Alpiniae oxyphyllae fructus improves production performance and egg quality of laying breeder hens by regulating reproductive hormones, antioxidant function, immunity and intestinal health

作者：Mengjie Liu, Jianchi Lun, Gengxiong Huang, Yongqi Zhu, Wenbo Zhang, Wenxin Jin, Yiqing Ding, Shilong Liu, Qian Qu, Weijie Lv, Shining Guo · 发表于：Poultry Science · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1016/j.psj.2024.103770 · 被引用次数：8 · 研究领域：Ginger and Zingiberaceae research、Animal Nutrition and Physiology、Ovarian function and disorders

Alpiniae oxyphylla fructus was extensively utilized both as dietary supplements and traditional herbal medicines for healthcare functions and has exhibited a positive impact on animal health. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of Alpiniae oxyphyllae fructus powder (AOP) on production performance, egg quality, egg yolk fatty acid composition, reproductive hormones, antioxidant capacity, immunity, anti-apoptosis ability, and intestinal health in hens. A total of 252 Hainan Wenchang laying hens (30-wk-old) were randomly divided into 3 groups with 6 replicates, a basic diet with 0 (CON), 1 g/kg AOP (AOP1), and 3 g/kg (AOP3) mixed AOP. The AOP supplementation was found to decrease the feed conversion ratio and embryo mortality but to increase the laying rate, average egg weight, and oviduct index linearly (p < 0.05). Furthermore, AOP treatment reduced the total saturated fatty acids and palmitic acid (C16:0) in the egg yolk while increasing eggshell strength, albumen height, and Haugh unit (p < 0.05). The serum levels of albumin and phosphorus were increased, whereas total cholesterol, triglycerides, and glucose levels decreased as a result of AOP treatment (p < 0.05). The inclusion of 3 g/kg AOP had higher 17 β-estradiol and follicle-stimulating hormone levels in serum, while it up-regulated follicle-stimulating hormone receptor and gonadotropin-releasing hormone expression in ovary (p < 0.05). Dietary AOP strengthened the expression of nuclear factor erythroid2-r...