Poultry Science最新文献

{"title":"Body weight optimization of broiler breeder hens. 2. Reproductive performance.","authors":"Thiago L Noetzold, René P Kwakkel, Bryan Fancher, Marcelo Silva, Alan Thomson, Martin J Zuidhof","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105833","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2025.105833","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of shifted gain from the pubertal to prepubertal phase (early growth; EG) and timing of maximum pubertal growth (inflection point of a second growth phase; I2) on BW, feed efficiency, carcass composition, and reproductive performance of broiler breeder hens. Target BW trajectories were designed by changing coefficients of a 3-phase Gompertz model fit to the recommended Ross 308 BW target, [Formula: see text] . In each phase i, biologically relevant coefficients describe the amount of BW gain (g_i), the rate of growth (b_i), and the inflection point (I_i), which is the age (wk) when the growth for that phase is at its peak. The study had a 6 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments, with six I2 levels (I from phase 2) and two EG levels. The I2 coefficients were 15, 17, 19, 21 (standard), 22, and 23. The EG treatments were: EG0, where g₁ and g₂ coefficients estimated from the standard breeder recommended BW were unchanged; and EG20, where 20% of the gain (g₂) in phase 2 (pubertal phase) was shifted to phase 1 (g₁; prepubertal phase). Two-hundred-eighty-eight Ross 308 pullets were randomly assigned to the twelve BW growth trajectories and fed using a precision feeding system from 0 to 60 wk of age. Weekly BW was analyzed using three-way ANOVA (EG, I2, and age as fixed sources of variation). Analysis of covariance was conducted on the remaining dependent variables with EG as fixed effect, I2 as a continuous fixed effect, and age as continuous effect. The observed BW followed the BW target trajectories for most of the experiment duration. Dorsal feather score decreased by 0.11/wk of earlier I2. Egg production, egg weight, and egg mass increased by 0.83%, 0.09 g, and 0.54 g/d for every week of earlier I2, respectively. Total eggs produced and estimated chick number per hen increased by 3.6 eggs and 4.4 chicks for every week of earlier I2, respectively. In conclusion, advancing BW gain around the pubertal phase of growth in modern broiler breeders increased egg and chick production.</p>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"104 11","pages":"105833"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145182140","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identification and genetic evolutionary analysis of goose circovirus in Shandong and neighboring provinces in China in 2024","authors":"Xinao Yang ,&nbsp;Yifan Wang ,&nbsp;Peng Wu ,&nbsp;Tao Zhu ,&nbsp;Shuzheng Zhang ,&nbsp;Xiaoyu Yang ,&nbsp;Xiangfeng Meng ,&nbsp;Ziping Jiang ,&nbsp;Yuze Lu ,&nbsp;Zhangyong Ning ,&nbsp;Xiaowei Wu ,&nbsp;Xingdong Song ,&nbsp;Shijin Jiang ,&nbsp;Liangmeng Wei","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105826","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105826","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Goose circovirus (GoCV), a significant pathogen impacting waterfowl health, has led to significant economic losses in the goose industry. Since it was first identified in Germany in 1999, it has spread globally. To investigate the prevalence, genetic characteristics, and variation patterns of GoCV in Shandong and its neighboring provinces in China, this study used PCR to screen GoCV-positive samples collected from diseased geese in Shandong, Hebei, Henan, and Anhui provinces. Ten positive samples were selected for whole-genome amplification and sequencing. The results revealed that the nucleotide sequence homologies of the entire genome, the Rep gene, and the Cap gene of the 10 GoCV strains varied in the ranges of 96.9–99.5%, 96.6–99.7%, and 96.8–99.3%, respectively; furthermore, the amino acid sequence homologies were observed to fall in the ranges of 94.4–99.3%, 99.3–100%, and 98.0–100%, respectively. The 10 GoCV isolates showed high homology with reference strains from Anhui, Shandong, Henan, and Zhejiang provinces, relatively low homology with reference strains from Heilongjiang and Guangdong, and low homology with three duck circovirus (DuCV) reference strains. The genetic evolution tree analysis showed that nine GoCVs were clustered within the GoCV-Ⅰa branch, while one was classified into the GoCV-Ⅰb branch. Notably, these branches were clearly distinct from those of the three DuCVs, indicating a distant phylogenetic relationship between GoCV and DuCV. The results of the amino acid sequence analysis showed that compared with the first GoCV isolate from the Chinese mainland, AY633653.1 yk1, the Rep and Cap proteins had mutations at the amino acid sites 4, 5, 47, 71 and 8, 26, 49, 59, 61, 74, 76, 78, 176, 186, respectively. The results of the three-dimensional structure prediction analysis showed that these proteins had high similarity in their overall configuration, but there were certain differences in some local regions. The data indicate that GoCV is present in parts of Shandong and its neighboring provinces. The Rep protein exhibits a high degree of conservatism, whereas the Cap protein demonstrates a high mutation rate. Local structural differences may influence viral virulence and immune escape capability; finally, GoCV is genetically distinct from DuCV. Continual monitoring and analysis of mutation trends in the virus are essential, as they play a critical role in the early prevention and control of goose circovirus disease.