic Effects of Dietary Histamine in Chicks

Abstract

Experiments were conducted to investigate whether ascorbic acid (AA) supplementation to a diet alleviated the toxic effects of dietary histamine on chicks. White Leghorn male chicks were fed the diet supplemented with 0, 0.1, 0.2 or 0.3% histamine (from histamine dihydrochloride) without or with AA at a 1.5% level from day-old to 2 or 3 weeks of age.
1) The addition of histamine to a diet resulted in depressed growth rate and reduced feed consumption and such detrimental effects were intensified as the histamine level increased from 0.1 to 0.3%. When chicks were fed the histamine supplementing diet at a 0.2 or 0.3% level, the marked effects were observed. However, the supplementation of AA significantly reduced the severity of such adverse effects induced by high dietary histamine.
2) When chicks were fed a diet supplemented with histamine at 0.2 and 0.3% levels, the proventriculus and gizzard weights of those significantly increased and gizzard lesions and proventricular abnormalities were also observed. However, such toxic effects on the proventriculus or gizzard due to dietary histamine were alleviated by AA supplementation almost completely.
3) Plasma, liver and kidney AA levels significantly increased by 1.5% AA supplementation, but were not appreciably affected by histamine supplementation. On the other hand, neither blood nor liver histamine level was consistently influenced by histamine or AA supplementation.4) These findings show that the toxic effects of histamine on growing chicks can be alleviated by supplemental AA.