Effects of Artichoke (Cynara Scolymus L.) Extract on Antioxidant Status in Chicken Thigh Meat

Background: artichoke extract (ae), containing natural antioxidant compounds, can be considered as a good source of antioxidant potential. objectives: the aim of this study was to evaluate antioxidant abilities of ae on broiler meat quality. methods: 200 ross chicken broilers were divided into five equal groups and received 100, 200, 300, and 500 mg/liter of ae in drinking water and pure water in the control group, respectively. antiradical activity and phenolic content of ae were determined by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (dpph) method and gallic acid measurement before adding extract into drinking water. the broilers received ae extract form 21-35 day of growing phase and the samples from thigh muscles were taken for biochemical analysis in the 42 day of the growing phase. results: antiradical activity of ae was 35% and phenolic content was 3.3 g/100g of dry extract. regarding antioxidant enzymes, such as glutathione peroxidase (gpx) and catalase (cat), the ae with dosage of 200 mg/l indicated maximum antioxidant ability compared to the other groups (p<0.05). supplementation of ae200 mg/l also demonstrated the lowest gpx and cat activities, compared to the control and ae 300 mg/l groups (p<0.05). regarding performance weight gain, average daily weight gain, percentage of weight gain in 21 to 35 as well as final weight were similar in control and ae-received groups and ae indicated similar effect for all the treatments. conclusions: this study showed that administration of 200 mg/l ae in drinking water during growing phase decreased gpx and cat activities in chicken meat presumably due to down-regulation of gene expression for antioxidant enzymes.