Effects of dietary methyl sulfonyl methane and selenium on laying performance, egg quality, gut health indicators, and antioxidant capacity of laying hens

Abstract

Objective: This study investigated the effects of dietary methyl sulfonyl methane (MSM) and selenium (Se) on the laying performance, egg quality, gut health indicators, egg yolk Se content, and antioxidant markers in laying hens.Methods: One hundred ninety-two 73-wk-old laying hens were randomly divided into four groups with eight replicates of six hens each. Four diets were prepared in a 2×2 factorial arrangement with or without MSM and Se. The trial lasted for 12 wk.Results: There were no interaction effects or main effects (p>0.05) on laying performance and egg quality. However, feed intake increased in Se-fed hens (p = 0.051) and decreased in MSM-fed hens (p = 0.067) compared with that of hens in the control group. Dietary MSM increased (p<0.05) the ileal villus height and villus height:crypt ratio in hens compared with those receiving the non-supplemented control diet. Dietary MSM and Se did not affect the percentage of short-chain fatty acids in the ileal contents. Dietary Se enriched the Se content in egg yolk compared with that of the non-supplemented control diet (p<0.05). Dietary Se increased (p<0.05) glutathione peroxidase levels in the liver and serum samples compared to the control diet. The total antioxidant capacity in the liver increased (p<0.05) in laying hens that were fed MSM-supplemented diets than in hens fed the control diet. Dietary MSM significantly increased the relative superoxide dismutase levels in serum samples (p<0.05).Conclusion: Supplementation with either MSM or Se independently improved the antioxidant capacity of laying hens. Furthermore, dietary Se produced Se-enriched eggs, but this effect was neither additive nor synergistic with dietary MSM.

Effects of Methyl Sulfonyl Methane and Selenium Yeast on Fatty Liver Syndrome in Laying Hens and Their Biological Mechanisms

“…Due to the high intensity of egg production and lack of exercise, the incidence of FLS in laying hens during the late peak period of egg production is extremely high, resulting in serious economic losses [1,19]. This study found that adding MSM and Se-Y to the diet of laying hens had no significant effect on production performance or egg quality, which is consistent with the results reported by Kim et al (2022) and Han et al (2017) [7,20]. In addition, some studies reported that 0.1% MSM has adverse effects on the feed intake of laying hens [21], which is different from the results of this study.…”

“…Previous studies have shown that MSM can act as a free radical scavenger in vivo and have the function of scavenging reactive oxygen species and inhibiting their production [8]. In addition, MSM can increase the antioxidant level in tissues, reduce the MDA content in tissues, and protect the liver [7]. At present, the effect of MSM on FLS in laying hens is still largely unclear.…”

“…Methyl sulfonyl methane (MSM) is a natural sulfur-containing compound containing dimethyl groups and can reduce oxidative stress [7]. Previous studies have shown that MSM can act as a free radical scavenger in vivo and have the function of scavenging reactive oxygen species and inhibiting their production [8].…”

“…For example, in mice, Se-Y can inhibit neuroinflammation caused by inorganic aluminum, including the disorder of inflammatory factor expression and the imbalance of the redox system [13]. In addition, selenium is also a commonly used antioxidant in poultry breeding and is mainly used to improve the production performance of poultry and for the production of selenium-rich eggs [7,14]. At present, the effects of Se-Y on FLS in laying hens are still unclear.…”

Dietary probiotic Lacticaseibacillus paracasei NSMJ56 modulates gut immunity and microbiota in laying hens

“…The homogenate was then mixed with 0.05 mL of saturated HgCl 2 , 1.00 mL of 25% H 3 PO 4 , and 0.20 mL of 2% pivalic acid and centrifuged at 1,000 × g at 4°C for 20 min. One milliliter of supernatant was used to measure the concentration of SCFAs by gas chromatography (6890 Series GC System, HP, Palo Alto, CA), as described by Kim et al (2022) …”