Comparison of the effect of quercetin and daidzein on production performance, anti-oxidation, hormones, and cecal microflora in laying hens during the late laying period

Water-soluble sulfur quantum dots as a potential sensitive fluorescent probe for quercetin detection and cell imaging

A simple fluorescent quenching probe based on polyethylene glycol-400 capped sulfur quantum dots (PEG-SQDs) was fabricated to determine quercetin (QT) quantitatively. As anticipated, the PEG-SQDs exhibited favourable luminescent properties, stability and low cytotoxicity. QT effectively quenched the fluorescence of the PEG-SQDs through static quenching and the inner filter effect. Moreover, the PEG-SQDs showed rapid QT detection within a linear range of 0.100-45.0 μM, with a limit of detection of 0.014 μM (3σ/k). This fluorescent probe successfully detected QT in human serum, quercetin supplement capsules and red wine, achieving a standard recovery of 92.6 %-105 %.

Plant polysaccharides and antioxidant benefits for exercise performance and gut health: from molecular pathways to clinic

In the last three decades, our understanding of how exercise induces oxidative stress has significantly advanced. Plant polysaccharides, such as dietary fibers and resistant starches, have been shown to enhance exercise performance by improving energy metabolism, reducing fatigue, increasing strength and stamina, mitigating oxidative stress post-exercise, facilitating muscle recovery, and aiding in detoxification. Moreover, antioxidants found in plant-based foods play a crucial role in protecting the body against oxidative stress induced by intense physical activity. By scavenging free radicals and reducing oxidative damage, antioxidants can improve exercise endurance, enhance recovery, and support immune function. Furthermore, the interaction between plant polysaccharides and antioxidants in the gut microbiota can lead to synergistic effects on overall health and performance. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the current research on plant polysaccharides and antioxidants in relation to exercise performance and gut health.

Comparative analysis of reproductive hormones, serum biochemical indexes and ovarian metabolites in Muscovy breeder duck at different laying stages

The hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis regulates egg laying through control hormones secretion in poultry. In this study, the serum hormones (12 samples per stage), serum biochemical indexes (12 samples per stage), and ovarian metabolites (8 samples per stage) of Muscovy breeder ducks were detected at prelaying stage (PT), start of laying stage (ST), high laying stage (HT), and the end of laying stage (ET). The serum hormones of Muscovy ducks were measured at 8:00, 13:00, 18:00, 23:00, and 4:00 within 1 d. The TG, TP, ALB, and GLB were significantly increased, while HDL-C was significantly decreased at ST as compared to PT (P < 0.05). Serum Na, Cl, Ca, P, and K showed significant rise at ST as compared to PT. Serum Na, Cl, Ca, and K were significantly declined, while P was significantly increased at ET as compared to HT (P < 0.05). Serum FSH, LH, PRL, E2, P4 levels peaked at ST (P < 0.05) with only FSH and LH fluctuated significantly within 1 ovulation cycle at ST (P < 0.05). Differential metabolites showed continued ovarian aging. The decline of nucleic acid metabolism occured in ST, the decline of sugar metabolism occurred in ET, and the decline of amino acid metabolism continued at all stages. Temporal expression patterns and correlation analyses indicated a high correlation between ovarian cAMP and serum reproductive hormone levels across different reproductive stages. In conclusion, this study revealed the changes in serum hormones, serum biochemical indicators, and ovarian metabolites, as well as the relationship between serum hormones and ovarian metabolites.

Enhancing impact of dietary nano formulated quercetin on laying performance: egg quality, oxidative stability of stored eggs, intestinal immune and antioxidants related genes expression

BACKGROUND

Nutritional interventions with natural antioxidants can provide a pragmatic solution for modifying hens' performance and maintaining oxidative stability of eggs during storage. Quercetin is the most abundant flavonoids with potent antioxidant and immune stimulant activities. The concept of incorporating of quercetin, as potent antioxidant and immunostimulant, into effective nano-carriers (QNPs) has promoted their bioavailability and stability thus, their effectiveness for the first time were assessed on laying hens' performance and immunity, eggs quality during storage. Four hundred 12-weeks-old Hy-line brown laying hens were distributed to four experimental groups: control group fed basal diets, and other 3 groups fed basal diets fortified with 100, 200 and 300 mg/kg QNPs for 60 weeks.

