The Effect of In Ovo Serotonin Pretreatment on Hatchability of Heat Stressed Broiler Eggs

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran

2 Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

3 Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran

Abstract

Thermal stress is a major challenge in poultry production, particularly affecting embryonic development and post-hatch performance. Although thermal manipulation during embryogenesis has been recognized as an effective strategy for improving thermo-tolerance and in ovo, injection of bioactive compounds has shown success in modulating physiological responses. Additionally, research has indicated that serotonin plays an important role in embryonic development through epigenetic mechanisms. This study investigated the combined effects of thermal manipulation and in ovo serotonin injection on hatchability in Ross chicken eggs. In this study, 60 fertile eggs were divided into three groups (control, 10 μg and 20 μg serotonin), each containing 20 eggs. Each group was further subdivided into a normal temperature (37.5 °C) and heat stress (39.5 °C) group. Findings showed that in ovo administration of 10 and 20 μg serotonin did not have an enhancing effect on hatchability under normal temperature nor stress condition. These findings showed that serotonin injection has not positive effect on hatchability in poultry embryos, suggesting that appropriate serotonin doses may enhance this effect by modifying stress response pathways.

Keywords

Veterinary and Comparative Biomedical Research

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 02 July 2025

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