Journal of Animal Production, Print ISSN: 2008-6776., Online ISSN: 2382-994X

Effects of sodium-selenite and selenium-methionine on productive parameters, hepatic antioxidant status, gene expression and selenium deposition in eggs and liver of laying hens

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

zahra tahami 1
Behrouz Dastar 2
ehsan oskoueian 3
Seyed Reza Hashemi 4

1 Corresponding Author, Department of Animal and Poultry Nutrition, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran. E-mail: z.tahami@areeo.ac.ir

2 Department of Animal and Poultry Nutrition, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran. E-mail: dastar@gau.ac.ir

3 Department of Research and Development, Arka Industrial Cluster, Mashhad, Iran. E-mail: e.oskoueian@gmail.com

4 Department of Genetics and Breeding and Physiology of Animal and Poultry, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran. E-mail: Hashemi711@gau.ac.ir

https://doi.org/10.22059/jap.2026.409153.623895
Abstract
Objective: Adding micronutrients, such as selenium, to eggsis a value-creating strategy in the poultry industry, as selenium-enriched eggs may provide this essential element in the human diet and may improve oxidative stability due to the increased antioxidant profiles, as selenium plays a role in gen expression of oxidative stress response and detoxification pathways. As different sources of selenium vary in their absorption, metabolism, and bioavailability, it is crucial to evaluate of their effects on productive performance, oxidative stress indicators, selenium accumulation in eggs and liver, and the expression of key antioxidant genes in the liver of laying hens. Therefore, the objective of this study was to compare the effects of supplementing two common selenium sources (sodium selenite and selenomethionine) at two different levels on productive performance, oxidative stress indicators, selenium accumulation in eggs and liver, and the expression of key antioxidant genes in the liver of laying hens.
Method: completely randomized design experiment was conducted using 300 Hy-Line W-36 laying hens, with five treatments, six replicates, and ten birds per replicate. The experimental treatments were: 1) basal diet (without selenium supplementation), 2) basal diet + 0.5 mg/kg sodium selenite, 3) basal diet + 1 mg/kg sodium selenite, 4) basal diet + 0.5 mg/kg selenomethionine, 5) basal diet + 1 mg/kg selenomethionine. Performance traits including feed intake, body weight gain, and feed conversion ratio were measured periodically. Antioxidant activity, expression of GPx and TXNRD1 genes, and selenium retention in egg yolk, egg albumen, and liver were evaluated. Data were statistically analyzedusing SAS software.
Results: It was demonstrated that selenium supplementation from various organic and inorganic sources did not affect the body weight gain, feed intake, or feed conversion ratio in laying hens during any of the production periods. Blood antioxidant activity and malondialdehyde levels were not affected by different levels of selenium sources. Hepatic malondialdehyde levels were lower in birds receiving selenium than in the control birds and lower in the birds receiving organic selenium than in those receiving inorganic selenium (P<0.05). Organic selenium supplementation led to significantly greater selenium retention in dried egg yolk and albumen compared to other treatments (P<0.05). The selenium concentration in fresh egg yolk and albumen, and in the liver, increased due to selenium supplementation (P<0.05). Organic selenium treatments showed significantly higher expression levels of GSH and TXNRD1 genes than inorganic selenium (P<0.05).
Conclusions: According to the results, while selenium supplementation had no impact on performance parameters, dietary supplementation with 1 mg/kg selenomethionine decreased hepatic malondialdehyde levels, increased egg selenium content, and increased the expression of antioxidant genes, and thus it may be a good nutritional strategy to enhance nutritional quality.

Keywords

Antioxidant
Gene expression
Sodium selenite
Selenium-methionine
Laying hens
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Journal of Animal Production, Print ISSN: 2008-6776., Online ISSN: 2382-994X
Volume 28, Issue 3
Summer 2026
Pages 425-436

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