RESULTS

Laying performance and quality of laid eggs were improved as expressed by elevated laying rate, egg mass %, eggs weight and yolk weight in QNPs200 and 300. Fortification of QNPs300 remarkably decreased layers serum total cholesterol concurrently with decreased egg yolk saturated fatty acids and cholesterol while increased polyunsaturated fatty acids. Over- 45 days storage period, QNPs enhanced phospholipids, total phenolics and flavonoids, total antioxidant activity (T-AOC) simultaneous with decreased MDA content in eggs. Furthermore, enhanced immune response was detected in both in serum and intestine of QNPs fed hens as reflected by higher lysozymes activity, IgM, IgG and phagocytic index and demotion of NO together with AvBD 6-12, IL-10, IgM and ATg 5-7-12 upregulation and downregulation of IL-1β and TNF-α especially at QNPs200 and 300. Intestinal redox balance was modified via decreasing H2O2 and MDA simultaneous with upregulation of catalase, SOD, GSH-Px, HO-1 and NQO1 in groups fed higher doses of QNPs.

CONCLUSIONS

QNPs supplementation provides a new nutritional strategy towards increasing hen performance, fortification of eggs with natural antioxidants that prevents egg quality deterioration during storage.

The change of albumen quality during the laying cycle and its potential physiological and molecular basis of laying hens

To elucidate the regulatory mechanisms that impact variability in albumen quality of laying hens from the peak of lay to the late production phase. A 60-wk study was conducted on a cohort of 20,000 Hy-Line Brown laying hens from 20 to 80 wk old. Before commencement at 20 wk, the 10-wk-old hens were acclimatized for 10 wk. This study examined changes in albumen quality, serum, and liver antioxidant capacity, magnum morphology, and expression of albumen-protein-related genes in the magnum. To reduce sampling error, we collected eggs (n = 90) from pre-determined cages at every sampling point (5-wk intervals), and 8 hens were selected at 10-wk intervals for blood and tissue collection. Our findings revealed that age significantly affected most evaluated parameters. Albumen gel properties, including hardness, gumminess, and chewiness, increased significantly with age (P < 0.05). With the increasing of hens' age from 20 to 80 wk, the albumen proportion of eggs was decreased, but eggshell proportion, yolk proportion, thick albumen proportion, thick to thin ratio, thick albumen solid content, albumen height, Haugh units (HU), and yolk color were increased and then decreased (P < 0.05). Compared to hens aged 20 to 60 wk, the hens (70-80 wk) had significantly reduced total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and glutathione levels (GSH) in the liver and lower serum TAC and superoxide dismutase levels (SOD) (P < 0.05). The magnum mucosal folds were highest in 40 to 60 wk-old hens, and the luminal diameter increased with age (P < 0.05). In the magnum, the mRNA expression levels for OVA, CPE, and NUP205 increased significantly between 30 and 40 wk, while FBN1 expression was higher between 30 and 50 wk (P < 0.05). At 70 to 80 wk, the expression of BRCA2 was significantly downregulated (P < 0.05). Albumen height, thick albumen proportion with protein secretion-related genes, enhanced antioxidant function, and luminal diameter correlated positively. However, the thick-to-thin albumen ratio negatively correlated with BRCA2, downregulated in aged laying hens. We used principal component and cluster analysis to deduce albumen quality changes during 3 phases: 25 to 35, 40 to 55, and 60 to 80 wk. The decline in albumen quality in aging hens is linked with decreased antioxidant capacity, magnum health, and downregulation of key genes involved in protein synthesis and secretion. These findings emphasize critical albumen quality changes in laying hens and suggest molecular pathways underlying age-related albumen quality alterations.

