Dietary cannabidiol and nanoselenium mediates post-infection changes in the profiles of fatty acids, sarcoplasmic proteins, and meat properties of C. perfringens-challenged chickens

Dietary Cannabidiol (CBD) and Se-nanoparticles (SeNPs) have shown promising results in supporting health status in chickens but their action and optimal inclusion levels is unknown. A total of 432 one-day-old male Ross 308 broilers were reared in cages for 35 days. The negative control (CON) received a basal diet without supplementation or challenge, while the positive control (CON+) was Clostridium perfringens-challenged. The CBD+ group was C. perfringens-challenged and supplemented with 15 g/kg Cannabis extract, while the SeNPs+ was challenged but received 0.3 mg/kg diet SeNPs. Birds from CBD + SeNPs and CBD + SeNPs + C. perfringens were fed both additives, with the latter group also C. perfringens-challenged. Supplementation with CBD and/or SeNPs did not compromised bird’s performance, breast meat quality or the desaturation, thrombogenic and atherogenicity indices. CBD and CBD + SeNPs significantly increased polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and omega-3 PUFA concentrations of C. perfringens-challenged chickens. PUFA n-6/n-3 ratios in muscle lipids were most significantly associated with SeNPs alone or in combination with CBD (P < 0.05). The levels of meat exudate pyruvate kinase/phosphoglucose isomerase from the CBD + SeNPs were significantly different from CON, CON+ and CBD+ groups. During the experimental period, the birds consumed 0.39 g of tetrahydrocannabinol and 9.41 g of CBD resulting in THC accumulation in breast muscle at a concentration of 10 ppm and CBD transfer at 79 × 10−6. These findings provide new understanding of how CBD and SeNPs influence the nutrition-challenge-meat quality relationship, highlighting the need for additional research to fully elucidate their effects.