Abstract
Mulberry-leaf flavonoids (MF), extracted from mulberry leaves, exert antioxidant and hypolipidemic effects. The purpose of this experimental study was to investigate the effects of dietary MF on the ovarian function and liver lipid metabolism of aged breeder hens. We used 270 (60-weeks-old) Qiling breeder hens randomly assigned in 3 treatments with supplemental dietary MF doses (0, 30, 60mg/kg). The results showed that dietary MF significantly improved the egg-laying rate, followed by the reduced feed conversion rate (FCR) (p<0.05). However, there is no obvious difference in hatchability and fertilised eggs hatchability among the three groups (p>0.05). The level of T-CHO, LDL-C and AKP in serum was reduced, and the HDL-C concentrations were increased by dietary MF (p<0.05). MF treatment also improved the antioxidant capacity and reduced the apoptotic index of the ovary (p<0.05). Additionally, dietary MF significantly increased the serum estradiol (E2) levels (p<0.05) and the transcription level of CYP19A1 and LHR in the ovary (p<0.05). Dietary MF enhanced fatty acid β-oxidation in the liver via up-regulating the mRNA expressions of PPARα and CPT-I (p<0.05). Moreover, the HMF group significantly decreased mRNA expressions of SREBP-1c (p<0.05) and increased mRNA expressions of ERα, VTG-Ⅱ and ApoB in the liver (p<0.05). In conclusion, dietary MF could improve the reproduction performance of aged breeder hens through improving ovary function and hepatic lipid metabolism.
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