Effects of pterostilbene on production performance,egg quality,serum biochemical indices,and organ indices in laying hens challenged with Salmonella pullorum

ZHANG Tingting; SHI Yunwei; SONG Yuzhuo; LONG Xiao; ZHANG Zhian; WEI Xiaolei; LI Shuo; XUE Chenyu

doi:10.13557/j.cnki.issn1002-2813.2026.01.011

Abstract：This experiment aimed to investigate the protective effect of pterostilbene(PTE)on laying hens challenged with Salmonella pullorum(SP).A total of 1 000 healthy 429-day-old Hy-Line white laying hens were randomly divided into four groups,with ten replicates per group and 25 hens per replicate.The control group(group CON)was gavaged with physiological saline and fed the basal diet.The SP-challenged group(group SP)was gavaged with 1.0 × 109 CFU/mL SP bacterial suspension and fed the basal diet.Group PTE was gavaged with physiological saline and fed the basal diet supplemented with 400 mg/kg PTE(purity≥99％).SP-challenged+PTE group(group SP+PTE)was gavaged with the SP suspension and fed the basal diet supplemented with 400 mg/kg PTE.Gavage treatments were administered on days 1,8,15,and 22,with a pre-test period of seven days and a formal test period of 30 days.The results showed that the average egg weight in the group PTE was significantly higher than that in the CON group(P＜0.05),and the feed-to-egg ratio was significantly lower than that in the group CON(P＜0.05).The feed-to-egg ratio in the group SP was significantly higher than that in the group CON(P＜0.05),while there was no significant difference in the feed-to-egg ratio between the group SP+PTE and the group CON(P＞0.05).On days 20 and 30,the eggshell thickness in group SP+PTE was significantly higher than that in group SP(P＜0.05).Serum activities of alanine aminotransferase(ALT),aspartate aminotransferase(AST),alkaline phosphatase(ALP),and γ-glutamyl transferase(GGT)were significantly higher in group SP than in group CON(P＜0.05),while these indices were significantly lower in group SP+PTE than in group SP(P＜0.05).Serum total antioxidant capacity(T-AOC)and catalase(CAT)activity were significantly lower in group SP than in group CON(P＜0.05),and malondialdehyde(MDA)content was significantly higher than in group CON(P＜0.05).Hepatic antioxidant enzyme activities and T-AOC were significantly higher in group SP+PTE than in group SP(P＜0.05).Histopathological examination indicated that the inflammation of the uterine segment of the oviduc in the group SP+PTE was significantly reduced compared to the group SP.The study shows that dietary supplementation with 400 mg/kg PTE effectively alleviated the decline in production performance,deterioration in egg quality,and tissue damage in SP-challenged laying hens by enhancing antioxidant capacity and protecting liver function.