Effects of Milk Thistle Extract Supplementation on Performance, Egg Quality, and Liver Pathology of Laying Hens’ Fed Diets Lacking Supplemental Choline Chloride
The current study evaluated the effects of milk thistle extract supplementation in laying hens’ fed diets lacking choline chloride addition. A total of 60 Isa-brown laying hens were randomly allocated into T1: control diet, 0% extract supplementation; T2: control diet with 1% extract; T3: control di...
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/12/2/77 |
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| author | Fotis Gousias Ioanna Stylianaki Ilias Giannenas Theodoros Kallitsis Nikolaos Papaioannou Efstratios Chaitidis Clare Squires Georgios Arsenos Vasilios Tsiouris Georgios A. Papadopoulos |
| author_facet | Fotis Gousias Ioanna Stylianaki Ilias Giannenas Theodoros Kallitsis Nikolaos Papaioannou Efstratios Chaitidis Clare Squires Georgios Arsenos Vasilios Tsiouris Georgios A. Papadopoulos |
| author_sort | Fotis Gousias |
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| description | The current study evaluated the effects of milk thistle extract supplementation in laying hens’ fed diets lacking choline chloride addition. A total of 60 Isa-brown laying hens were randomly allocated into T1: control diet, 0% extract supplementation; T2: control diet with 1% extract; T3: control diet with 2.5% extract; and T4: control diet with 4% extract. Egg quality parameters, yolk lipid oxidation, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and fatty acid profile were assessed. Livers were examined grossly and histologically to evaluate hepatocellular lesions such as vacuolization (lipidosis), reticular stromal architecture, the amount of collagenous connective tissue, and vascular wall changes. Groups T3 and T4 showed darker yolks compared to both control group and T2 (<i>p</i> = 0.001) and redness of the egg yolk (<i>p</i> < 0.001). The MDA was lowest in T2 group which had improved gross appearance with lower degrees of hepatic vacuolization than other groups. Liver discoloration was milder in T3 (43.8%) compared to the T1 and T4 groups (18.8% and 12.5%, respectively, <i>p</i> = 0.013). Reticulin loss was correlated with the degree of hepatic vacuolization (r = 0.751, <i>p</i> < 0.001). Supplementation with MT extract in diets lacking choline chloride may influence certain egg quality indices and liver gross macroscopic lesions in laying hens. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-04087b814dd04713b80bae5f84ce6dd3 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2306-7381 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Veterinary Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-04087b814dd04713b80bae5f84ce6dd32025-08-20T03:12:12ZengMDPI AGVeterinary Sciences2306-73812025-01-011227710.3390/vetsci12020077Effects of Milk Thistle Extract Supplementation on Performance, Egg Quality, and Liver Pathology of Laying Hens’ Fed Diets Lacking Supplemental Choline ChlorideFotis Gousias0Ioanna Stylianaki1Ilias Giannenas2Theodoros Kallitsis3Nikolaos Papaioannou4Efstratios Chaitidis5Clare Squires6Georgios Arsenos7Vasilios Tsiouris8Georgios A. Papadopoulos9Laboratory of Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, GreeceLaboratory of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, GreeceLaboratory of Nutrition, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, GreeceLaboratory of Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, GreeceLaboratory of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, GreeceLaboratory of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, GreeceLaboratory of Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, GreeceLaboratory of Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, GreeceUnit of Avian Medicine, Clinic of Farm Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 546 27 Thessaloniki, GreeceLaboratory of Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, GreeceThe current study evaluated the effects of milk thistle extract supplementation in laying hens’ fed diets lacking choline chloride addition. A total of 60 Isa-brown laying hens were randomly allocated into T1: control diet, 0% extract supplementation; T2: control diet with 1% extract; T3: control diet with 2.5% extract; and T4: control diet with 4% extract. Egg quality parameters, yolk lipid oxidation, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and fatty acid profile were assessed. Livers were examined grossly and histologically to evaluate hepatocellular lesions such as vacuolization (lipidosis), reticular stromal architecture, the amount of collagenous connective tissue, and vascular wall changes. Groups T3 and T4 showed darker yolks compared to both control group and T2 (<i>p</i> = 0.001) and redness of the egg yolk (<i>p</i> < 0.001). The MDA was lowest in T2 group which had improved gross appearance with lower degrees of hepatic vacuolization than other groups. Liver discoloration was milder in T3 (43.8%) compared to the T1 and T4 groups (18.8% and 12.5%, respectively, <i>p</i> = 0.013). Reticulin loss was correlated with the degree of hepatic vacuolization (r = 0.751, <i>p</i> < 0.001). Supplementation with MT extract in diets lacking choline chloride may influence certain egg quality indices and liver gross macroscopic lesions in laying hens.https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/12/2/77laying hensmilk thistleegg qualityliver health |
| spellingShingle | Fotis Gousias Ioanna Stylianaki Ilias Giannenas Theodoros Kallitsis Nikolaos Papaioannou Efstratios Chaitidis Clare Squires Georgios Arsenos Vasilios Tsiouris Georgios A. Papadopoulos Effects of Milk Thistle Extract Supplementation on Performance, Egg Quality, and Liver Pathology of Laying Hens’ Fed Diets Lacking Supplemental Choline Chloride Veterinary Sciences laying hens milk thistle egg quality liver health |
| title | Effects of Milk Thistle Extract Supplementation on Performance, Egg Quality, and Liver Pathology of Laying Hens’ Fed Diets Lacking Supplemental Choline Chloride |
| title_full | Effects of Milk Thistle Extract Supplementation on Performance, Egg Quality, and Liver Pathology of Laying Hens’ Fed Diets Lacking Supplemental Choline Chloride |
| title_fullStr | Effects of Milk Thistle Extract Supplementation on Performance, Egg Quality, and Liver Pathology of Laying Hens’ Fed Diets Lacking Supplemental Choline Chloride |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of Milk Thistle Extract Supplementation on Performance, Egg Quality, and Liver Pathology of Laying Hens’ Fed Diets Lacking Supplemental Choline Chloride |
| title_short | Effects of Milk Thistle Extract Supplementation on Performance, Egg Quality, and Liver Pathology of Laying Hens’ Fed Diets Lacking Supplemental Choline Chloride |
| title_sort | effects of milk thistle extract supplementation on performance egg quality and liver pathology of laying hens fed diets lacking supplemental choline chloride |
| topic | laying hens milk thistle egg quality liver health |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/12/2/77 |
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