This study investigated the effects of dietary supplementation with vitamin E (VE) and nano-selenium (Nano-Se) on growth performance, meat quality traits, intestinal morphology, antioxidant biomarkers, and gut microbiota in broiler chickens. A total of 250 one-day-old Ross 308 broiler chicks were randomly allocated to five dietary treatments viz a viz: (1) control (basal diet without additives), (2) basal diet supplemented with 150mg/kg VE, (3) 150mg/kg VE+2mg/kg Nano-Se, (4) 150 mg/kg VE+4mg/kg Nano-Se and (5) 150mg/kg VE+6 mg/kg Nano-Se. Growth performance parameters, including body weight, body weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio, were not significantly affected (P>0.05) by dietary treatments. However, significant improvements (P<0.05) were observed in intestinal morphology, where supplementation with 2mg/kg Nano-Se increased duodenal villus height and width, while 4mg/kg Nano-Se enhanced crypt depth. Meat antioxidant status was markedly improved in supplemented groups, as evidenced by reduced lipid oxidation, particularly in birds receiving 6mg/kg Nano-Se. In addition, VE and Nano-Se supplementation significantly improved water-holding capacity, crude protein, ash, and fat contents of meat (P<0.05). Blood antioxidant biomarkers, including vitamin E, selenium, and glutathione concentrations, reached their highest levels in the group supplemented with 4mg/kg Nano-Se, whereas the highest Nano-Se level (6mg/kg) showed reduced antioxidant efficiency. Gut microbiota analysis revealed increased populations of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Escherichia coli in birds receiving 2mg/kg Nano-Se, while higher Nano-Se levels exerted inhibitory effects on microbial populations. Overall, the results indicate that the combined supplementation of vitamin E and Nano-Se at 2–4mg/kg improves intestinal health, meat quality and oxidative stability in broilers, whereas excessive Nano-Se supplementation may disrupt antioxidant balance and intestinal microbial homeostasis.

To Cite This Article: Salman GY, Al-Mashhadani HAS, Mohsen AT, Najam YS, Hassan YW, Khan RU and Konca Y, 2026. The effects of vitamin e and nano-selenium supplementation on growth performance, intestinal health, antioxidant status and meat quality traits of broilers. Pak Vet J, 46(8): 2128-2135. http://dx.doi.org/10.29261/pakvetj/2026.205