Effect of dietary aspirin eugenol ester on the growth performance, antioxidant capacity, intestinal inflammation, and cecal microbiota of broilers under high stocking density

Haojie Zhang; Yi Zhang; Dongying Bai; Jiale Zhong; Xiaodi Hu; Ruilin Zhang; Wenrui Zhen; Koichi Ito; Bingkun Zhang; Yajun Yang; Jianyong Li; Yanbo Ma

doi:10.1016/j.psj.2024.103825

Effect of dietary aspirin eugenol ester on the growth performance, antioxidant capacity, intestinal inflammation, and cecal microbiota of broilers under high stocking density

Poult Sci. 2024 May 11;103(7):103825. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2024.103825. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Haojie Zhang¹, Yi Zhang¹, Dongying Bai¹, Jiale Zhong², Xiaodi Hu², Ruilin Zhang², Wenrui Zhen¹, Koichi Ito³, Bingkun Zhang⁴, Yajun Yang⁵, Jianyong Li⁵, Yanbo Ma⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Animal Physiology, College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang 471003, China; Henan International Joint Laboratory of Animal Welfare and Health Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang 471023, China.
² Department of Animal Physiology, College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang 471003, China.
³ Department of Food and Physiological Models, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Ibaraki 319-0206, Japan.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, Department of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China.
⁵ Key Lab of New Animal Drug of Gansu Province, Key Lab of Veterinary Pharmaceutical Development of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Science of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, 730046, China.
⁶ Department of Animal Physiology, College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang 471003, China; Innovative Research Team of Livestock Intelligent Breeding and Equipment, Longmen Laboratory, Luoyang 471023, China; Henan International Joint Laboratory of Animal Welfare and Health Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang 471023, China. Electronic address: mayanbo_haust@haust.edu.cn.

Abstract

This study was designed to examine the impact of aspirin eugenol ester (AEE) on the growth performance, serum antioxidant capacity, jejunal barrier function, and cecal microbiota of broilers raised under stressful high density (HD) stocking conditions compared with normal density broilers (ND). A total of 432 one-day-old AA+ male broilers were randomly divided into 4 groups: normal density (ND, 14 broilers /m²), high density (HD, 22 broilers /m²), ND + AEE, and HD + AEE. The results of the study revealed a significant decrease in the growth performance of broiler chickens as a result of HD stress (P < 0.05). The total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) in serum demonstrated a significant decrease (P < 0.05) at both 28 and 35 d. Conversely, the serum level of malondialdehyde (MDA) exhibited a significant increase (P < 0.05). Dietary supplementation of AEE resulted in a significant elevation (P < 0.05) of serum GSH-PX, SOD and T-AOC activity at both 28 and 35 d. Moreover, exposure to HD stress resulted in a considerable reduction in the height of intestinal villi and mRNA expression of tight junction proteins in the jejunum, along with, a significant elevation in the mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines (P < 0.05). However, the administration of AEE reversed the adverse effects of HD-induced stress on villus height and suppressed the mRNA expression of the pro-inflammatory genes, COX-2 and mPGES-1. Additionally, the exposure to HD stress resulted in a substantial reduction in the α-diversity of cecal microbiota and disruption in the equilibrium of intestinal microbial composition, with a notable decrease in the relative abundance of Bacteroides and Faecalibacterium (P < 0.05). In contrast, the addition of AEE to the feed resulted in a notable increase in the relative abundance of Phascolarctobacterium and enhanced microbial diversity (P < 0.05). The inclusion of AEE in the diet has been demonstrated to enhance intestinal integrity and growth performance of broilers by effectively mitigating disruptions in gut microbiota induced by HD stress.

Keywords: antioxidant capacity; aspirin eugenol ester; broiler; high stocking density; intestinal inflammation; intestinal microbiota.