Abstract:

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of N,N-dimethylglycine sodium salt (Na-DMG) on organ
indexes, blood physiobiochemical indices and anti-oxidative performance of broilers. A total of 720 one-day-old AA broilers
were randomly allocated into six groups with 6 broilers in each group, and fed with a commercial starter diet supplemented
with Na-DMG at 0, 300, 500, 1 000, 1 500 and 2 000 mg/kg, respectively, for 42 days. The results showed that 1) dietary
supplementation of Na-DMG at 2 000 mg/kg improved significantly the spleen index of broilers (P < 0.05); 2) compared
with the control group, Na-DMG supplementation at 1 000 mg/kg increased significantly the blood triiodothyronine
(T3) level of 21-day-old broilers (P < 0.05), but had no significant effect on blood physiobiochemical indices of
42-day-old broilers (P > 0.05); 3) dietary Na-DMG mainly affected the total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) in blood
and liver and at concentrations above 500 mg/kg improved significantly the blood T-AOC level of 42-day-old broilers
(P < 0.05), as well as at concentrations above 1 000 mg/kg increased the liver T-AOC level compared with the control
group (P < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary Na-DMG can promote the development of the pancreas effectively, enhance
the immune function and significantly increase the antioxidant capacity of broilers, especially when supplemented at
concentrations at 1 000–2 000 mg/kg.

Key words: N,N-dimethylglycine sodium salt, broilers, organ indexes, physiology and biochemistry, antioxidative performance