Synergy Between Dietary Quercetin and Vitamin E Supplementation in Aged Hen’s Diet Improves Hatching Traits, Embryo Quality, and Antioxidant Capacity of Chicks Hatched From Eggs Subjected to Prolonged Storage

Abstract

The current study aims to investigate the effects of the synergy between quercetin and vitamin E in aged hen’s diet on hatchability and antioxidant levels of the embryo and newly hatched chicks from prolonged storage eggs. A total of 400 breeder laying hens of 65 weeks of age were selected and randomly divided into 4 groups. Birds were fed a basal diet alone (Control), and basal diets supplemented with quercetin (Q) (0.4 g/kg) and vitamin E (VE) (0.2 g/kg) alone and their combination (0.4 g/kg Q + 0.2 g/kg VE) for 14 weeks, respectively, to determine their effects on yolk antioxidant status, fertility, embryonic mortality, hatchability, antioxidant status of embryonic tissues, as well as the antioxidant status of the newly hatched chicks. The results showed that the hen’s dietary Q + VE increased the yolk weight, as well as increased the antioxidant status of the egg yolk (p < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the supplementation of Q + VE significantly increased the hatchability of set-fertile eggs and decreased early embryonic mortality in eggs stored for 7 and 14 days, respectively (p < 0.05), and also improved the antioxidant capacity of the embryos obtained from eggs stored for 14 days (before incubation) (p < 0.05). Moreover, Q + VE increased the levels of SOD, GSH-Px, T-AOC, T-SOD, and CAT in the liver, heart, and pectoral muscle of the embryo, 1-day-old and 14-day-old chicks (p < 0.05), as well as upregulated the antioxidant related genes (GPx-1, GPx-2, GPx-4, DIO-1, and SOD-1) in the liver of the embryo, 1-day-old and 14-day-old chicks hatched from 14-days storage eggs (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, the MDA levels were decreased by the Q + VE in the embryo and post-hatched chicks (p < 0.05). In conclusion, these findings suggested that maternal dietary Q + VE exerts beneficial synergistic effects on the antioxidant capacity of the egg yolk, embryo, and chicks during prolong egg storage, therefore, Q + VE could be used as a dietary measure to enhance hatchability and chick quality in poultry production.

Effects of quercetin and daidzein on egg quality, lipid metabolism, and cecal short-chain fatty acids in layers

“…A diet supplemented with 1 and 3 g/kg of hesperidin (a bio-flavonoid) significantly reduced the MDA content in egg yolk and improved the antioxidant properties of fresh and stored eggs (36). Dietary supplementation with different doses of quercetin (200, 400, and 800 mg/kg) significantly decreased the MDA content in egg yolk with increasing amounts of quercetin; meanwhile, quercetin also improved the oxidative stability of eggs stored for 28 days at room temperature; and the research findings indicated that quercetin may maintain freshness and extend shelf life of eggs (37,38). Furthermore, improving the serum and liver antioxidant ability of laying hens in our previous study also supported the reduction of egg yolk MDA content in this study (20).…”

Synergy of Dietary Quercetin and Vitamin E Improves Cecal Microbiota and Its Metabolite Profile in Aged Breeder Hens

“…Dietary quercetin and vitamin E may promote performance in aged breeder hens by altering the gut microbiota, thereby improving nutrient absorption in the small intestine, stimulating the production and activity of digestive enzymes, and stimulating digestive and physiological metabolism ( Dong et al, 2020 ; Uyanga et al, 2021 ; Wang et al, 2021 ; Amevor et al, 2022a ). It was observed in this present study that the supplementation of the combination of dietary quercetin and vitamin E improved the palatability of the diet, hence, resulted in improving the feed intake.…”

Maternal supplementation with mulberry-leaf flavonoids improves the development of skeletal muscle in the offspring of chickens

“…With the prohibition of growth-promoting antibiotics in feed, there is a growing interest to find new alternatives from the perspective of maternal nutrition ( Gao et al., 2023 ; Liu et al., 2024 ). Growing evidence has shown that the growth performance of offspring can be improved by maternal supplementation with plant flavonoids, including genistein, daizein and quercetin ( Amevor et al., 2022 ; Fan et al., 2018 ; Lv et al., 2018a , b ). Our previous research revealed that epigenetic modification and nutrient composition alteration in breeding eggs were potential factors for the maternal effect ( Fan et al., 2018 ; Jiang et al., 2022 ; Lv et al., 2018a ).…”

“…Our previous research revealed that epigenetic modification and nutrient composition alteration in breeding eggs were potential factors for the maternal effect ( Fan et al., 2018 ; Jiang et al., 2022 ; Lv et al., 2018a ). Plant flavonoids can both improve the reproduction performance of breeder hens and development of their offspring, which are conducive to realizing the optimum benefit of poultry production ( Amevor et al., 2022 ; Lv et al., 2018a ). However, the high cost of these plant extracts limits their application in animal feed.…”