The effect of purslane seed (Portulaca oleracea) extract on performance, blood lipid parameters and genes affecting the appetite in broiler cockerels

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of using different levels of portulaca oleracea extract on growth performance, blood lipids and expression of genes affecting appetite control in broilers. A total of 250 one-day-old male Ross-308 broilers were randomly divided into five food treatments with five replications and 10 chickens per replication. Dietary treatments included 5 control treatments: (base diet without portulaca oleracea extract), base diet with 50, 100, 150 and 200 mg of portulaca oleracea extract per g of feed from 1 to 42 days. Feed intake, body weight, feed conversion ratio and mortality percentage were measured during the experimental period. The effect of dietary treatments on feed intake, body weight and feed conversion ratio from 1 to 42 days was not significant, although the highest feed intake was observed at the levels of 150 and 200 mg of portulaca oleracea extract. At 42 days of age, the effect of treatments on LDL and triglyceride levels was significant (P<0.05). The expression of NPY gene in treatments containing portulaca oleracea extract was not statistically significant compared to the control treatment, although it was higher in the treatment containing 200 mg of portulaca oleracea extract. PNOC gene expression in the treatment containing 200 mg of portulaca oleracea was higher than the control (P<0.01). Therefore, portulaca oleracea extract can be considered effective on some blood lipids and increasing the expression of appetite-enhancing neuropeptide genes.