Dietary honokiol supplementation improves antioxidant capacity, enhances intestinal health, and modulates cecal microbial composition and function of broiler chickens

• DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2024.103798
• Publication Date: 2024-04-26T02:38:56Z
• Authors: Encun Du; Meihan Jiang; Fang Chen; Qiwen Fan; Shuangshuang Guo; Na Zhao; Feng Jin; Wanzheng Guo; Shaowen Huang; Jintao Wei
• Keywords: Jejunum; Malondialdehyde; Honokiol; Weissella

Honokiol is a multifunctional polyphenol present in Magnolia officinalis. The effects of honokiol as supplement broiler chicken diets, and the underlying mechanisms, remain unclear. Therefore, aim study was to investigate on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, intestinal histomorphology chickens explore mechanisms. In total, 240 one-day-old broilers were randomly allocated 5 dietary treatments, with 6 replicate pens 8 birds per pen. Birds fed basal diet supplemented 0 (blank control, BC), 100, 200, or 400 mg/kg (H100, H200, H400), 200 bacitracin zinc (PC) for 42 d. results showed that H200 H400 increased body weight gain (BWG) decreased feed conversion ratio (FCR) during starter period (P < 0.05). H100 total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) activity serum malondialdehyde (MDA) amount jejunum d Moreover, villus height-to-crypt depth both ileum 21 PCR analysis upregulated expression glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) downregulated inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) Shannon index, which represents microbial alpha diversity, reduced PC, groups. Notably, treatment altered cecal community structure promoted enrichment several bacteria, including Firmicutes Lactobacillus. Higher production short-chain fatty acids observed digesta birds, accompanied by an enriched glycolysis/gluconeogenesis pathway, according functional prediction microbiota. This provides evidence improves health chickens, possibly manipulating composition function community.