Background: The aim of the study was to verify the hypothesis that there are doses of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) that improve antioxidant defence in chickens without compromising their growth performance and health.
Results: The results of our study suggest that, irrespective of the concentration, the administration of Ag-NPs (5 nm) at a dose not exceeding 54 mg/bird has no negative effect on the growth performance of chickens. The administration of Ag-NPs (5 nm) in the amount of 2.87 to 63.74 mg/bird does not cause silver to accumulate in the breast muscle. The ingestion of 2.87 mg/bird was found to result in the accumulation of this element in the wall of the small intestine and in the liver, and a further increase in the dose increases the accumulation of Ag in these tissues. Accumulation of Ag in the heart of the chickens was not observed until the dose reached 22.5 mg/bird.
Conclusion: Our research has shown that the application of Ag-NPs (5 nm), especially at doses greater than the 'no observable adverse effect level' (NOAEL) of 9.47 mg/bird, can induce oxidative reactions in the blood, small intestinal wall, liver and breast muscle of chickens. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.
Keywords: accumulation; chicken; nanosilver; redox status; tissues.
© 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.