This study systematically evaluated the effects of chlorogenic acid (CGA) in alleviating hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced oxidative stress on intestinal barrier function and microbial communities in laying hens. CGA was found to improve production performance and intestinal health by regulating antioxidant capacity, suppressing pro-inflammatory cytokine expression, and promoting recovery of tight junction proteins and probiotics. These findings provide novel theoretical evidence for the application of natural antioxidants in poultry health management.
Literature Overview
This study, published in Poultry Science, reviewed and summarized the protective effects of chlorogenic acid (CGA) against oxidative stress-induced intestinal injury and microbiota dysbiosis in laying hens. An oxidative stress model was established through H2O2 injection combined with dietary CGA intervention, assessing its impact on intestinal structure, barrier integrity, oxidative stress markers, immune factor expression, and cecal microbiota.
Background Knowledge
Oxidative stress is a common health challenge in poultry production, associated with environmental stressors, mycotoxin exposure, and aging. Intestinal barrier integrity is critical for maintaining poultry health and production performance. Tight junction proteins (e.g., occludin, claudin-1, ZO-1) and antioxidant enzymes (e.g., T-SOD, CAT, GSH-Px) serve as key indicators for evaluating intestinal barrier status and oxidative stress. Additionally, gut microbiota dysbiosis, characterized by reduced probiotics (e.g., Bacteroides_caecicola, Oscillibacter) and increased pathogens (e.g., Synergistaceae, Treponema), can trigger intestinal inflammation and barrier disruption. This study fills the knowledge gap regarding CGA's role in intestinal protection for poultry and provides experimental evidence for natural antioxidants as feed additives.
Research Methods and Experiments
A total of 240 43-week-old Hy-Line Brown laying hens were divided into four groups: control, H2O2, 600 mg/kg CGA, and CGA + H2O2. The 14-week experiment included a 2-week adaptation period and 12-week treatment phase. H2O2 injection (1 mL/kg BW) occurred on day 64 and day 78. Intestinal tissues were collected for histological analysis, antioxidant capacity assessment, immune factor qRT-PCR, and intestinal barrier gene expression analysis. Cecal contents were analyzed for microbiota composition via 16S rRNA sequencing. Serum DAO, LPS, and IgG levels were measured to evaluate intestinal permeability and systemic immune status.
Key Conclusions and Perspectives
Research Significance and Prospects
This study provides robust experimental evidence for CGA's application in poultry intestinal health management, demonstrating its efficacy in alleviating oxidative stress, regulating gut microbiota homeostasis, and enhancing production performance. Future research should explore CGA's broad-spectrum protective effects in different stress models and its scalability in poultry production systems.
Conclusion
In summary, this study systematically investigated the effects of dietary chlorogenic acid on intestinal barrier function and microbiota in H2O2-induced oxidative stress laying hen models. Results demonstrate that CGA effectively alleviates intestinal oxidative damage, improves structural integrity and barrier function, modulates immune homeostasis, and restores microbiota balance. These findings provide theoretical support for natural antioxidant application in poultry feed and lay the foundation for CGA's mechanistic research and practical development in intestinal health regulation. Future studies should optimize CGA dosing and long-term effects in various poultry production systems and further investigate its role in the gut-systemic axis.
