Dietary supplementation of polysaccharides from Millettia speciosa Champ. ex Benth on growth performance, immune function, antioxidant abilities and intestinal health of Wenchang chickens

作者：Yuhang Liu, Jie Liu, Xin Feng, Quanwei Liu, Rui-Ping Sun, Wei Wu, Kun Ouyang, Jingli Yuan, Yan Zhang, Xiuping Wang, Guiping Zhao, Limin Wei · 发表于：BMC Veterinary Research · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1186/s12917-025-04934-2 · 被引用次数：2 · 研究领域：Animal Nutrition and Physiology、Gut microbiota and health、Ginger and Zingiberaceae research

Abstract This study aims to systematically evaluate the effects of Millettia speciosa Champ. ex Benth polysaccharides (MSCP) on broiler chickens through comprehensive assessment of growth performance parameters, immune system modulation, and intestinal microbial community dynamics. A total of 576 healthy 80-day-old Wenchang chickens were randomly assigned to six experimental groups in a completely randomized design. The control group (Control) received a basal diet, while the antibiotic-treated group was supplemented with 2 g/kg chlortetracycline hydrochloride (CTC) as a positive control. Four experimental groups were supplemented with different concentrations of MSCP: 400 mg/kg (MSCP 400 ), 800 mg/kg (MSCP 800 ), 1600 mg/kg (MSCP 1600 ), and 3200 mg/kg (MSCP 3200 ). The study employed a replicated pen design with 8 replicates per treatment group, each containing 12 birds. The results showed that dietary MSCP significantly increased the final body weight ( P < 0.001) and average daily gain of chickens ( P = 0.017), particularly at a dosage of 800 mg/kg. We also found that serum CAT level ( P = 0.030) and GSH-Px level ( P = 0.011) were significantly higher in the MSCP group compared to the CTC group. Adding MSCP to the feed raised serum IL-4 level ( P = 0.016) and significantly increased IgA level ( P = 0.047) at 1600 mg/kg. MSCP at 400 and 800 mg/kg significantly increased villus height in the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum ( P < 0.001 for duodenum and jejunum; P = 0.040 ...