Effects of Dietary Arsenical Inclusion on Lipid Metabolism and Liver Function in Mule Ducks

This study evaluated the effectiveness of different arsenical sources on inducing fatty liver, on changes in lipid metabolism and on liver function in mule ducks. Sixty twelve-week-old mule ducks were selected and randomly divided into five treatments, including the control group and four different arsenical sources; Roxarsone (300 mg/kg), arsanilic acid, $As_2O_5$ or $As_2O_3$, containing 85.2 mg/kg arsenic were included in the basal diet. The ducks were fed the medicated basal diet for 3 weeks followed by a one-week drug withdrawal. The results showed Roxarsone treatment decreased body weight, feed intake, liver weight and abdominal fat weight (p