The Influence of LED Lighting on the Avian Immune System: Histomorphometric Analysis of Lymphoid Organs and Leukocyte Profiles in Broiler Chicks
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24297/g91r9087Keywords:
LED light, lymphocyte, chicken welfareAbstract
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of a lighting system based on a combination of green-blue LED lights on body weight, stress, and the morphostructure of lymphoid organs in chickens. A total of 100 one-day-old Ross 308 broiler chicks were randomly assigned to two homogeneous experimental groups (n = 50 chicks/group) based on the type of lighting technology used. The control group (WL) was exposed to white light-emitting diodes (LED) for a period of 42 days, while the second group (GBL) was exposed to a lighting regimen based on a controlled LED spectrum combination as follows: on days 1–14 exclusively green light, on days 15–28 green and blue light and on days 35–42, exclusively blue light. Our results demonstrated that the combination of blue-green LED lights significantly increased the final body weight (BW) of the chicks and reduced stress by significantly lowering the heterophiles H(%) and the heterophiles to lymphocites (H/L) ratio. Furthermore, the GBL group exhibited better structural development of the lymphoid organs, with significantly higher organ indices for the bursa, thymus, and spleen, a higher cortex/medulla (C/M) ratio in both follicles and lobules, and a larger surface area for the lymphoid sheaths (PALS and PELS) and lymphoid nodules (LN) in the spleen. Nevertheless, these results suggest that combined green-blue LED light has an immunostimulatory effect on lymphoid organs, reflected in better health of the chicks.
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