Effects of dietary supplementation with butyrate glycerides on lipid metabolism, intestinal morphology, and microbiota population in laying hens.

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The present study investigated the impact of butyrate glycerides (BG) on lipid metabolism, intestinal morphology, and microbiota of laying hens. Four hundred eighty 54-week-old Hy-line Brown laying hens were randomly selected and divided into five groups. The control group (ND) was fed a basal diet. Meanwhile, the remaining groups were given a basal supplemented with 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 g/kg of the product containing BG and were designated as BG-0.5, BG-1, BG-2, and BG-4 groups, respectively. The findings showed that: (1) BG supplementation significantly decreased (P < 0.001) the blood Glu levels (BG-0.5, BG-1, BG-2, and BG-4) and increased (P < 0.001) the serum HDL-C levels (BG-2, and BG-4). (2) The BG-2 and BG-4 groups showed an increase (P < 0.01) in abdominal lipid HSL activity. (3) The levels of hepatic TC and TG in all BG groups were significantly decreased (P < 0.05). (4) The addition of BG resulted in a significant reduction in the mRNA expression of the liver X receptor alpha (LXRα) (P < 0.05). (5) All BG groups presented a substantial reduction in duodenal crypt depth and a notable increase in the ratio of villus height to crypt depth (V/C) (P < 0.01). Additionally, all BG groups exhibited a significant increase in villus height in the ileum (P < 0.001). (6) Both the BG-1 and BG-4 groups exhibited a significant reduction in the amounts of n-butyric and n-glutaric acids in the cecum contents (P < 0.05). (7) The inclusion of BG did not substantially impact the diversity of cecal microbiota in laying hens. However, it dramatically boosted the proportion of the beneficial bacterium Alistipes (P < 0.05) and reduced the abundance of the harmful bacterium Verrucomicrobiota (P < 0.05). Overall, incorporating BG with glycerol monobutyrate as the diet's primary active component reduces fat accumulation in laying hens' blood and liver. It potentially regulates lipid metabolism via the PPARγ-LXRα-SREBP1c pathway. Additionally, BG has the potential to enhance the structure of the small intestine's mucous membrane and increase the presence of beneficial bacteria. Under the experimental conditions, late-laying hens supplemented with 4 g/kg BG performed best overall.