Ovary metabolome and cecal microbiota changes in aged laying hens supplemented with vitamin E

Yongxia Wang; Yajie Xue; CongCong Yan; Xu Yu; Ling Zhang; Yufang Wang; Yahua Lan; Xiaodong Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.psj.2024.103760

Ovary metabolome and cecal microbiota changes in aged laying hens supplemented with vitamin E

Poult Sci. 2024 Apr 10;103(6):103760. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2024.103760. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Yongxia Wang¹, Yajie Xue¹, CongCong Yan¹, Xu Yu¹, Ling Zhang², Yufang Wang³, Yahua Lan³, Xiaodong Zhang⁴

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Applied Technology on Green-Eco-Healthy Animal Husbandry of Zhejiang Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang A&F University, Lin'an 311300, China.
² Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Local Livestock and Poultry Genetic Resource Conservation and Bio-breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230000, China.
³ Qujiang District Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Station, Quzhou 324000, China.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Applied Technology on Green-Eco-Healthy Animal Husbandry of Zhejiang Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang A&F University, Lin'an 311300, China. Electronic address: 26883512@qq.com.

Abstract

This study was aimed to evaluate the effect of vitamin E (VE) on laying performance, VE deposition, antioxidant capacity, immunity, follicle development, estrogen secretion, ovary metabolome, and cecal microbiota of laying hens. One hundred and twenty XinYang Black-Feathered laying hens (70 wk old) were randomly assigned to 2 groups (6 replicates of 20 birds), and fed a basal diet (containing 20 mg/kg VE, control (CON) group) and a basal diet supplemented with 20 mg/kg VE (VE group). The experiment lasted for 10 wk. Results showed that VE supplementation increased laying performance, antioxidant capacity, and immunity, as evidenced by increased (P < 0.05) performance (laying rate), antioxidant (glutathione peroxidase, total superoxide dismutase, total antioxidant capacity, and catalase) and immune (immunoglobulins) parameters, and decreased (P < 0.05) feed/egg ratio and malondialdehyde. Meanwhile, VE group had higher (P < 0.05) pregrade follicles, ovary index and serum estrogen levels than CON group. 16S rRNA sequencing showed that VE supplementation altered the cecal microbiota composition by increasing Bacteroides, Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group, Prevotellaceae_UCG-001 and Megamonas abundances and reducing Christensenellaceae_R-7_group abundance (at genus level), which are mainly associated with the production of short-chain fatty acids. Metabolomic profiling of the ovary revealed that the major metabolites altered by VE supplementation were mainly related to follicle development, estrogen secretion, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, phototransduction, bile acid synthesis, and nutrient transport. Furthermore, changes in cecal microbiota (at genus level) and ovary metabolites were highly correlated with laying performance, antioxidant, and immune parameters. In summary, VE contributed to the laying performance of aged laying hens by enhancing antioxidant, immune, and ovarian functions, promoting follicle development and estrogen secretion, and regulating gut microbiota and ovary metabolites. These findings will provide a new perspective on the mechanisms of egg production in aged poultry ovaries.

Keywords: aged laying hens; cecal microbiota; follicle development; ovary metabolome; vitamin E.