Department of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.
Toxins (Basel). 2022 Sep 21;14(10):653. doi: 10.3390/toxins14100653.
Zearalenone (ZEN) is a ubiquitous contaminant in poultry feed, since ZEN and its metabolites can interfere with estrogen function and affect the reproductive ability of animals. The estrogen-like effect of ZEN on mammal is widely reported, while little information is available, regarding the effect of relatively low dose of ZEN on estrogen function and production performance of laying hens, and the relationship between them. This work was aimed to investigate the effects of ZEN on the production performance, egg quality, ovarian function and gut microbiota of laying hens. A total of 96 Hy-line brown laying hens aged 25-week were randomly divided into 3 groups including basal diet group (BD group), basal diet supplemented with 250 μg/kg (250 μg/kg ZEN group) and 750 μg/kg (750 μg/kg ZEN group) ZEN group. Here, 750 μg/kg ZEN resulted in a significant increase in the feed conversion ratio (FCR) (g feed/g egg) (p < 0.05), a decrease in the egg production (p > 0.05), albumen height and Haugh unit (p > 0.05), compared to the BD group. The serum Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels significantly decreased in ZEN supplemented groups (p < 0.05). Serum Luteinizing hormone (LH) and Progesterone (P) levels in the 750 μg/kg ZEN group were significantly lower than those in the BD group (p < 0.05). 16S rRNA sequencing indicated that ZEN reduced cecum microbial diversity (p < 0.05) and altered gut microbiota composition. In contrast to 250 μg/kg ZEN, 750 μg/kg ZEN had more dramatic effects on the gut microbiota function. Spearman’s correlation analysis revealed negative correlations between the dominant bacteria of the 750 μg/kg ZEN group and the production performance, egg quality and ovarian function of hens. Overall, ZEN was shown to exert a detrimental effect on production performance, egg quality and ovarian function of laying hens in this study. Moreover, alterations in the composition and function of the gut microbiota induced by ZEN may be involved in the adverse effects of ZEN on laying hens.
玉米赤霉烯酮（ZEN）是家禽饲料中普遍存在的污染物，因为 ZEN 及其代谢物可以干扰雌激素功能并影响动物的生殖能力。ZEN 对哺乳动物的类雌激素作用已被广泛报道，而关于相对低剂量的 ZEN 对产蛋鸡雌激素功能和生产性能的影响及其之间的关系的信息却很少。本研究旨在探讨 ZEN 对产蛋鸡生产性能、蛋品质、卵巢功能和肠道微生物群的影响。将 96 只 25 周龄的海兰褐蛋鸡随机分为 3 组，包括基础日粮组（BD 组）、基础日粮中添加 250μg/kg（250μg/kg ZEN 组）和 750μg/kg（750μg/kg ZEN 组）ZEN 组。结果表明，750μg/kg ZEN 组的饲料转化率（g 饲料/g 蛋）（p<0.05）显著升高，产蛋率（p>0.05）、蛋白高度和哈夫单位（p>0.05）显著降低，与 BD 组相比。ZEN 补充组血清促卵泡激素（FSH）水平显著降低（p<0.05）。750μg/kg ZEN 组血清黄体生成素（LH）和孕酮（P）水平显著低于 BD 组（p<0.05）。16S rRNA 测序表明，ZEN 降低了盲肠微生物多样性（p<0.05）并改变了肠道微生物群落组成。与 250μg/kg ZEN 相比，750μg/kg ZEN 对肠道微生物群功能的影响更为显著。Spearman 相关性分析显示，750μg/kg ZEN 组优势菌与母鸡生产性能、蛋品质和卵巢功能呈负相关。综上所述，本研究表明 ZEN 对产蛋鸡的生产性能、蛋品质和卵巢功能有不良影响。此外，ZEN 引起的肠道微生物群组成和功能的改变可能参与了 ZEN 对产蛋鸡的不利影响。