Dietary supplementation with calcitriol or quercetin improved eggshell and bone quality by modulating calcium metabolism

This study was aimed to investigate the effects of dietary calcitriol or quercetin supplementation on eggshell and bone quality of laying hens. In trial 1, 72 Hy-Line Brown layers (80-week-old) with weak-shelled strength (25 to 30 N) were assigned into 4 dietary treatments with 6 replicates of 3 birds and fed a basal diet (4% calcium level) or basal diets supplemented with 0.5% calcium, 5 μg/kg calcitriol or 500 mg/kg quercetin for 4 weeks. In trial 2, 360 Hy-Line Brown layers (60-week-old) were divided into 3 groups with 8 replicates of 15 birds: control group (basal diet), calcitriol group (basal diet + 5 μg/kg calcitriol), and quercetin group (basal diet + 500 mg/kg quercetin). This trial lasted for 12 weeks. The results showed that dietary calcitriol or quercetin improved eggshell quality in both trials (P < 0.05). In trial 2, compared with the control group, both calcitriol and quercetin supplementations improved femoral bone quality, calcium retention of hens and calcium content in uterine fluid at 18.5 h post-oviposition (PO) (P < 0.05), along with enhancing uterine morphology. Compared to the control group, supplemental calcitriol or quercetin up-regulated the relative mRNA expression levels of uterine transient receptor potential cation channel, subfamily V, member 6 (TRPV6) at 8.5 h PO and plasma membrane calcium-ATPase (PMCA), vitamin D receptor (VDR), estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) at 18.5 h PO (P < 0.05), but down-regulated the uterine caspase 3 (CASP3) relative mRNA expression level at 8.5 h PO (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, the femoral relative mRNA expression levels of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) (up-regulated at 8.5 and 18.5 h PO) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (up-regulated at 8.5 h PO but down-regulated at 18.5 h PO) were also affected by calcitriol or quercetin supplementation (P < 0.05). Compared to the calcitriol, quercetin increased hen-day egg production and femoral medullary bone volume/bone tissue volume but reduced femoral stiffness (P < 0.05), which were accompanied by increased relative mRNA expression levels of uterine TRPV6, estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) at 18.5 h PO (P < 0.05). Overall, both dietary calcitriol and quercetin could improve eggshell and bone quality by modulating calcium metabolism of aged layers. Compared to calcitriol, dietary quercetin up-regulated the expression of uterine calcium transporters, without affecting eggshell quality.

Quercetin Increases Growth Performance and Decreases Incidence of Diarrhea and Mechanism of Action in Weaned Piglets

This study aimed to investigate the mechanism of quercetin increasing growth performance and decreasing incidence of diarrhea in weaned piglets. Forty-eight Duroc × Landrace × Large White weaned piglets with similar body weight (7.48 ± 0.20 kg, 28 days of age) were randomly divided into four treatments (control, 250 mg/kg quercetin, 500 mg/kg quercetin, and 750 mg/kg quercetin treatments) and fed with basal diet or experimental diet supplemented with quercetin. Performance, diarrhea rate and index, and content of serum anti-inflammatory factors were determined and calculated in weaned piglets; colonic flora and signaling pathways related to anti-inflammation were measured using 16S rDNA sequencing and RNA-seq, respectively. The results showed that compared with control, feed-to-gain ratio and content of serum interferon gamma (IFN-γ) were significantly decreased in the 500 and 750 mg/kg quercetin treatments (P < 0.05); quercetin significantly decreased diarrhea rate and diarrhea index (P < 0.05) and significantly increased the content of serum transforming growth factor (TGF-β) in weaned piglets (P < 0.05); the content of serum NF-κB was significantly decreased in the 750 mg/kg quercetin treatment (P < 0.05); moreover, quercetin significantly increased diversity of colonic flora (P < 0.05), and at the phylum level, the relative abundance of Actinobacteria in the 500 and 750 mg/kg treatments was significantly increased (P < 0.05), and the relative abundance of Proteobacteria in the three quercetin treatments were significantly decreased (P < 0.05) in the colon of weaned piglets; at the genus level, the relative abundance of Clostridium-sensu-stricto-1, Turicibacter, unclassified_f_Lachnospiraceae, Phascolarctobacterium, and Family_XIII _AD3011_group was significantly increased (P < 0.05); the relative abundance of Subdollgranulum and Blautia was significantly decreased in the 500 and 750 mg/kg treatments (P < 0.05); the relative abundance of Eschericha-Shigella, Terrisporobacter, and Eubacterium-coprostanoligenes was significantly increased (P < 0.05); the relative abundance of Streptocococcus, Sarcina, Staphylococcus, and Ruminococcaceae_UCG-008 was significantly decreased in the three quercetin treatments (P < 0.05); the relative abundance of Ruminococcaceae_UCG_014 was significantly increased in the 250 mg/kg quercetin treatment in the colon of weaned piglets (P < 0.05). The results of Gene Ontology (GO) analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis showed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from the quercetin treatments were significantly enriched in nuclear transcription factor-κB (NF-κB) signal pathway (P < 0.05); mRNA expression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1R1 (IL-1R1), conserved helix-loop-helix ubiquitous kinase (CHUK), toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), and IL-1β from quercetin treatments were significantly decreased in colonic mucosa of weaned piglets (P < 0.05). In summary, quercetin increased feed conversion ratio and decreased diarrhea through regulating NF-κB signaling pathway, controlling the balance between anti-inflammatory and proinflammatory factors, and modulating intestinal flora, thus promoting the absorption of nutrients in weaned piglets. These results provided the theoretical foundation for applying quercetin in preventing weaning piglets' diarrhea and animal husbandry practices.

