Volume: 3, 2024
3rd International PhD Student’s Conference at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland:
ENVIRONMENT – PLANT – ANIMAL – PRODUCT
Abstract number: A017
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24326/ICDSUPL3.A017
Published online: 24 April 2024
ICDSUPL, 3, A017 (2024)
Histomorphometry of broilers’ pectoralis major muscle affected by myopathies
Egle Lebednikaite1*, Tomas Gudas1, Greta Cikanaviciute-Pucinskiene1, Alius Pockevicius1
1 Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilzes 18, 47181, Kaunas, Lithuania
* Corresponding author: egle.lebednikaite@lsmu.lt
Abstract
The most produced meat in the world is poultry meat. Myopathies of chickens are associated with fast-growing, heavy-weight broilers. These pathologies not only affect the visual appearance but also alter the histological structure of muscles and lower the quality of meat. The aim of this research was to analyse and compare the histomorphometry results of chicken broilers affected by different severity levels of wooden breast (WB) and white striping (WS) myopathies. Sixty histological samples were collected from skinless m. pectoralis major of 6 to 7-week-old male and female Ross 308 broilers. Three groups were separated according to the severity of WB and WS myopathies: 0 = normal, 1 = mild, 2 = severe (n = 20 in each group). The samples were immersed in a 10% buffered formalin solution and stained with Masson’s trichrome. The average myofiber diameter and amounts of muscle, fibrous connective, and adipose tissue were calculated. The data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA, and a post hoc Tukey’s test was used to compare group mean differences. Statistical significance was considered at P ≤ 0.05. Broilers’ m. pectoralis major samples affected by severe myopathies had smaller myofiber diameters compared to those of mildly affected (73.41 μm vs 86.58 μm; P ≤ 0.001) and normal samples (73.41 μm vs 81.51 μm; P ≤ 0.05). Furthermore, the samples of muscle affected by severe myopathies had a lower amount of muscle tissue compared to that of mildly affected and normal samples (77.68% vs 86.82% and 89.06%; P ≤ 0.001). The samples affected by severe myopathies had a higher amount of fibrous connective tissue compared to that of mildly affected (17.01% vs 10.09%; P ≤ 0.01) and unaffected (17.01% vs 8.64%; P ≤ 0.001) samples of muscle. Finally, the samples of m. pectoralis major affected by severe myopathies had a higher amount of adipose tissue than mildly affected (5.31% vs 3.09%; P ≤ 0.05) and normal samples (5.31% vs 2.30%; P ≤ 0.001). In conclusion, our research revealed that myofiber diameter and muscle tissue content were decreased by 9.9% and 12.8%, respectively, in samples affected by severe WB and WS myopathies. Moreover, the amounts of fibrous connective and adipose tissue were about 2-fold and 2.3-fold higher in muscle samples affected by severe WB and WS myopathies. These findings indicate that broilers’ myopathies are an important quality issue in the poultry industry.
Keywords: broilers, pectoralis major, myopathy, histomorphometry
How to cite
E. Lebednikaite, T. Gudas, G. Cikanaviciute-Pucinskiene, A. Pockevicius, 2024. Histomorphometry of broilers’ pectoralis major muscle affected by myopathies. In: 3rd International PhD Student’s Conference at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland: Environment – Plant – Animal – Product. https://doi.org/10.24326/ICDSUPL3.A017