Effects of Gallus epidermal growth factor on immune function and intestinal development in male broilers

The present study aims to evaluate the effects of Gallus epidermal growth factor (gEGF) on growth performance, immune function, intestinal barrier, and the inflammatory response in broilers. A total of 192 one-day-old Xianju broilers were randomly divided into 4 groups, each consisting of 8 replicat...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yubiao Jia, Qiuming Huang, Rui Song, Jianyong Zhou, Chuansong Sun, Jianjun Lu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-12-01
Series:Journal of Applied Animal Research
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/09712119.2025.2470215
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850138900147732480
author Yubiao Jia
Qiuming Huang
Rui Song
Jianyong Zhou
Chuansong Sun
Jianjun Lu
author_facet Yubiao Jia
Qiuming Huang
Rui Song
Jianyong Zhou
Chuansong Sun
Jianjun Lu
author_sort Yubiao Jia
collection DOAJ
description The present study aims to evaluate the effects of Gallus epidermal growth factor (gEGF) on growth performance, immune function, intestinal barrier, and the inflammatory response in broilers. A total of 192 one-day-old Xianju broilers were randomly divided into 4 groups, each consisting of 8 replicates with 6 broilers per replicate. The control group was fed a basal diet, while the experimental groups received the basal diet supplemented with 4, 8, and 12 ng/kg gEGF, respectively. The results demonstrated that 8 ng/kg gEGF significantly improved the average daily body weight gain of the broilers, increased intestinal goblet cell density, and ameliorated intestinal morphology. Supplementation with gEGF promoted serum immunoglobulin A (IgA), IgM, IgG, and lysozyme secretion, as well as increased immune organ indices, including the thymus, spleen, and bursa. Additionally, dietary supplementation with gEGF significantly upregulated the mRNA expression levels of MUC2, TRAF6, and TGF-β1 in the trachea, Harderian gland, and cecal tonsil. Furthermore, gEGF enhanced the jejunal mucosa mRNA expression levels of MUC2, IL-13, and TCR, while downregulating the mRNA expression of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with gEGF promoted growth performance in broilers by ameliorating intestinal morphology, enhancing immune function, strengthening gut barrier, and inhibiting inflammatory response.
format Article
id doaj-art-bc270396bc8d424cb6a9d175a17dbfc5
institution OA Journals
issn 0971-2119
0974-1844
language English
publishDate 2025-12-01
publisher Taylor & Francis Group
record_format Article
series Journal of Applied Animal Research
spelling doaj-art-bc270396bc8d424cb6a9d175a17dbfc52025-08-20T02:30:28ZengTaylor & Francis GroupJournal of Applied Animal Research0971-21190974-18442025-12-0153110.1080/09712119.2025.2470215Effects of Gallus epidermal growth factor on immune function and intestinal development in male broilersYubiao Jia0Qiuming Huang1Rui Song2Jianyong Zhou3Chuansong Sun4Jianjun Lu5Key Laboratory for Animal Molecular Nutrition of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Nutrition and Breeding for High-quality Animal Products, Institute of Feed Science, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaKey Laboratory for Animal Molecular Nutrition of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Nutrition and Breeding for High-quality Animal Products, Institute of Feed Science, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaKey Laboratory for Animal Molecular Nutrition of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Nutrition and Breeding for High-quality Animal Products, Institute of Feed Science, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaKey Laboratory for Animal Molecular Nutrition of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Nutrition and Breeding for High-quality Animal Products, Institute of Feed Science, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaKey Laboratory for Animal Molecular Nutrition of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Nutrition and Breeding for High-quality Animal Products, Institute of Feed Science, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaKey Laboratory for Animal Molecular Nutrition of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Nutrition and Breeding for High-quality Animal Products, Institute of Feed Science, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaThe present study aims to evaluate the effects of Gallus epidermal growth factor (gEGF) on growth performance, immune function, intestinal barrier, and the inflammatory response in broilers. A total of 192 one-day-old Xianju broilers were randomly divided into 4 groups, each consisting of 8 replicates with 6 broilers per replicate. The control group was fed a basal diet, while the experimental groups received the basal diet supplemented with 4, 8, and 12 ng/kg gEGF, respectively. The results demonstrated that 8 ng/kg gEGF significantly improved the average daily body weight gain of the broilers, increased intestinal goblet cell density, and ameliorated intestinal morphology. Supplementation with gEGF promoted serum immunoglobulin A (IgA), IgM, IgG, and lysozyme secretion, as well as increased immune organ indices, including the thymus, spleen, and bursa. Additionally, dietary supplementation with gEGF significantly upregulated the mRNA expression levels of MUC2, TRAF6, and TGF-β1 in the trachea, Harderian gland, and cecal tonsil. Furthermore, gEGF enhanced the jejunal mucosa mRNA expression levels of MUC2, IL-13, and TCR, while downregulating the mRNA expression of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with gEGF promoted growth performance in broilers by ameliorating intestinal morphology, enhancing immune function, strengthening gut barrier, and inhibiting inflammatory response.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/09712119.2025.2470215Gallus epidermal growth factorbroilergrowth performanceimmunityintestinal morphology
spellingShingle Yubiao Jia
Qiuming Huang
Rui Song
Jianyong Zhou
Chuansong Sun
Jianjun Lu
Effects of Gallus epidermal growth factor on immune function and intestinal development in male broilers
Journal of Applied Animal Research
Gallus epidermal growth factor
broiler
growth performance
immunity
intestinal morphology
title Effects of Gallus epidermal growth factor on immune function and intestinal development in male broilers
title_full Effects of Gallus epidermal growth factor on immune function and intestinal development in male broilers
title_fullStr Effects of Gallus epidermal growth factor on immune function and intestinal development in male broilers
title_full_unstemmed Effects of Gallus epidermal growth factor on immune function and intestinal development in male broilers
title_short Effects of Gallus epidermal growth factor on immune function and intestinal development in male broilers
title_sort effects of gallus epidermal growth factor on immune function and intestinal development in male broilers
topic Gallus epidermal growth factor
broiler
growth performance
immunity
intestinal morphology
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/09712119.2025.2470215
work_keys_str_mv AT yubiaojia effectsofgallusepidermalgrowthfactoronimmunefunctionandintestinaldevelopmentinmalebroilers
AT qiuminghuang effectsofgallusepidermalgrowthfactoronimmunefunctionandintestinaldevelopmentinmalebroilers
AT ruisong effectsofgallusepidermalgrowthfactoronimmunefunctionandintestinaldevelopmentinmalebroilers
AT jianyongzhou effectsofgallusepidermalgrowthfactoronimmunefunctionandintestinaldevelopmentinmalebroilers
AT chuansongsun effectsofgallusepidermalgrowthfactoronimmunefunctionandintestinaldevelopmentinmalebroilers
AT jianjunlu effectsofgallusepidermalgrowthfactoronimmunefunctionandintestinaldevelopmentinmalebroilers