ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Physiol.
Sec. Avian Physiology
In ovo myo-inositol administration: impacts on growth performance and metabolic profiles in broiler chickens
Provisionally accepted
- Institute of Animal Science, Universitat Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
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Myo-inositol (MI) plays key roles in cellular signaling, membrane structure, and metabolic regulation, with its effects in poultry primarily explored through direct dietary MI supplementation. This study aimed to assess the effects of in ovo MI administration on post-hatch performance and metabolism of broiler chickens. A total of 480 fertilized Ross 308 eggs were divided into four groups and injected on day 17 of incubation with either 12 µmol/ml MI (MI 12), 24 µmol/ml MI (MI 24), 0.9 % saline (positive control, PC), or left non-injected (negative control, NC). After hatching, broilers were group-housed in floor pens (8 pens per treatment) with 12 birds per pen and fed a standard diet for 35 days. At d 35, one bird per pen was slaughtered, sex was identified, and blood and tissues were collected for the assessment of MI concentrations, expression of inositol monophosphatase 1 (IMPase 1), myo-inositol oxygenase (MIOX), and plasma metabolite profiles. There was no adverse effect of MI in ovo administration on hatchability and body weight (BW) of hatchlings. During growing, BW was lower in MI-injected groups from day 14 onward, with lower average daily weight gain, but no differences in feed conversion ratio. Survival rate was higher in MI-injected groups during days 0 - 21, with a positive trend until the end of the experiment. MI concentrations in plasma and tissues, and the expression of IMPase 1 and MIOX were not altered by treatment. Plasma metabolomics revealed higher C2 and C9 acylcarnitines, threonine, and sarcosine, alongside lower serotonin, and notable changes in phosphatidylcholines and sphingolipids in MI-injected versus No-MI groups, potentially reflecting alterations in mitochondrial β-oxidation pathways, diacylglycerol-associated signaling, amino-acid-related and peripheral serotonin metabolism. Sex-specific differences in plasma MI and metabolite profiles were detected, with males demonstrating reduced plasma MI concentrations, Fisher ratio, and carnosine levels, indicative of a metabolic state possibly associated with higher anabolic pressure or subclinical inflammatory activation. These findings highlight the potential of in ovo MI administration to induce subtle but persistent metabolic reprogramming and underscore the need for further studies to clarify its long-term consequences for metabolic resilience and performance in both sexes.
Keywords: Broiler chickens, In ovo injection, Metabolic profiles, myo-inositol, performance
Received: 16 Sep 2025; Accepted: 22 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Shomina, Sommerfeld, Rodehutscord and Huber. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Nataliia Shomina
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