Bingkun Zhang

• China Agricultural University

Broilers grown in a high-density (HD) stocking environment may experience intense competition that may adversely affect their growth relative to animals reared at a normal density (ND). The growth performance of HD broilers is increased by aspirin eugenol ester (AEE), although the mechanism by which this compound modulates hypothalamus-regulated fe...

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of aspirin eugenol ester (AEE) on growth performance, oxidative liver damage, inflammation, and liver metabolomics in broilers under high-stocking-density (HSD) stress. A total of 360 broilers were divided into four groups: normal density (ND, 14/m²), high density (HD, 22/m²), ND-AEE (ND + 0.01% AEE), and HD...

This study investigated whether variations in growth response to low nutrient density across breeds are linked to microbiota regulation. Arbor Acres (AA) and Beijing-You (BY) were fed high- (HN) and low-nutrient (LN) diets from day (d) 0 to d42. Body weight, feed intake, and intestinal measurements were recorded, and microbiota from the ileum and c...

The pathogenesis of fatty liver is highly intricate. The role of the gut-liver axis in the development of fatty liver has gained increasing recognition in recent years. This study was conducted to explore the role of bile acid signaling and gut barrier in the pathogenesis of fatty liver. A total of 100 “Jing Tint 6” laying hens, 56-week-old, were u...

Aims The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of aspirin eugenol ester (AEE) on ileal immune function in broilers under lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced immune stress. Methods Two hundred and forty one-day-old male Arbor Acres chicks were randomly divided into four groups (saline, LPS, saline + AEE and LPS + AEE) with six replicates of...

This study was designed to examine the impact of aspirin eugenol ester (AEE) on the growth performance, serum antioxidant capacity, jejunal barrier function, and cecal microbiota of broilers raised under stressful high density (HD) stocking conditions compared with normal density broilers (ND). A total of 432 one-day-old AA+ male broilers were rand...

Accurately determining the energy values of ingredients is crucial for meeting energy requirements and achieving maximum production performance of animals. This study was conducted to measure the available energy values of three expanded soybean meals (ESBMs) for Arbor Acres male broilers from 14 to 16 day and 28 to 30 day using the difference meth...

Introduction Dietary nutrient content is crucial for energy metabolism and development of gut microbiota. Herein, this study aimed to explore the effects of fat-to-fiber ratios on nutrient transporter, energy metabolism and gut microbiota when ingredients composition was altered. Methods A total of 240 as-hatched broiler chickens were randomly ass...

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of aspirin eugenol ester (AEE) on liver oxidative damage and energy metabolism in immune-stressed broilers. In total, 312 broilers were divided into 4 groups (saline, LPS, SAEE, and LAEE). Broilers in the saline and LPS groups were fed a basal diet; the SAEE and LAEE groups had an added 0.01% AEE...

Aims The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of chlorogenic acid (CGA) on the intestinal microorganisms and metabolites in broilers during lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced immune stress. Methods A total of 312 one-day-old Arbor Acres (AA) broilers were randomly allocated to four groups with six replicates per group and 13 broilers per...

Aging is associated with alterations in gut function, including intestinal inflammation, leaky gut, and impaired epithelial regeneration. Rejuvenating the aged gut is imperative to extend the laying cycle of aged laying hens. Genistein is known to have beneficial effects on age-related diseases, but its precise role in homeostasis of the aged gut o...

BACKGROUND After the peak laying stage, laying hens become susceptible to lipid accumulation and inflammatory reactions. The objective of this experiment was to examine the impact of quercetin and genistein on egg quality and lipid profiles in laying hens. A total of 240 Hy‐Line Brown hens were randomly assigned to three dietary treatments. Each tr...

The ionome is essential for maintaining body function and health status by participating in diverse key biological processes. Nevertheless, the distribution and utilization of ionome among different organs and how aging impacts the ionome leading to a decline in egg white quality remain unknown. Thus, we used inductively coupled plasma mass spectro...

Aims Immune stress in broiler chickens is characterized by the development of persistent pro-inflammatory responses that contribute to degradation of production performance. However, the underlying mechanisms that cause growth inhibition of broilers with immune stress are not well defined. Methods A total of 252 1-day-old Arbor Acres(AA) broilers...

In aging laying hens, reproductive changes reduce egg quality. Bacillus subtilis natto (B. subtilis) is a versatile bacterium with high vitamin K2 content, providing health benefits for animals and humans. This study investigated the effect of B. subtilis natto NB205 and its mutant NBMK308 on egg quality in aging laying hens. Results showed that NB...