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"104 11","pages":"Article 105826"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145081259","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Construction of SNP feature library for the identification of chicken breeds","authors":"Boxuan Zhang ,&nbsp;Xiaochang Li ,&nbsp;Xinwei Jiang ,&nbsp;Conghao Zhong ,&nbsp;Ning Yang ,&nbsp;Congjiao Sun","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105844","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105844","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Breed identification is an important prerequisite for the protection, development and utilization of animal genetic resources. This study developed an accurate identification strategy for chicken breeds using whole-genome sequencing data from 492 individuals belonging to 14 chicken breeds. These breeds include eight local Chinese breeds (Tibetan chicken, Chahua chicken, Daweishan chicken, Liyang chicken, Lindian chicken, Silky chicken, Dongxiang blue-shell egg chicken, and WenChang chicken), three standard chicken breeds (Rhode Island Red, Leghorn, and Light Sussex chicken), two commercial breeds (Cobb broiler and Yellow Plumage Dwarf chicken) and the Red Jungle fowl. We compared three ancestry informative marker (AIM) detection methods (Fst, <em>I_n</em>, and PCA-correlated SNPs) and four machine learning classifiers (K-NearestNeighbor, Support Vector Machine, Random Forest, and XGBoost) to identify the best breed identification model.</div><div>A total of 30,831 high-information SNPs (Single nucleotide polymorphism) were detected and selected from these breeds using the three AIM detection methods. We found that several AIM methods performed well, but <em>I_n</em> was the best. Machine learning classifiers were implemented to fit the important SNP loci, and ROC (receiver operating characteristic curve) curves were generated to evaluate the performance of these machine learning classifiers. The ROC curves and 5-fold cross-validation results indicated that XGBoost was the best machine learning classifier, with the largest AUC (Area Under Curve) (macro-AUC=0.9996). In addition, XGBoost achieved 100% accuracy using only 238 SNPs.</div><div>In this study, it was observed that utilizing only 238 SNPs was effective for breed identification. We found that the combination of XGBoost and <em>I_n</em> was the optimal strategy for breed identification. This study provides a new method for breed identification, which is highly important for the breeding and preservation of animal genetic resources.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"104 11","pages":"Article 105844"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145118207","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Screening of polymorphic loci in candidate genes for colobomus eyelid and their application in phenotypic purification of geese","authors":"Yuehong Zhang ,&nbsp;Hongchang Zhao ,&nbsp;Rongchao Ji ,&nbsp;Jisuyu Li ,&nbsp;Gongquan Zhu ,&nbsp;Shuang Wang ,&nbsp;Jing Ge ,&nbsp;Jian Wang ,&nbsp;Tuoyu Geng","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105827","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105827","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study was to screen, verify and apply molecular markers of candidate genes (<em>FREM1</em> and <em>PTPRM</em>) related to eyelid defect, which may facilitate establishment of autosexing strains of Huoyan goose. Using 150 1-d-old Huoyan geese containing 100 with colobomus eyelid and 50 with normal eyelid, 6 and 3 polymorphic loci single nucleotide polymorphisms (<strong>SNPs</strong>) were identified in the 1-kb upstream sequences of <em>FREM1</em> transcript 1 and transcript 2, respectively. All identified SNPs showed significant association with the colobomus eyelid trait (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). To further investigate the regulatory effects of these SNPs, dual-luciferase reporter assays in goose primary hepatocytes and myocytes confirmed that mutations at SNP2 locus (c.-385 A &gt; T) in transcript 1 and SNP3 locus (c.-714 A &gt; G) in transcript 2 significantly enhanced or suppressed <em>FREM1</em> expression, respectively (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). Subsequently, bioinformatics analysis predicted that SNP2 was located within the binding sequence of Pou1f1, and that SNP3 was located within the binding sequence of CUX2. Treatment with 1 μmol/L dexamethasone (drug for Poulf1) induced <em>FREM1</em> expression (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05), and treatment with 75 μg/mL rifampicin (drug for CUX2) suppressed <em>FREM1</em> expression (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). Furthermore, quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed that female Huoyan geese with either the normal eyelid or wild type genotype exhibited significantly higher <em>FREM1</em> expression in both eyelid and liver tissues of than those with the colobomus eyelid or mutant genotype, respectively (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). Based on the key polymorphic locus in <em>FREM1</em> identified in this study, combined with previously discovered key locus in <em>PTPRM</em>, marker-assisted selection led to an increase in the colobomus eyelid rate, reaching 97.03 % in 303 offspring. In conclusion, the findings strongly support <em>FREM1</em> and <em>PTPRM</em> as causative genes for the colobomus eyelid trait; the obtained molecular markers can significantly improve the selection efficiency; mutations at the key SNP loci in the upstream sequences of <em>FREM1</em> can alter its expression by affecting the binding affinity of the putative transcription factors, Pou1f1 and CUX2.