China Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Medicine ›› 2026, Vol. 53 ›› Issue (2): 682-691.doi: 10.16431/j.cnki.1671-7236.2026.02.016

• Nutrition and Feed • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effects of Lactobacillus plantarum Selenium on Tissue Morphology, Antioxidant Function and Inflammatory Indices in Ovary and Oviduct of Laying Hens

WANG Huixin1,2(), GAO Qingtao1,3, LI Jiaheng1, ZHANG Shunfen1, ZHONG Ruqing1(), WANG Yang2(), CHEN Liang1, ZHANG Hongfu1   

  1. 1.State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feeding,Institute of Animal Science,Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences,Beijing 100193,China
    2.College of Animal Science and Technology,Qingdao Agricultural University,Qingdao 266109,China
    3.Poultry Institute,Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences,Jinan 250100,China
  • Received:2025-05-08 Online:2026-02-20 Published:2026-01-27
  • Contact: ZHONG Ruqing, WANG Yang E-mail:wanghuixint9@163.com;zhongruqing@caas.cn;yangwang@qau.edu.cn

Abstract:

Objective This study aimed to investigate the effects of Lactobacillus plantarum selenium on the ovarian and oviduct structure, as well as the antioxidant function and inflammatory indices of laying hens,in order to provide a new reference for selenium sources in maintaining the reproductive health of laying hens. Method A total of 96 healthy 22-week-old Hy-Line Brown laying hens were randomly divided into 2 treatment groups, with 16 replicates per group and 3 hens per replicate. Hens in control group (CON) was fed a conventional corn-soybean meal-based diet for laying hens, with a measured selenium content of 0.38 mg/kg. The Lactobacillus plantarum selenium group (SEL) was supplemented with 500 mg/kg of Lactobacillus plantarum selenium product on the basis of the basal diet, and the measured selenium content in the diet was 1.58 mg/kg. The experiment lasted for 188 days. At the end of the experiment, 8 laying hens were randomly selected from each group for slaughter. Oviduct and ovary tissue samples were collected to analyze the effects of Lactobacillus plantarum selenium on the production performance of laying hens. The tissue structure of ovaries and oviducts was observed by HE staining, and the effect of Lactobacillus plantarum selenium on the ovarian hormone levels of laying hens was further examined. Real-time quantitative PCR was performed to determine the relative expression of antioxidant and inflammation-related genes in ovarian and oviduct. Result ①There were no significant differences in the main production performance indicators such as daily feed intake, egg production rate, average daily egg weight, and feed-egg ratio between the two groups of laying hens (P>0.05). ② Compared with CON group, the ovarian of SEL group was more intact, and the number of large yellow follicles significantly increased (P<0.05). Moreover, the levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and estradiol (E2) in ovarian were significantly increased (P<0.05).③ Compared with CON group, the tissue structure and morphology of the magnum of oviduct in SEL group were more complete. The expression of antioxidant-related genes GPX1, GPX4, CATTXNRD2, TXNRD3 and SOD1, as well as inflammatory factor-related genes IL-6 and TNFAIP3 in the magnum tissue of oviduct were significantly increased (P<0.05). Conclusion The supplementation of feed with Lactobacillus plantarum selenium could improve the morphological structure of ovaries and oviduct tissues in laying hens, and enhance the antioxidant function of oviduct tissues. The results of this experiment indicated that Lactobacillus plantarum selenium has significant application value in improving the health of oviducts and enhancing the overall production efficiency of laying hens.

Key words: laying hens; Lactobacillus plantarum selenium; ovary; oviduct; antioxidant function

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