Effects of Micellar Quercetin Supplementation on Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility, Fecal Microbiota, Meat Quality, and Physiological Status in Broiler Chickens

This study investigated the impacts of micellar quercetin (MQ) supplementation on growth performance, meat stability, excreta gas emissions, and physiological status. During a 35-day trial, 640 Ross 308 broilers were utilized. These birds were one day old, with an average initial body weight of 43.34 ± 1.43 g. They were randomly distributed across four experimental diets, each consisting of 10 replicate pens with 16 chicks per pen. The diets included the following: control (CON) with 0% micellar quercetin (MQ), TRT1 with 0.025% MQ, TRT2 with 0.050% MQ, and TRT3 with 0.100% MQ. The results indicate that broilers fed diets with increasing levels of MQ exhibited significantly higher body weight gains (BWGs) compared to the control group (p < 0.05). There was a clear linear increase in the breast muscle percentage with higher levels of quercetin supplementation (p < 0.05), while the breast color remained consistent across all groups (p > 0.05). Both cooking loss and drip loss exhibited a linear decrease as MQ levels in the diet increased (p < 0.05). The level of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) tended to decrease with higher MQ levels. Thyroxine (T4) and lymphocyte levels also showed a linear increase with increasing MQ dosage in the diet (p < 0.05). However, no significant effects were observed on nutrient digestibility, gas emissions, or fecal microbial components (Lactobacillus, E. coli, and Salmonella) with higher levels of MQ supplementation (p > 0.05). In conclusion, augmenting quercetin levels in the diet positively influenced the BWG, breast muscle development, and meat quality parameters such as cooking loss and drip loss, with beneficial effects on blood profiles.

Effects of herbal dregs supplementation of Salvia miltiorrhiza and Isatidis Radix residues improved production performance and gut microbiota abundance in late-phase laying hens

The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of a mixture of Chinese medicinal residues (CMRs) consisting of Salvia miltiorrhiza residues (SMR) and Isatidis Radix residues (IRR) on productive performance, egg quality, serum lipid and hormone levels, liver and blood antioxidant capacity, oviduct inflammation levels, and gut microbiota in the late-laying stage. A total of 288 fifty-four-week-old BaShang long-tailed hens were divided into four groups. The feed trial period was 8 weeks. The control group was fed the basic diet as a CCMR group, supplemented with 3, 4, and 6% for the experimental groups LCMR, MCMR, and HCMR. The egg production rate of the MCMR group was 8.1% higher than that of the CCMR group (p < 0.05). Serum triglyceride (TG) levels of hens of the CMR-supplemented group were significantly decreased than those of the CCMR group (p < 0.05). The group supplemented with different levels of CMR had significantly higher serum HDL-C levels compared with the control group (p < 0.05). Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels were remarkably increased for the LCMR and MCMR groups and significantly decreased for the HCMR group compared to CCMR (p < 0.05). Serum and liver glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) activities were significantly increased, and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were significantly decreased in the MCMR group compared to the CCMR group (p < 0.05). The expression levels of tubal inflammatory factor markers (IL-4, IL-1β, TNF-α) in the MCMR and HCMR groups were consistent with the pathological findings of the sections. As for cecal microbiota, supplementation with CMR affected the alpha diversity of the cecum microbiome at the genus level. The Shannon index was significantly higher in the MCMR group than in the CCMR and HCMR groups (p < 0.05). Supplementation with different levels of CMR mainly regulated the ratio of intestinal Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes and the abundance of phyla such as Proteobacteria. In addition, CMR supplementation at different levels in the diet enriched lipid-metabolizing bacteria, such as Bacteroides and Ruminococcus_gnavus_group. Furthermore, according to linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect size (LEfSe) analysis, the MCMR group showed an increase in the number of short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria Romboutsia and fiber-degrading specialized bacteria Monoglobus. Therefore, supplementation of appropriate amounts of CMR to the diet of laying hens enhanced reproductive hormone levels, hepatic antioxidant capacity, and lipid metabolism, alleviated the levels of oviductal inflammatory factors, and modulated the abundance structure of bacterial flora to improve the late-laying performance and egg quality. The results of the current study showed that CMR is a beneficial feed supplement for chickens when added in moderation.

