Protective effects of ferulic acid on embryonic development by improving antioxidant function in broilers embryo of thermal manipulation

This study aimed to elucidate the effects of broiler embryos soaked in ferulic acid (FA) solution on alleviating the negative impact of thermal manipulation (TM) on chicken embryo development and to provide a theoretical and experimental basis for applying TM and FA in the poultry feeding industry. A total of 120 broiler fertilized eggs were randomly divided into three groups: control group, TM group, and comprehensive group (TM + FA), with 40 eggs in each group. The TM group and the comprehensive group from the 7th embryonic age to the 16th embryonic age received TM for ten days, treated with a temperature of 39.5°C and relative humidity of 65% for 18 hours a day. In the comprehensive group, broiler embryos were immersed in FA solution at a concentration of 80 mg/L for 6 minutes at 16:00 every day from the 6th to the 8th embryo age. They were incubated continuously after being soaked until the chicks hatched. The results showed that the rates of dead embryos and weak chicks in the TM group were significantly higher than those in the control group and comprehensive group. Chick body temperatures of the TM group and comprehensive group were significantly lower than those of the control group. The heart weights of the TM group and comprehensive group were significantly lower than those of the control group, and the leg weights of the TM group were significantly decreased compared with those of the control group and comprehensive group. The SOD activity of serum in the comprehensive group was significantly higher than that in the control group and TM group, while the CAT activity of serum in the comprehensive group and control group was significantly higher than that in the TM group; however, there was no difference between the comprehensive group and control group. The activities of SOD and CAT in the liver were significantly higher than those of the TM group; however, the MDA content of the liver in the comprehensive group and control group was significantly lower than that of the TM group. The gene expression of Nrf2 and SOD in the comprehensive group and TM group was significantly higher than that in the control group; however, there was no significant difference between the comprehensive group and TM group. Soaking broiler embryonic eggs in an FA solution can improve the antioxidant capacity of the liver by upregulating Nrf2-Keap1 signal pathway-related gene expression. FA can effectively alleviate the side effects of TM on chicken embryos and does not impact the effects of TM.

本研究旨在阐明将肉鸡胚胎浸泡于阿魏酸（FA）溶液中，对于缓解热处理（TM）对鸡胚胎发育的负面影响的作用，并为在禽类饲养业中应用TM和FA提供理论及实验依据。共120枚肉鸡受精蛋随机分为三组：对照组、TM组及综合组（TM + FA），每组40枚蛋。自第7胚龄至第16胚龄，TM组和综合组接受了为期十天的TM处理，每日以39.5°C的温度和65%的相对湿度处理18小时。在综合组中，自第6胚龄至第8胚龄，肉鸡胚胎于每天16:00浸泡于80 mg/L浓度的FA溶液中，持续6分钟。浸泡后继续孵化，直至雏鸡孵化。结果显示，TM组的死胚率和弱雏率显著高于对照组和综合组。TM组和综合组的雏鸡体温显著低于对照组。TM组和综合组的 cœur 重量显著低于对照组，而TM组的腿重较对照组和综合组显著降低。综合组的血清SOD活性显著高于对照组和TM组，而综合组和对照组的血清CAT活性显著高于TM组；然而，综合组和对照组之间无显著差异。肝脏中SOD和CAT的活性显著高于TM组；然而，综合组和对照组的肝脏MDA含量显著低于TM组。综合组和TM组的Nrf2和SOD基因表达显著高于对照组，然而，综合组和TM组之间无显著差异。将肉鸡胚胎蛋浸泡于FA溶液中，可通过上调Nrf2-Keap1信号通路相关基因表达，提高肝脏的抗氧化能力。FA可有效缓解TM对鸡胚胎的副作用，且不影响TM的效果。