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"104 11","pages":"Article 105827"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145081227","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Parental intake of high-carotenoid orange corn diet alleviated glucocorticoid and fear response but not growth in F1 Pekin ducks.","authors":"Esther M Oluwagbenga, Evan Rocheford, Torbert Rocheford, Melanie M Bergman, Jenna M Schober, Gregory S Fraley","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105838","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2025.105838","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Prolonged heat stress (HS) in poultry has both immediate and transgenerational effects. Carotenoids, with their antioxidant properties, may enhance stress tolerance by reducing oxidative damage. This study assessed the effects of parental HS on offspring (F1) and whether feeding high-carotenoid orange corn (OC) to breeders mitigates these effects. Breeder Pekin ducks were fed either OC or yellow corn (YC) for 3 weeks before and during a 3-week HS exposure. A control breeder group (CON) was kept under thermoneutral conditions with a YC diet. Eggs collected in the final 3 days of HS. CON eggs were collected during the same days and incubated in the same incubator as OC and YC groups. Resulting offspring was allocated to treatment based on parental treatment (n = 56/group: OCF1, YCF1, CONF1) and reared to 5 weeks of age. Weekly body weight (n = 20/group), body condition scores (n = 20 ducks/treatment), and novel object test were measured. At week 3, ducks (n = 8/injection type/group) received Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH; 0.0625 mg/kg) or saline, and blood was collected at 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 h post-injection for glucocorticoid and heterophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (HLR) analysis. Corticosterone increased at 1 h in all ACTH-injected groups (p < 0.001) and remained elevated in YCF1 at 2 h compared to the CONF1 and OCF1 treatments. Baseline cortisol was higher in F1 from HS parents than CONF1 (p < 0.01) and remained elevated at 1 and 4 h post-ACTH (p < 0.05). HLR at 3 h was higher in YCF1-ACTH compared to CONF1-ACTH (p < 0.05). Body weight was higher in CONF1 compared to OCF1 and YCF1 at weeks 2 - 5 (p < 0.05). Fearful behavior was higher in YCF1 at weeks 1 (p < 0.01), 2 (p < 0.01), and 4 (p = 0.09) compared to CONF1. In conclusion, while parental HS reduced growth in F1 ducks, OC-fed breeders produced offspring without the exaggerated physiological responses to stress. These observations suggest a transgenerational effect of parental OC diet on stress-related physiological responses in the offspring.</p>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"104 11","pages":"105838"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145186610","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dietary exposure to lambda-cyhalothrin induces intestinal damage in chickens via oxidative stress and gut microbiota dysbiosis.","authors":"Wen Zhang, Qiaochu Sun, Huayu Zhang, Tianning Luo, Yixin Zhang, Fucheng Wang, Haoran Zhang, Runxiang Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105835","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105835","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Lambda-cyhalothrin (LCT), a widely used pyrethroid insecticide for ectoparasite control in poultry and sanitation pest management, poses health risks to humans and animals despite its broad application. While LCT's intestinal toxicity has been underexplored, this study innovatively highlights dose-dependent differences in its effects through a novel chicken exposure model. Employing histological analysis, gene expression profiling, oxidative stress assays, and 16S rRNA sequencing, we systematically assessed varying LCT doses on chicken intestines. Results demonstrated pronounced dose-dependent impacts on the jejunum: LCT caused irregular, shortened, fractured, and fused villi; reduced goblet cells; induced inflammation; and downregulated barrier genes (Occludin, Claudin-1, Zonula Occludens-1 (ZO-1)). Notably, low-dose LCT activated the antioxidant system without significant oxidative stress, enabling partial mitigation of damage through adaptive responses. In contrast, high-dose LCT elevated reactive oxygen species, disrupted antioxidant balance, altered gut microbiota structure, decreased the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio, and reduced microbial richness, leading to severe dysbiosis and intestinal injury. This first comprehensive evaluation of LCT's dose-specific mechanisms-revealing adaptive resilience at low doses versus profound disruption at high doses-provides critical insights for safer pyrethroid use and mitigating poultry health risks.