Effects of dietary supplementation with Salvia miltiorrhiza ultrafine powder (SMUP) on ileal microbiota in laying hens during the late laying period
Declining laying performance and egg quality during the late laying period are closely associated with intestinal barrier dysfunction, chronic inflammation, and gut microbiota dysbiosis. In our previous study, dietary supplementation with 15 g/kg Salvia miltiorrhiza ultrafine powder (SMUP) exhibited the greatest improvement in laying performance and egg quality of hens during late laying period. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, the present study further investigate the effects of dietary SMUP on ileal morphology, barrier function, immune response, and gut microbiota, combined with in silico analyses to elucidate the potential molecular mechanisms. A two-group feeding trial with late-laying hens was conducted to detect ileal histomorphology, tight junction protein expression, plasma and ileal inflammatory cytokine levels, and ileal microbial community composition through 16S rRNA sequencing. Transcriptomic data from LPS-stimulated chicken HD11 macrophages (GSE278197) were analyzed by differential expression and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to screen macrophage polarization hub genes. Network pharmacology, molecular docking and 100 ns molecular dynamics simulations were sequentially performed to identify the key bioactive compound of SMUP and its target protein related to intestinal immune regulation.