Woo Soo Hyeon, An Su Hyun, Kim Yoo-Bhin, Gu Bon-Hee, Kim Minji, Jung Hyun Jung, Shim Seong Hun, Joo Sang Seok, Ji Woonhak, Ban Byeong Cheol, Lee Kyung-Woo, Kong Changsu, Kim Myunghoo
Department of Animal Science, College of Natural Resources & Life Science, Pusan National University, Miryang 50463, South Korea.
Research Institute for Innovative Animal Science, Kyungpook National University, Sangju 37224, South Korea.
Poult Sci. 2025 Jul 8;104(10):105548. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2025.105548.
Intestinal diseases have long plagued the chicken industry, leading to reduced egg production in laying hens and compromised growth performance in broilers, causing significant economic losses in the farming industry. For that reason, natural products have been widely used as dietary immunomodulators in the chicken industry to prevent infectious diseases while sustaining a healthy gut, regulating immune cells, maintaining the gut barrier, and balancing the microbiome. However, the impact of Poncirus trifoliata, a member of the citrus family, on the health, immunity, and productivity of laying hens and broilers has not yet been clearly elucidated. Therefore, we evaluated the effect of the Poncirus trifoliata peel extract (PE) on the growth performance of broilers and egg production in laying hens. Additionally, we analyzed gut immune-related parameters, including oxidative stress indices, gut barrier functions, and gut microbiome. Approximately 21-week-old laying hens and 1-day-old broilers were randomly divided into two groups: one group was fed a control (CON) diet and the other was fed a diet supplemented with PE. The PE group exhibited increased expression of glutathione peroxidase 2 (Gpx2; P < 0.01) in laying hens and occludin (Ocln; P < 0.01) in broilers. Furthermore, PE treatment increased the CD4+ T cell populations (P < 0.01) and the gut microbial diversity in the intestine of both laying hens and broilers. Our findings suggest that PE administration could be a promising strategy for improving intestinal health in laying hens and broilers by modulating tight junction expression, intestinal immune cells, and the microbial communities.
肠道疾病长期困扰着养鸡业，导致蛋鸡产蛋量下降，肉鸡生长性能受损，给养殖业造成重大经济损失。因此，天然产物已被广泛用作养鸡业中的膳食免疫调节剂，以预防传染病，同时维持肠道健康、调节免疫细胞、维持肠道屏障并平衡微生物群。然而，柑橘科植物枳对蛋鸡和肉鸡的健康、免疫力及生产性能的影响尚未得到明确阐释。因此，我们评估了枳果皮提取物（PE）对肉鸡生长性能和蛋鸡产蛋量的影响。此外，我们分析了肠道免疫相关参数，包括氧化应激指标、肠道屏障功能和肠道微生物群。将约21周龄的蛋鸡和1日龄的肉鸡随机分为两组：一组饲喂对照（CON）日粮，另一组饲喂添加了PE的日粮。PE组蛋鸡中谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶2（Gpx2；P<0.01）的表达增加，肉鸡中闭合蛋白（Ocln；P<0.01）的表达增加。此外，PE处理增加了蛋鸡和肉鸡肠道中的CD4+T细胞群体（P<0.01）以及肠道微生物多样性。我们的研究结果表明，通过调节紧密连接表达、肠道免疫细胞和微生物群落，施用PE可能是改善蛋鸡和肉鸡肠道健康的一种有前景的策略。
