Recently, the researchers from Poultry Nutrition and Feed Innovation Team of the Institute of Feed Research of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences revealed the mechanism of decreased ultrastructure and mechanical properties of eggshell caused by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced uterine inflammation, and confirmed the regulatory effects of dietary essential oil supplementation (EO) on uterine inflammation in aged laying hens by uterine function, structural characteristics and eggshell quality. It provides a theoretical basis for further study on improving the eggshell quality of laying hens, which were published in Animal Nutrition.

The broken eggs increased in the late laying period limited the prolongation of laying cycle and economic benefits. Uterine inflammation and dysfunction are the main causes of late-stage eggshell breakage. However, the underlying mechanisms of uterine inflammatory status mediating the mechanical properties of eggshell remain to be explored. Dietary EO supplementation has beneficial effects on uterine function restoration. This study found that inflammatory status can impact uterine functions in calcium transport and the synthesis of matrix proteins especially ovalbumin (OVAL) and ovotransferrin (TF), which in turn modulates calcium precipitation and ultrastructure formation, thereby determining eggshell mechanical properties. Meanwhile, the results showed that EO can reduce uterine inflammation, significantly improved the mechanical properties and ultrastructure of eggshell, and the best additive amount was 100 mg/kg. These findings provided a novel insight into the uterine inflammation-mediated modifications of eggshell quality.

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31872396,32172743), the Chinese Agricultural Science Research System (CARS-40), and the Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (ASTIP).

Original link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aninu.2023.03.004

Source: Dan-rong Zhao, 315102765@qq.com