Pros and Cons of Dietary Vitamin A and Its Precursors in Poultry Health and Production: A Comprehensive Review
Rifat Ullah Khan,
Aamir Khan,
Shabana Naz,
Qudrat Ullah,
Nikola Puvača,
Vito Laudadio,
Domenico Mazzei,
Alireza Seidavi,
Tugay Ayasan,
Vincenzo Tufarelli
Affiliations
Rifat Ullah Khan
Faculty of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, College of Veterinary Sciences, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar 25000, Pakistan
Aamir Khan
Directorate General (Research), Livestock and Dairy Development Department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Peshawar 59000, Pakistan
Shabana Naz
Department of Zoology, Government College University, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Qudrat Ullah
Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, The University of Agriculture, Dera Ismail Khan 29220, Pakistan
Nikola Puvača
Faculty of Economics and Engineering Management, University Business Academy in Novi, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Vito Laudadio
Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Jonian Area, Section of Veterinary Science and Animal Production, University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70010 Valenzano, Italy
Domenico Mazzei
Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Jonian Area, Section of Veterinary Science and Animal Production, University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70010 Valenzano, Italy
Alireza Seidavi
Department of Animal Science, Rasht Branch, Islamic Azad University, Rasht 41335-3516, Iran
Tugay Ayasan
Department of Organic Farming Business Management, Kadirli Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Korkut Ata, Osmaniye 80000, Turkey
Vincenzo Tufarelli
Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Jonian Area, Section of Veterinary Science and Animal Production, University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70010 Valenzano, Italy
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that cannot be synthesized in the body and must be obtained through diet. Despite being one of the earliest vitamins identified, a complete range of biological actions is still unknown. Carotenoids are a category of roughly 600 chemicals that are structurally related to vitamin A. Vitamin A can be present in the body in the form of retinol, retinal, and retinoic acid. Vitamins are required in minute amounts, yet they are critical for health, maintenance, and performing key biological functions in the body, such as growth, embryo development, epithelial cell differentiation, and immune function. Vitamin A deficiency induces a variety of problems, including lack of appetite, decreased development and immunity, and susceptibility to many diseases. Dietary preformed vitamin A, provitamin A, and several classes of carotenoids can be used to meet vitamin A requirements. The aim of this review is to compile the available scientific literature regarding the sources and important functions, such as growth, immunity, antioxidant, and other biological activities of vitamin A in poultry.