</p>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"104 11","pages":"105835"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12475837/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145081509","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparative study on encapsulation and sustained release of anti-Campylobacter jejuni Immunoglobulin Y Using Various pH-Responsive Beads","authors":"Nazanin Soltani ,&nbsp;Shaban Rahimi ,&nbsp;Ebrahim Vasheghani-Farahani ,&nbsp;Bahareh Eskandari ,&nbsp;Jesse Grimes","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105830","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105830","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To protect egg yolk immunoglobulin (IgY) from degradation by pepsin and acidic conditions during oral administration, <em>Campylobacter jejuni</em> (<em>C. jejuni</em>)-specific IgY was encapsulated in polypeptide beads using various methodologies. This study compared different pH-sensitive bead formulations to optimize IgY release at the target site, enhancing <em>C. jejuni</em> control and improving broiler chicken performance. Among the tested formulations, methacrylic acid copolymer (Mac) and β-cyclodextrin (β-CyD) beads demonstrated high encapsulation efficiency, with Mac beads achieving the highest (94.16 %). The inclusion of β-CyD further improved encapsulation efficiency by 3.5 % compared to alginate (Alg) alone. <em>In vitro</em> and <em>in vivo</em> gastrointestinal digestion models, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), were used to assess IgY stability and release. β-CyD beads exhibited the highest stability, followed by Alg and Mac, particularly in the gastric phase. Additionally, <em>in vivo</em> studies confirmed that encapsulated IgY, particularly Mac beads, maintained its biological activity and effectively neutralized <em>C. jejuni</em> post-encapsulation. This approach presents a promising strategy for protecting IgY during digestion and ensuring its targeted release in the intestine, thereby improving intestinal health and broiler performance. Consequently, IgY encapsulation may be an efficient feed additive for mitigating <em>C. jejuni</em> infections in poultry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"104 11","pages":"Article 105830"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145081536","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhancing thai native chicken semen quality and fertility through kaempferia parviflora supplementation during cold storage.","authors":"Theerapat Kheawkanha, Maruay Pimprasert, Wuttigrai Boonkum, Vibuntita Chankitisakul","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105839","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105839","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Kaempferia parviflora (KP) extract was evaluated as a natural antioxidant supplement in rooster semen extender during 72 h of storage at 5°C. In Experiment 1, six KP concentrations (0.5-3.0 mg/mL) were tested in a split-plot CRD to determine effects on motility, viability, plasma membrane integrity, and malondialdehyde (MDA). KP at 1.5 mg/mL consistently preserved semen quality across 24-72 h and lowered MDA relative to the control (p < 0.05), whereas ≥2.5 mg/mL showed diminishing or adverse effects. In Experiment 2, fertility and hatchability were assessed after artificial insemination using semen stored 0-72 h with or without KP. The 1.5 mg/mL group yielded higher fertility and hatchability than the control at 24-72 h (p < 0.05). These results identify 1.5 mg/mL KP as an optimal, dose-dependent additive that mitigates oxidative damage and extends functional longevity of cooled semen.</p>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"104 11","pages":"105839"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12466262/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145081254","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"WGCNA-based integration of transcriptomics and metabolomics reveals key meat quality regulators during development in Jingyuan chickens","authors":"Wei Zhao ,&nbsp;Siyu Chen ,&nbsp;Jinli Tian,&nbsp;Lin Xue,&nbsp;Lijuan Yang,&nbsp;Jiahuan Hu,&nbsp;Haorui Wang,&nbsp;Jiayi Yang,&nbsp;Yaling Gu,&nbsp;Juan Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105843","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105843","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Jingyuan chickens are known for their unique meat flavor, but the molecular mechanisms underlying the dynamic changes in meat quality at different developmental stages remain unclear. In this study, we systematically measured the meat quality indicators of 42-, 126- and 180-day-old Jingyuan chickens, and integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic data using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to identify key regulators of meat quality. The results showed that the growth and slaughter performance of 126- and 180-day-old chickens were significantly better than those of 42-day-old chickens (&lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt; &lt; 0.05), but the slaughter rate and half-eviscerated rate of 42-day-old chickens were higher. With increasing age, the crude protein, drip loss, and crude ash content of the breast muscle increased significantly, while the water content decreased significantly (&lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt; &lt; 0.05). WGCNA analysis revealed that in the 