Effect of cinnamon supplementation on the gut environment and ESR gene expression in the ovaries of laying quail

Abstract

This study addressed the hypothesis that the inclusion of powdered cinnamon in a laying quail diet could increase the expression of genes related to the antioxidant defense systems in the intestine and improve the intestinal environment, thus promoting balance in the body. We used 144 laying quail (Coturnix japonica) distributed in a completely randomized design with two treatments: no supplementation of cinnamon (NSC) and supplementation of 9g/kg of cinnamon powder (CPS). At the end of the experimental period ovarian and duodenal tissues were collected for analysis of gene expression. Fragments of the central portions of the duodenum and jejunum were also collected for intestinal histological analysis. We observed a significant effect of the inclusion of cinnamon powder in the diet quail on the expression of the estrogen receptor alpha gene (P = 0.0004). The animals from the CPS treatment presented a higher height of villi and greater depth of crypts in the duodenum, and a higher height of villi and villus:cryptratio in the jejunum. The results show that cinnamon supplementation improves the integrity of intestinal tissue structures and development of the structures of the epithelium. Thus improves the productive performance of the birds.