The potential of pomegranate peel supplementation in Yellow-feathered broilers: effects on growth performance, serum biochemistry, antioxidant capacity, intestinal health, intestinal microbiota, and duodenal mucosal metabolites

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with pomegranate peel powder (PP) on the growth performance, serum biochemistry, antioxidant capacity, intestinal microbiota, and duodenal mucosal metabolites of yellow-feathered broilers. A total of 360 yellow-feathered broilers were randomly divided into three groups, with their diets supplemented with different levels of PP (0, 1, and 4 g/kg) for 42 days. Dietary supplementation with PP significantly increased the average body weight and average daily gain of yellow-feathered broilers during the periods of 1–21 and 22–42 days, while reducing the feed conversion ratio (p < 0.05). It also decreased the serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, creatinine, and uric acid, increased the activities of glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase, and reduced malondialdehyde content in the serum, liver, and intestinal mucosa (p < 0.05). Furthermore, PP supplementation promoted the mRNA expression of farnesoid X receptor, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha, fatty acid-binding protein 4, epidermal growth factor/epidermal growth factor receptor, and B-cell lymphoma 2, while decreasing the mRNA expression of caspase-1 and interleukin-1 beta (p < 0.05). Regarding mucosal metabolites, PP supplementation increased the contents of polyunsaturated fatty acids (cis-11-eicosenoic acid, cis-13,16-docosadienoic acid, and cis-11,14-eicosadienoic acid), prostaglandin E2/G2, and secondary bile acids (apocholic, hyodeoxycholic, 7-ketodeoxycholic, and omega-muricholic acids) in the mucosa (p < 0.05). In terms of cecal microbiota, PP supplementation increased the β-diversity index (p < 0.05), elevated the relative abundances of Bacteroidota, Alistipes, Bacilli, and Actinobacteriota, and reduced the relative abundances of Clostridia and Gammaproteobacteria (p < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary supplementation of PP can improve intestinal health and growth performance of yellow-feathered broilers by regulating the composition of the gut microbiota.