The liver is a multifunctional organ with a key role in egg production. There are several challenges that can affect liver functionality in laying hens. Such causes may have an infectious origin, such as inclusion body hepatitis or infectious toxic hepatic enteritis, a chemical origin, due to the use of chemical antioxidants or drugs, or a nutritional origin such as fatty and hemorrhagic liver syndrome.

The use of liver conditioner pronutrients, active molecules of botanical origin, allows to maintain liver performance throughout the productive cycle or recover the liver status after a challenge, thanks to their direct effect on hepatocytes.

1. Objective

Evaluate the effect of liver conditioner pronutrients on liver enzyme levels, compared to another natural liver protector, in laying hens.

2. Material and methods

The trial was conducted in two farms, to assess the effect of liver conditioner pronutrients. In the first one 66,000 layers of 20-week-old were used, while in the second farm, 78,000 of 44-week-old were used.

Both farms continuously used a natural liver protector. Blood samples were taken, before the administration of liver conditioner pronutrients and these results were used as a control group.

In both studies, liver conditioner pronutrients were administered continuously at a dose of 0.5 kg/t in feed. The pronutrients were administrated continuously for2 months (August-September).

Blood samples were taken from 12 laying hens, before and after the administration of liver conditioner pronutrients. The main liver enzymes were evaluated: alkaline phosphatase (AF), aspartate aminotransferase (AST/TGO), alanine aminotransferase (ALT/TGP). The increase of the levels of these enzymes are related to liver disorders.

3. Results

• Alkaline phosphatase – AF

In relation to the enzyme alkaline phosphatase, in both trials were observed lower values in the group with liver conditioner pronutrients compared to the control group, with a difference of 36.5% in the first trial and of 40.1% in the second.

• Aspartate aminotransferase (AST/TGO)

In the case of the enzyme aspartate aminotransferase, it was also observed that the values obtained were lower in the group with pronutrients than in the control group, with a difference of 11.1% on the first farm and 15.6% in the second farm.

• Alanine aminotransferase (ALT/TGP)

As with the previous enzymes, the values obtained for the enzyme alanine aminotransferase were lower in the group supplemented with liver conditioner pronutrients. In this case the differences between the two groups were 11.1% and 2.9% in the first and second trial, respectively.

4. Conclusions

Laying hens face different challenges, whether microbiological, toxic, or nutritional, capable of affecting their liver function. It is possible to evaluate the liver status of the layers by measuring liver enzyme values (AF, AST and ALT).

Increased values of these liver enzymes are related with a poor liver condition. The use of liver conditioner pronutrients ensures the proper liver function in layers since it allows to obtain lower values of the main liver enzymes and this is correlated with an improvement of the production parameters and the quality of the egg.

The liver conditioner pronutrients are marketed under the name Alquernat Livol by Biovet S.A.