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Primary Endodermal Epithelial Cell Culture from the Yolk Sac Membrane of Japanese Quail Embryos
Published on: March 10, 2016
Dietary Fermented Strawberry Pomace Improves Yolk Lipid Quality and Modulates Reproductive Endocrine Activity,
Ting Chen1,2, Binghua Qin1,2, Md Abul Kalam Azad1
1Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutritional Physiology and Metabolic Process, National Engineering Laboratory for Pollution Control and Waste Utilization in Livestock and Poultry Production, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha 410125, China.
Abstract:
Strawberry pomace is a fruit processing by-product rich in fiber and bioactive compounds, making it a functional feed resource. This study evaluated the effects of fermented strawberry pomace (FSP) on laying performance, yolk fatty acid composition, ovarian function, intestinal barrier status, cecal microbiota, and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in laying hens. A total of 320 laying hens (345-day-old) were assigned to diets containing 0, 0.25, 0.5, or 1.0% FSP for 8 weeks. Supplementing 0.25% FSP increased albumen height and Haugh unit (p < 0.05). In addition, 1.0% FSP reduced yolk saturated fatty acids and thrombogenic index and increased the polyunsaturated-to-saturated fatty acid ratio (p < 0.05). Dietary FSP supplementation enhanced reproductive endocrine activity by increasing plasma and ovarian hormones, whereas 0.25% FSP upregulated HSD17B1 and LHCGR expressions (p < 0.05). Dietary 1.0% FSP upregulated ovarian Nrf2 and SOD1 expressions, whereas 0.5% FSP improved small-intestinal morphology and upregulated intestinal barrier-associated gene expressions, including Occludin, Cadherin 1, and Mucin 2 (p < 0.05). Moreover, 0.5% FSP increased cecal microbial richness, reshaped microbial composition, and 0.25-1.0% FSP supplementation increased the molar proportion of acetic acid but decreased absolute acetic acid and total SCFAs concentrations (p < 0.05). In summary, dietary FSP improved yolk lipid nutritional quality, particularly at 1.0% supplementation. FSP supplementation also affected reproductive endocrine activity, intestinal barrier-related status, and cecal microbial fermentation.
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