Eggshell plays an essential role in preventing physical damage and microbial invasions. Therefore, the analysis of genetic regulatory mechanisms of eggshell quality deterioration during aging in laying hens is important for the biosecurity and economic performance of poultry egg production worldwide. This study aimed to compare the differences in t...

Internal egg and eggshell quality are often deteriorated in aging laying hens, which causes huge economic losses in the poultry industry. Selenium yeast (SY), as an organic food additive, is utilized to enhance laying performance and egg quality. To extend the egg production cycle, effects of selenium yeast supplementation on egg quality, plasma an...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanism for the differences in heat-induced gel properties of egg white proteins with different interior quality during ageing in laying hens. Quantitative proteomic analysis revealed that the abundance of ovotransferrin, avidin, mucin 5B, and clusterin increased with decreasing Haugh units (HU), l...

Age-related gastrointestinal decline contributes to whole-organism frailty and mortality. Genistein is known to have beneficial effects on age-related diseases, but its precise role in homeostasis of the aging gut remains to be elucidated. Here, wild-type aging mice and Zmpste24-/- progeroid mice were used to investigate the role of genistein in li...

Background In China, cage systems with a high space utilization have gradually replaced ground litter systems, but the disease incidence of chickens in cages is higher. Broilers in the ground litter pens may be stimulated by more environmental microbes during the growth process and show strong immune function and status, but knowledge of which micr...

The current study investigated the effects of intermittent feeding (IF) and fasting strategies at different times post–hatch on muscle growth and white striping (WS) breast development. In the first trial, 32 one-day-old Abor Acre broilers were fed ad libitum (AL) for 3 d post–hatch and then randomly allotted into 4 feeding strategies including AL,...

Zinc is an essential trace element for living organisms, and zinc homeostasis is essential for the maintenance of the normal physiological functions of cells and organisms. The intestine is the main location for zinc absorption and excretion, while zinc and zinc homeostasis is also of great significance to the structure and function of the intestin...

Salmonella is a word-wide food-borne pathogen, which can cause severe enteritis and intestinal flora imbalance. Capsaicin (Cap), a food-based bioactive ingredient, has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. However, its low solubility, low bioavailability and the irritation to digestive tract greatly limit its applications. Here, an intest...

This study measured the metabolizable energy of soybean meal (SBM) and evaluated effects of soybean meal specific enzymes supplementation in corn-soybean diets on growth performance, intestinal digestion properties and energy values of 28-day-old broilers. A total of 336 1-day-old male AA broiler chickens were distributed to 7 groups in a completel...

Growing evidence of intestinal microbiota-muscle axis provides a possibility to improve meat quality of broilers through regulating intestinal microbiota. Water-holding capacity is a crucial factor to evaluate the meat quality. High quality of water-holding capacity is usually described as a low drip-losing rate. This study aimed to explore the rel...

The declines in laying performance during the late production period have adverse effects on the length of the production cycle. Improving the nutrition of laying hens is a crucial measure to reverse this declination. This study investigated the effect of selenium yeast (SY) on egg production, ileal gene expression and microbiota, as well as elucid...

Background and Aims Group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s) sense environmental signals are critical in gut homeostasis and immune defence. G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) mediate cellular responses to diverse environmental signals. However, the GPRCRs regulation mechanisms of ILC3s is largely unknown. Methods We utilized wild-type (WT) and GPRC...

Intestinal diseases, such as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) and colorectal cancer (CRC) generally characterized by clinical symptoms, including malabsorption, intestinal dysfunction, injury, and microbiome imbalance, as well as certain secondary intestinal disease complications, continue to be serious public health problems worldwide. The role...

Background: Ad libitum (AD) feeding is crucial to profitable commercial broiler chicken production. However, it partly disrupts muscle development, causing myopathies like white striping in broilers’ breast meat. For this reason, this study investigated the impacts of intermittent feeding (IF) and fasting strategies as potential alternatives to AD...

This experiment was conducted to evaluate whether a commercial mycotoxins-binder, XL, could effectively attenuate the negative effects of Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) on growth performance, immunological function and intestinal health in birds. 240 one-day-old Arbor Acres broiler chickens were randomly divided into 4 treatments using a 2 × 2 factorial rando...

Mol. Nutr. Food Res. 2021, 65, 202100209 DOI: 10.1002/mnfr.202100209 Dietary supplementation with genistein in mice improved colitis and goblet cell loss caused by Salmonella infection by regulating the intestinal microbiota. Salmonella infection activated the proliferation of colonic stem cells to compensate for the renewal of damaged intestinal e...

