Abstract:
Objective Effects of supplementing feed with selenium-containing yeast (SY) on the serum biochemical indices, antioxidative function, and lipid metabolism of hens in late stage of peak egg production were studied.
Method Four hundred forty eight 50-week-old Hy-Line Brown egg-laying hens were randomly divided into 4 groups, each comprising 7 replicates with 16 birds per replicate. Aside from a control group of the birds fed on a basal diet containing 0.092mg·kg−1 selenium, three treatment groups were given forage with added SY at 0.15, 0.30, and 0.45 mg·kg−1 for the gradient selenium supplementation in diet of 0.221, 0.368, and 0.505 mg·kg−1, respectively. After a 10d pre-test period, a trial lasting 56 d was executed. At the end of the trial, blood and liver tissue samples were collected from the hens for measurements of antioxidant activity, serum biochemistry, and lipid metabolism.
Results Compared with control, (1) the addition of 0.30 mg·kg−1 SY significantly increased the serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and reduced the uric acid (P<0.05) of the hens; (2) all SY supplementations significantly rose the total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and activity of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) in serum (P<0.05), while the 0.30 mg·kg−1 and 0.45 mg·kg−1 additions resulted in significant increases on the serum reduced glutathione (GSH-Px) activity (P<0.05), the added 0.30 mg·kg−1 SY yielded significantly higher activity of glutathione S-transferase (GST) in serum (P<0.05), the 0.30 mg·kg−1 and 0.45 mg·kg−1 additions provided significantly enhanced activities of GST and Nrf2 in the liver (P<0.05), and 0.45 mg·kg−1 SY gave significant rises on GSH-Px and T-AOC activities (P<0.05); (3) the supplementations significantly upregulated the gene expressions of glutathione peroxidase 2 (GPX2) and GPX4 in the liver (P<0.05), and when the SY addition reached 0.30–0.45 mg·kg−1, the mRNA expression of GPX1 was significantly upregulated (P<0.05) but not those of GPX3, superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), and superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) (P>0.05); (4) no significant differences in the serum and liver lipid metabolism indices, including the total cholesterol (T-CHO), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), for all treatment groups were found (P>0.05).
Conclusion Dietary supplementation with 0.30-0.45mg·kg−1 SY significantly increased the antioxidative defense capacity, serum biochemical indices, and expressions of certain antioxidant-related genes, thereby helping maintain the metabolic homeostasis of the hens in late peak egg-laying period.