Dietary quercetin and vitamin E supplementation modulates the reproductive performance and antioxidant capacity of aged male breeder chickens

作者：Felix Kwame Amevor, Zhifu Cui, Zifan Ning, Gang Shu, Xiaxia Du, Ningning Jin, Xun Deng, Dan Xu, Yaofu Tian, Yao Zhang, Diyan Li, Yan Wang, Xiaohui Du, Xiaoling Zhao · 发表于：Poultry Science · 年份：2022 · DOI：10.1016/j.psj.2022.101851 · 被引用次数：32 · 研究领域：Sperm and Testicular Function、Antioxidant Activity and Oxidative Stress、Animal Nutrition and Physiology

Aged male chickens experience rapid declines in spermatogenesis, antioxidant capacity, immunity, and hormone synthesis. Vitamin E plays a significant role in reproduction, nervous system function, and disease resistance in animals. Quercetin also exerts many biological effects, such as antioxidant ability, immunostimulation, and protection of spermatozoal plasma membranes. This study evaluated the effects of combining dietary quercetin (Q) and vitamin E (VE) on sperm quality, antioxidant capacity, immunity, and expression of genes related to spermatogenesis, immunity, apoptosis, and inflammation in aged male chickens. A total of 120 Tianfu breeder male chickens (65 wk old) were randomly allotted to 4 treatments with 3 replicates (10 birds each). The birds were fed diets containing Q (0.4g/kg), VE (0.2g/kg), Q+VE (0.4g/kg + 0.2g/kg), and a basal diet for 11 wk. At the end of the experimental period, blood, semen, liver, testes, and spleen samples were collected from 2 birds per replicate. Serum hormones, antioxidant parameters, cytokines, and immunoglobulins were evaluated; and the mRNA expression of genes related to spermatogenesis, apoptosis, and inflammation are determined in the testes and liver tissues. The results showed that the combination quercetin and vitamin E significantly promoted the sperm count and motility, as well as elevated the levels of testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone, antioxidant enzymes (Superoxide dismutase, Glutathion...