Kaempferol, a flavonoid identified in a wide variety of dietary sources, has been reported to possess anti-obesity properties; however, its underlying mechanism was poorly understood. Chronic, low-grade gut inflammation and dysbacteria are proposed as underlying factors as well as novel treatment approaches for obesity-associated pathologies. This...

The objectives of this study were to investigate the effectiveness of dietary zinc, copper and manganese hydroxychloride (HC) supplementation on performance, minerals deposition, serum parameters, eggshell ultrastructure, uterus histological structure and inflammatory cytokines in aged hens. A total of 560 Hyline Brown layers at 62 wk of age were r...

The production of nutraceutical compounds through biosynthetic approaches has received considerable attention in recent years. For example, Menaquinone-7 (MK-7), a sub-type of Vitamin K2, biosynthesized from Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis), proved to be more efficiently produced than the conventional chemical synthesis techniques. This is possible...

Background Egg internal and eggshell quality were deteriorated in aging laying hens. Improving egg and shell quality can prolong the laying cycle. Although, selenium yeast (SY) has been found with the potential to enhance the laying performance and egg quality, the underlying mechanisms have not been investigated. Therefore, we investigated the eff...

Background The development and utilization of probiotics had many environmental benefits for replacing antibiotics in animal production. Bacteria in the intestinal mucosa have better adhesion to the host intestinal epithelial cells compared to bacteria in the intestinal contents. In this study, lactic acid bacteria were isolated from the intestinal...

Rice, broken rice (BR), and full-fat rice bran (FFRB) from six different origins were analyzed for their chemical composition, nitrogen-corrected apparent metabolized energy (AMEn), and standardized amino acid digestibility (SIAAD) in 14-day-old and 28-day-old Arbor Acres broilers. Results showed broilers fed with rice and BR had a similar AMEn reg...

Scope Salmonella is the main food-borne pathogen, which can infect intestinal epithelial cells and cause colitis. Genistein had a variety of biological activities that alleviated colitis induced by sodium dextran sulfate in a variety of ways, but its protective effects on colitis caused by pathogenic bacteria are still unknown. Methods and results...

The mammalian intestine is the largest immune organ that contains the intestinal stem cells (ISC), differentiated epithelial cells (enterocytes, Paneth cells, goblet cells, tuft cells, etc.), and gut resident-immune cells (T cells, B cells, dendritic cells, innate lymphoid cell, etc.). Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a chronic inflammatory diseas...

Salmonella Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) infection in broiler chickens threatens public health and livestock production. In this study, we explored the effects of highly nutritious (crude protein 21.8%, metabolizable energy 3.16 Mcal/kg) and lowly nutritious (crude protein 18.1%, metabolizable energy 2.98 Mcal/kg) diets on S. Typhimurium infection b...

This study evaluates the effects of a zinc–amino acid complex on broiler's intestinal permeability and integrity challenged with Clostridium perfringens. A total of 180 Arbor Acres 1-day-old male broilers were assigned to 6 treatments in a completely randomized 2 × 3 factorial design. The experiment investigated the comparative effects of inorganic...

Polyphasic myodegeneration potentially causes severe physiological and metabolic disorders in the breast muscle of fast-growing broiler chickens. To date, the etiology of recent muscle myopathies, such as the white striping phenotype, is still unknown. White striping affected breast meats compromise the water holding capacity and predispose muscle...

Background: The declines in both laying performance and egg shell quality during late production period have adverse effects on long production cycle. Improving nutrition of laying hens is a crucial measure to reverse the declination. Selenium (Se) plays important roles in antioxidant defense, redox balance, immune response, and modulation of gut m...

The renewal and repair of intestinal epithelium depend on the self-renewal of intestinal stem cells (ISCs) under physiological and pathological conditions. Although previous work has established that exogenous nutrients regulate adult stem cell activity, little is known about the regulatory effect of L-arginine on ISCs. In this study we utilize mic...

Background The prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease is rapidly increasing around the world. Quercetin is a flavonoid commonly found in vegetables and fruits and has been reported to exert numerous pharmacological activities such as enhancing antioxidant capacity or suppressing inflammation. Objective We aimed to explore whether quercetin was e...

This study was to investigate the effects of dietary zinc (Zn) supplementation on performance, zinc transporter gene expression, and immune function in aged laying hens. In experiment 1, twenty 31-week-old hens (young) and twenty 60-week-old hens (old) with the same genetic background were fed with the same diet for 4 weeks. In experiment 2, a basa...

