Dietary supplementation with Chinese herb ultrafine powder improves intestinal morphology and physical barrier function by altering jejunal microbiota in laying hens

Abstract

IntroductionChinese medicinal herbs play important roles in anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial activities. However, the effects of Chinese herb ultrafine powder (CHUP) on laying hens still need to be elucidated. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary CHUP supplementation on jejunal morphology, physical barrier function, and microbiota in laying hens.MethodsA total of 576 Xinyang black-feather laying hens (300 days old) were randomly assigned into eight groups, with eight replicates per group and nine hens per replicate. The hens were fed a basal diet (control group) and a basal diet supplemented with 0.5% Leonuri herba (LH group), 0.25% Ligustri lucidi fructus (LF group), 0.25% Taraxaci herba (TH group), 0.5% LH + 0.25% LF (LH-LF group), 0.5% LH + 0.25% TH (LH-TH group), 0.25% LF + 0.25% TH (LF-TH group), and 0.5% LH + 0.25% LF + 0.25% TH (LH-LF-TH group), respectively, for 120 days.ResultsThe results showed that dietary LH-LF and LH-LF-TH supplementation increased (p < 0.05) the jejunal villus height to crypt depth ratio of laying hens. Dietary LF-TH supplementation up-regulated jejunal claudin-5 expression, while LH supplementation up-regulated jejunal claudin-1 expression and increased the jejunal abundances of potentially beneficial bacteria related to short-chain fatty acids and bacteriocins production, such as Blautia, Carnobacterium, Clostridiales, and Erysipelotrichales (p < 0.05). In addition, dietary LH supplementation enriched (p < 0.05) the tetracycline biosynthesis, butirosin/neomycin biosynthesis, and D-arginine/D-ornithine metabolism, whereas steroid biosynthesis and limonene/pinene degradation were enriched (p < 0.05) in the LH-LF and LH-LF-TH groups. Moreover, Spearman’s correlation analysis revealed the potential correlation between the abundance of the jejunal microbiota and jejunal morphology and the physical barrier function of laying hens.DiscussionCollectively, these findings suggest that dietary CHUP supplementation could enhance the beneficial bacteria abundance, physical barrier function, and metabolic function associated with short-chain fatty acids and bacteriocins production. Moreover, combined supplementation of dietary CHUP showed better effects than the sole CHUP supplementation.

Effects of Traditional Chinese Herbal Feed Additive on Production Performance, Egg Quality, Antioxidant Capacity, Immunity and Intestinal Health of Laying Hens

“…Currently, limited studies have investigated the effects of Chinese herbal mixtures on intestinal microbiota. The beneficial functions of Chinese herbal mixtures are attributed to their active ingredients such as polysaccharides, polyphenols, and organic acids [59,60]. In the present study, the TCM was found to be rich in polysaccharides, which have been shown to modify the composition and diversity of intestinal microbiota, including increasing the abundance of Lactobacillus in mice [45].…”

“…In the present study, the TCM was found to be rich in polysaccharides, which have been shown to modify the composition and diversity of intestinal microbiota, including increasing the abundance of Lactobacillus in mice [45]. The TCM also contains high concentrations of polyphenols, which have been shown to regulate the intestinal microbial composition of animals and maintain intestinal health [60]. For instance, Wang et al [17] demonstrated that tannic acid, a type of could alleviate obesity symptoms by reducing the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroides in weaned piglets.…”