42- and 126-day-old groups, the greenyellow and blue modules were significantly positively correlated with meat quality indicators (&lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt; &lt; 0.01), and their hub genes were significantly enriched in the PI3K - Akt signaling pathway, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, fatty acid metabolism, and biosynthesis of amino acids. In the 42- and 180-day-old groups, the pink and brown modules were positively correlated with meat quality indicators(&lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt; &lt; 0.01), and the hub genes were enriched in the MAPK signaling pathway, AMPK signaling pathway, and FoxO signaling pathway. In the 126- and 180-day-old groups, the magenta module was positively correlated with meat quality indicators (&lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt; &lt; 0.01), and the hub genes were enriched in the MAPK signaling pathway, Wnt signaling pathway, glutathione metabolism, and GnRH signaling pathway. Metabolome data analysis showed that in the 42 - and 126 - day - old groups, the darkgrey, steelblue, sienna3, and blue modules were significantly positively correlated with meat quality indicators (&lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt; &lt; 0.05), and their characteristic metabolites were significantly enriched in histidine metabolism, primary bile acid biosynthesis, and bile secretion. In the 42 - and 180 - day - old groups, the magenta and cyan modules were highly positively correlated with meat quality indicators (&lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt; &lt; 0.05), and their metabolites were enriched in sphingolipid metabolism, vitamin B6 metabolism, thermogenesis, and purine metabolism. In the 126 - and 180 - day - old groups, the cyan module was highly significantly positively correlated with meat quality indicators (&lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt; &lt; 0.05), with characteristic metabolites enriched in oxidative phosphorylation, nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism, vitamin digestion and absorption, and the AMPK signaling pathway. Finally, eight key genes closely related to meat quality (&lt;em&gt;SNORD14, IL7, HACD4, BFSP1, BCL6, FAM13A, ANKRD2&lt;/em&gt;, and &lt;em&gt;AGXT2&lt;/em&gt;) and five key metabolites (p - Cresol sulfate, 2 - Piperidinone, 4 - Hydroxyq","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"104 11","pages":"Article 105843"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145150325","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of lysozyme supplementation on growth performance, immune status, antioxidant function and intestinal microbiota in broilers.","authors":"Tao Wang, Haocheng Xu, Shuqian Zhang, Yashi Hu, Yanping Wu, Ruiqiang Zhang, Xiao Xiao, Caimei Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105829","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2025.105829","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The ban on antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) has driven the search for green, safe, effective, and sustainable alternatives to enhance the animal health in livestock farming. Lysozyme (LZ) has received widespread attention due to its bactericidal and immunomodulatory functions. However, the effect of different sources of LZ in broilers remains limited. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of recombinant human LZ on the growth performance, immune and antioxidant functions, and microbiome composition of broilers. 450 one-day-old yellow-feathered broilers were allocated into three groups. The chicks were fed a diet supplemented with 0 (LZ0), 250 (LZ250), or 500 mg/kg (LZ500) LZ for 28 d. The data were analyzed by a one-way analysis of variance and polynomial contrasts. Results showed that ADFI showed a linear decrease (P < 0.05) in line with supplemental LZ levels. Serum immunoglobulins and interleukin-10 (IL-10) were increased (P < 0.05), and IL-1β was decreased (P < 0.05) in the LZ500 group, while tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) was decreased in the LZ-treated groups (P < 0.001). In addition, the levels of antioxidant enzymes, including glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), were promoted (P < 0.05), and malondialdehyde (MDA) was reduced in the LZ-treated groups (P < 0.001). The concentrations of propionic, butyric, isobutyric, valeric, and isovaleric acids were increased in the LZ-treated groups (P < 0.01). More importantly, LZ supplementation significantly altered the microbial structure, as indicated by decreased Sellimonas (P < 0.05) and increased Clostridia_vadinBB60 (P < 0.01). Linear discriminant analysis with effect size (LEfSe) plot showed that Faecalibacterium was the predominant bacteria in the LZ0 group. Enterococcus and Ruminococcaceae were dominant in the LZ250 group. In addition, Enterococcus-RF39, Clostridia_vadinBB60 and Sellimonas were enriched in the LZ500 group. In conclusion, dietary LZ supplementation improved the immune status and antioxidant capacity, and stabilized the cecal flora and fatty acids to maintain the health of broilers. This study provides a good basis for the future application of LZ in animal husbandry.</p>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"104 11","pages":"105829"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145186426","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}