Abstrct This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of quercetin on the antioxidant ability, intestinal barrier functions and cecal microbiota in broilers chickens fed with oxidized soya oil. Four hundred and eighty male Arbor Acres broilers were randomly assigned to five treatments, each involving eight cages (12 birds per cage). The treatmen...

Although previous studies show that exogenous nutrients regulate the stem cell function, little is known about the effects of l‐arginine on intestinal stem cells (ISCs). In this study, we utilize mice, small intestinal (SI) organoids, and ISC‐Paneth cell co‐cultured models to clarify the role of l‐arginine in ISC function. We find that exogenous l‐...

Background Eggshell plays an important role in protecting against physical damage and microorganic invasion. It is subject to quality loss with increasing hen age, and fragile eggshells result in huge economic losses to the poultry industry. Therefore, improving eggshell quality is particularly important. However, little is known about the potentia...

Plantago asiatica L. is widely distributed in Eastern Asia and a commonly used drug in China, Korea, and Japan for diuretic and antiphlogistic purposes. In this experiment, the present study was performed to isolate antioxidant molecules based on the DPPH scavenging activity assay and discover the bioactive compounds which contributed to performing...

The gastrointestinal tract is exposed to pro-oxidants from food, host immune factors, and microbial pathogens, which may induce oxidative damage. Oxidative stress has been shown to play an important role in the onset of inflammatory bowel disease. This study aimed to use a novel model to evaluate the effects of a screened natural component and expl...

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disease of intestinal mucosa and submucosa, characterized by the disruption of intestinal epithelial barrier, increased production of inflammatory mediators and excessive tissue injury. Intestinal epithelial cells, as well as microvascular endothelial cells, play important roles in IBD. To...

With a broad range of hosts, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) is the major cause of gastroenteritis in human beings and systemic disease in susceptible mice strains. However, different S. Typhimurium strains differ in regard to virulence and host adaptation. Here, C57BL/6 mice were infected, respectively, with different S. T...

This study investigated the effects of dietary sodium butyrate (SB) supplementation, provided as a specially coated product, on growth performance, intestinal development, morphological structure and function in broilers. In total, 720 one-day-old Arbor Acres male broilers were randomly allocated into six treatment groups with six replicates each a...

Phylum level microbiota analysis in the caeca of broilers among four treatments (Antibiotic, Control, SB2, SB3). (DOCX)

Alpha-diversity (Chao1 and Shannon indexes) of the cecal bacterial community of broilers fed dietary SB supplementation among the 4 treatments (Antibiotic, Control, SB2, SB3). Antibiotic, basal diet supplemented with 100 mg/kg aureomycin and 20 mg/kg colistin sulfate; Control, basal diet; SB2, basal diet supplemented with 400 mg/kg sodium butyrate;...

Family level microbiota analysis in the caeca of broilers among four treatments (Antibiotic, Control, SB2, SB3). (DOCX)

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of oxidized fish oils on growth performance, metabolic oxidative status, and intestinal barrier function in broiler chickens. A total of 240 1-d-old female broiler chickens were assigned to 4 dietary treatments. Dietary treatments comprised of a basal diet supplemented with 4% of non-oxidized...

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of oxidized soybean oils on the growth performance, metabolic oxidative status and intestinal barrier function of broiler chickens. A total of 240 one-day-old female broiler chickens were assigned to four dietary treatments with six replicates (cages) of 10 birds each. The dietary trea...

Reducing nitrogen nutrients concentration in dairy food is economic for pig industry. Here, we used finishing pig as model to investigate the effect on colon mucosal barrier and nutrients absorption after reducing crude protein (CP) in dietary from 16 % to 13 %. The results showed that crypt depth, cells, claudin-1 and E-cadherin expression level w...

Diarrhea is a host response to enteric pathogens, but its impact on pathogenesis remains poorly defined. By infecting mice with the attaching and effacing bacteria Citrobacter rodentium, we defined the mechanisms and contributions of diarrhea and intestinal barrier loss to host defense. Increased permeability occurred within 2 days of infection and...

Background: Zinc has been shown to improve intestinal barrier function against Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. typhimurium) infection, but the mechanisms involved in this process remain undefined. Objective: We aimed to explore the roles of G protein–coupled receptor (GPR)39 and protein kinase Cζ (PKCζ) in the regulation by zinc of inte...

Zinc plays an important role in maintaining intestinal barrier function, as well as modulating cellular signaling recognition and protein kinase activities. The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) cascade has been demonstrated to affect intercellular integrity and tight junction (TJ) proteins. The current study investigated the hypothesis that zin...

