RESUMEN
The continuous ovulation of laying hens during the peak period is likely to cause oxidative stress, resulting in a reduction in the laying cycle over time. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant effects of Aronia melanocarpa (AM) in the diet and its effect on the yolk precursor content caused by ovulation in laying hens during the peak period. A total of 300 25-week-old Roman brown laying hens were randomly divided into five groups with six replicates in each group, 10 in each replicate. The control group was fed a basal diet, the positive control group was fed a Vitamin C (VC) plus basal diet, and the experimental group was fed 1%, 4%, and 7% doses of AM plus diet according to the principle of energy and nitrogen requirements, which lasted eight weeks. At the end of the study, the egg quality, biochemical, and antioxidant markers, as well as mRNA and protein expressions, were evaluated to determine the potential signaling pathways involved. Results showed that the addition of AM to the feed increased the weight of laying hens at the peak of egg production and improved egg quality. The biochemical markers, as well as the antioxidant parameters in the serum, liver, and ovarian tissues, were ameliorated. The gene and protein expression of recombinant kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) in the liver and ovarian tissues was decreased, while nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression was increased. The feed supplemented with AM also increased the estrogen contents and lipid parameters, as well as the gene and protein expressions related to the yolk precursor. Feed supplemented with AM could improve the egg quality and the oxidative stress caused by the ovulation process of laying hens during the peak egg production period by activating the Keap1/Nrf2 signaling pathway. These results suggest that the feed supplemented with 1% AM and 4% AM can improve egg production in peak laying hens.
RESUMEN
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Aronia melanocarpa (Michx.) Elliott. Is one of the most functional berries usually used in the preparation of juice and jams, but it has revealed its ethnopharmacological properties due to their richness in biologically active molecules with pharmaceutical and physiological effects. AIMS OF THE STUDY: The aim of this study was to assess the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of Aronia melanocarpa ethanol-extract as well as the possible mechanisms of action involved and the modulation of gut microbiota in Dextran Sulfate Sodium (DSS)-induced Inflammatory bowel disease in mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) were induced by DSS in drinking water for 7 days to evaluate the properties of A. melanocarpa ethanol-extract (AME) on the intestinal microflora. AME was administered orally to DSS-induced IBD mice for 21 days. Clinical, inflammatory, histopathological parameters, and different mRNA and proteins involved in its possible mechanism of action were determined as well as gut microbiota analysis via 16S high throughput sequencing. RESULTS: AME improved clinical symptoms and regulated histopathological parameters, pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress factors as well as mRNA and protein expressions of transcription factors involved in maintaining the intestinal barrier integrity. In addition, AME also reversed the DSS-induced intestinal dysbiosis effects promoting the production of cecal short chain fatty acids linked to signaling pathways inhibiting IBD. CONCLUSION: AME improved intestinal lesions induced by DSS suggesting that A. melanocarpa berries could have significant therapeutic potential against IBD due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacities as well as their ability to restore the gut microbiota balance.