Effects of puerarin as a feed additive on the laying performance, egg quality, endocrine hormones, antioxidant capacity, and intestinal morphology of aged laying hens

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of puerarin (Pue), a phytoestrogen, on the production performance, egg quality, endocrine hormones, antioxidant capacity, and intestinal morphology in aged laying hens. A total of 180 Hy-Line Brown hens aged 480 d were randomly divided into 4 groups (n = 45 per group) and fed 0, 200, 400, and 800 mg/kg of Pue (Con, L-Pue, M-Pue, and H-Pue, respectively) during a 42-d experiment. Compared with the Con treatment, supplementation with H-Pue improved laying performance and egg quality by significantly increasing egg production, average egg weight, albumen height, yolk weight, and Haugh unit (P < 0.05) while decreasing the feed conversion ratio (P < 0.05). A diet supplemented with H-Pue significantly decreasing serum total triglycerides, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase (P < 0.05), and significantly increasing serum levels of follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone and progesterone (P < 0.05). Antioxidant activity was improved by significantly increasing the activity of total antioxidant capacity, glutathione peroxidase and catalase but decreasing malondialdehyde levels in serum, jejunum, and ileum (P < 0.05), and superoxide dismutase activity exhibited a significantly increase in the jejunum and ileum (P < 0.05). Villus height and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth (P < 0.05) were significantly increased in the jejunum and ileum. In the jejunal and ileal mucosa, the three treatment groups increased the mRNA expression levels of Claudin-1 and Claudin-2 compared with Con (P < 0.05), and no significant effect was observed on the expression of Occludin and ZO-1. The results showed that dietary supplementation with Pue could improve the laying performance, egg quality, antioxidant capacity, hormonal profile, and intestinal morphology of aged laying hens.

Effects of quercetin and daidzein on egg quality, lipid metabolism, and cecal short-chain fatty acids in layers

In this study, the effects of quercetin and daidzein on egg quality, lipid metabolism, and cecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were compared in layers. Hyline brown layers at 385 days of age with a similar laying rate (81.36% ± 0.62%) and body weight (2.10 kg ± 0.04 kg) were randomly divided into three treatments, six replicates per treatment, and 20 layers per replicate. Layers in control, quercetin, and daidzein treatment were fed by a basal diet supplemented with 0 mg/kg, 500 mg/kg quercetin, and 30 mg/kg of daidzein for 10 weeks. Results showed that eggshell strength and albumen height in week 4, egg yolk diameter in week 10, and eggshell thickness and egg yolk height in weeks 4 and 10 were significantly increased in the quercetin treatment (P ≤ 0.05); contents of phospholipid (PL) and lecithin (LEC) in egg yolk and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) content in serum were significantly increased; however, contents of malondialdehyde (MDA), total cholesterol (TC), and triglyceride (TG) in egg yolk, contents of TC, TG, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) in serum, and contents of TC and TG in the liver were significantly decreased in the quercetin treatment (P ≤ 0.05); contents of isobutyric acid and valeric acid were significantly increased in the cecum of the quercetin treatment (P ≤ 0.05), compared with control. Moreover, egg yolk height in week 10 and eggshell thickness in weeks 4 and 10 were significantly increased in the daidzein treatment (P ≤ 0.05); contents of MDA, TC, and TG in egg yolk, TC, TG, and VLDL in serum, and TC and TG in liver were significantly decreased in the daidzein treatment (P ≤ 0.05); and HDL content was significantly increased in serum of the daidzein treatment (P ≤ 0.05) compared with control. However, daidzein did not affect SCFA content in the cecum. In conclusion, egg quality was improved by quercetin and daidzein by increasing the antioxidant ability of egg yolk and by regulating lipid metabolism in layers. Quercetin worked better than daidzein in improving egg quality under this experimental condition.