The effect of dietary lipids and Clostridium butyricum supplementation on chicken volatile aroma compounds was investigated. One hundred and ninety two one-day-old broilers were divided into 4 treatment groups in a 2x2 factorial arrangement, and fed four diets with two lipid sources (soybean oil or fish oil) and two levels of C. butyricum (0 or 1´1...

The effects of dietary Zinc (Zn) supplementation on the gene expression of appetite regulatory peptides were investigated in Salmonella-infected broiler chickens. Broiler chickens (Arbor Acres, 1 day old) were allocated randomly into 24 pens of 10 birds. The chickens from 12 pens were fed with basal diet and the other with basal diet supplemented w...

To evaluate the effects of supplemental zinc on growth performance, gut morphometry, and the cecal microbial community in broilers challenged with Salmonella typhimurium, 180, 1-day-old male Cobb 500 broiler chicks were randomly assigned to 3 treatments with ten replicates for a 42 day experiment. The 3 treatments were: unchallenged, S. typhimurium...

Highly automated cage-rearing systems are becoming increasingly popular in China. However, a high stocking density can cause oxidative stress and decrease broiler performance. The tryptophan (TRP) derivative 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HT) has been shown to preserve membrane fluidity in birds suffering from oxidative stress. Therefore, this experiment w...

The study was carried out to evaluate the beneficial effects of supplemental zinc (Zn) on the intestinal mucosal barrier function in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium-challenged broiler chickens in a 42-day experiment. A total of 336 1-day-old male Arbor Acres broiler chicks were assigned to eight treatment groups. A 4×2 factorial arrangement...

A study was undertaken to examine the effects of poultry fat (PF) compared with those of soybean oil (SBO) on intestinal development, fatty acid transporter protein (FATP) mRNA expression, and fatty acid composition in broiler chickens. A total of 144 day-old male commercial broilers were randomly allocated to 2 treatment groups (6 replicates of 12...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of dietary magnesium sulfate supplementation on heat stress-induced oxidative damage in broilers. One hundred twenty 14-day-old broilers were randomly assigned into four treatment groups with three replicates of ten birds each. The broilers were reared under normal ambient temperature (24 ± 1°...

The study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary oils on the differentiation of intestinal lymphocytes and cytokines generation in chickens. One hundred and eighty chickens were assigned to three groups in one factorial design. Factor was dietary fat types (4.5% poultry oil, 4.5% corn oil or 4.5% fish oil). The proportion of CD3+CD4+ l...

The effects of two sources of dietary lipids and supplementation of Clostridium butyricum on performance and intestinal metabolism of broilers were investigated. In a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement, 168 one-day-old broiler chicks were divided into four treatment groups, and fed four diets with two lipid sources (soya bean oil or fish oil, at 25 g/kg a...

A completely randomized design study with a 3×2 factorial arrangement was conducted to evaluate the effects of three different fat sources (soybean oil, tallow, and poultry fat) with or without emulsifier supplementation on performance, coefficient of total tract apparent digestibility (CTTAD) of fatty acids, and apparent metabolizable energy (AME)...

Deregulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) plays an important role in the development of multiple cardiovascular diseases. Our recent study demonstrated that genistein supplementation attenuates pulmonary arterial hypertension in broilers by restoration of endothelial function. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanism by...

The present study was carried out to evaluate the pharmacological effect of Zn in diarrhoea in relation to intestinal permeability. Seventy-two weaning piglets, aged 24 d, were allocated to three dietary treatments: (1) control diet without supplemental Zn; (2) control diet supplemented with 2000 mg Zn/kg from ZnO; (3) control diet supplemented wit...

An experiment was conducted to investigate the mechanism for the effect of tetrabasic zinc chloride (TBZC) in enhancing growth performance of weanling piglets. Gut-brain peptides play an important role in the regulation of growth and appetite in animals. This study evaluated the effects of TBZC on blood concentrations of growth hormone (GH), ghreli...

The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of β-1,3/1,6- glucan on growth performance, immunity and endocrine responses of weanling piglets. One hundred and eighty weanling piglets (LandracexLarge White, 7.20±0.25 kg BW and 28±2 d of age) were randomly fed 1 of 5 treatment diets containing dietary β-1,3/1,6-glucan supplemented at 0, 25, 50...

An experiment was conducted to compare the efficacy of two Zn sources, zinc oxide (ZnO) and tetrabasic zinc chloride (TBZC) in the diet at pharmacological doses to promote growth of the weanling piglet for 28 days. One hundred and eighty weanling piglets averaged 7.5kg of body weight (BW) were assigned to six dietary treatments. The six dietary tre...