Effects of Platycladus orientalis Leaf Extract on the Growth Performance, Fur-Production, Serum Parameters, and Intestinal Microbiota of Raccoon Dogs

Platycladus orientalis leaves are rich in flavonoids and polysaccharides, which offer high medicinal and nutritional benefits. This study aimed to investigate the impact of P. orientalis leaf extract (PLE) on the growth performance, fur quality, serum parameters, and intestinal microbiota of raccoon dogs. Sixty healthy male black raccoon dogs, aged 85 (±5) days, were randomly assigned to four groups and fed a basal diet supplemented with 0, 0.25, 0.50, and 1.00 g/kg PLE for 125 days (designated as groups P0, P1, P2, and P3, respectively). The results revealed that the raccoon dogs in group P1 exhibited increased average daily gain and underfur length while showing a decreased feed/gain ratio compared to group P0 (p < 0.05). However, the heart index in group P2 was significantly lower than in group P0 (p < 0.05), and the kidney index and serum alanine aminotransferase activities in group P3 were higher than in groups P2 and P0 (p < 0.05), suggesting potential adverse effects at higher PLE dosages. Notably, dietary PLE supplementation led to a reduction in serum glucose concentrations (p < 0.05), which may have implications for glucose regulation. Furthermore, the study explored the impact of dietary supplementation with 0.25 g/kg PLE on the raccoon dogs' intestinal microbiota using high-throughput sequencing. The results showed significant alterations in the microbial community structure, with a notable decrease in the abundance of Prevotella copri in response to 0.25 g/kg PLE supplementation (p < 0.05). In conclusion, supplementing raccoon dogs' diet with 0.25 g/kg PLE can lead to improved growth performance and a positive influence on the intestinal microbiota. However, caution should be exercised regarding higher dosages, as they may have adverse effects on certain parameters. As a result, PLE holds promise as a potential feed additive for fur animal production.

Dietary Coated Sodium Butyrate Ameliorates Hepatic Lipid Accumulation and Inflammation via Enhancing Antioxidative Function in Post-Peaking Laying Hens

During the aging process of laying hens, hepatic oxidative stress damage and lipid accumulation are prone to occur, leading to the deterioration of egg quality and a decline in production properties. This research was designed to explore the effects of different levels of coated sodium butyrate (CSB) addition on oxidation resistance, inflammatory reaction, lipid metabolism and hepatic oxidative damage-related gene expression in aged laying hens. A total of 720 healthy 52 weeks old Huafeng laying hens were arbitrarily divided into 5 groups of 6 replicates with 24 birds each and fed a basal diet supplemented with 0, 250, 500, 750 and 1000 mg/kg CSB for 8 weeks, respectively. The CSB quadratically upgraded GSH-Px activities and downgraded MDA content in the liver and serum. The LDL-C, NEFA and TG contents decreased quadratically in CSB groups and significantly reduced the fatty vacuoles as well as the formation of fat granules in the liver (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, the CSB quadratically upregulated the gene expression of IL-10, Nrf2 and HO1, but downregulated the gene expression of IFN-γ, TNF-α and Keap1 in a quadratic manner (p < 0.05). Moreover, the CSB quadratically degraded the mRNA level of fatty acid synthesis but increased the gene level of key enzymes of fatty acid catabolism (p < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary CSB supplementation has a favorable effect in protecting against liver injury and alleviating lipid accumulation and inflammation by enhancing hepatic antioxidative function in aged laying hens.