Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39894829›Full record

ArticleJournal of animal science and biotechnology2025

Metabolomics, network pharmacology, and microbiome analyses uncover the mechanisms of the Chinese herbal formula for the improvement of meat quality in spent hens.

Zhihua Li, Md Abul Kalam Azad, Chengwen Meng, Xiangfeng Kong, Jue Gui, Wenchao Lin, Yadong Cui, Wei Lan, Qinghua He

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of animal science and biotechnology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Zhihua LiDepartment of Food Science and Engineering, College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.
Md Abul Kalam AzadHunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutritional Physiology and Metabolic Process, National Engineering Laboratory for Pollution Control and Waste Utilization in Livestock and Poultry Production, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, China.
Chengwen MengHunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutritional Physiology and Metabolic Process, National Engineering Laboratory for Pollution Control and Waste Utilization in Livestock and Poultry Production, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, China.
Xiangfeng KongHunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutritional Physiology and Metabolic Process, National Engineering Laboratory for Pollution Control and Waste Utilization in Livestock and Poultry Production, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, China. nnkxf@isa.ac.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6406-6445
Jue GuiHunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutritional Physiology and Metabolic Process, National Engineering Laboratory for Pollution Control and Waste Utilization in Livestock and Poultry Production, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, China.
Wenchao LinHunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutritional Physiology and Metabolic Process, National Engineering Laboratory for Pollution Control and Waste Utilization in Livestock and Poultry Production, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, China.
Yadong CuiSchool of Biology and Food Engineering, Fuyang Normal University, Fuyang, China.
Wei LanSchool of Biology and Food Engineering, Fuyang Normal University, Fuyang, China.
Qinghua HeDepartment of Food Science and Engineering, College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China. qinghua.he@szu.edu.cn.

Funding

Basic Research Program of Shenzhen Municipal Government JCYJ20200109114242138City-School Cooperation Project of the Fuyang Science and Technology Special Fund SXHZ2020007National Key Research and Development Project 2022YFC3400700Special Commissioner for Rural Science and Technology of Guangdong Province KTP20210345
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMeat originating from the spent hen is an important source of poultry meat production; however, multiple factors cause the decline in the meat quality of spent hens. Chinese herbs have been widely used as medicine for a long time to prevent diseases and as nutrient supplements to improve the product quality. This experiment explored the effects of adding 1.0% Chinese herbal formula (CHF, including 0.30% Leonurus japonicus Houtt., 0.20% Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge., 0.25% Ligustrum lucidum Ait., and 0.25% Taraxacum mongolicum Hand.-Mazz.) for 120 d to the spent hens' diet through metabolomics, network pharmacology, and microbiome strategies.

resultsThe results indicated that CHF supplementation improved the meat quality by reducing drip loss (P < 0.05), b* value (P = 0.058), and shear force (P = 0.099) and increasing cooked meat percentage (P = 0.054) and dry matter (P < 0.05) of breast muscle. The addition of CHF improved the nutritional value of breast muscle by increasing (P < 0.05) the content of C18:2n-6, n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), total PUFA, PUFA-to-saturated fatty acids (SFA) ratio, and hypocholesterolemic-to-hypercholesterolemic ratio, and tending to increase serine content (P = 0.069). The targeted metabolomics analysis revealed that the biosynthesis of SFA, linoleic acid metabolism, fatty acid degradation, fatty acid elongation, and fatty acid biosynthesis pathways were enriched by CHF supplementation. Furthermore, the network pharmacology analysis indicated that CHF was closely associated with oxidative stress and lipid metabolism. The CHF supplementation increased the glutathione peroxidase level (P < 0.05) and upregulated gene expression related to the Nrf2 pathway (including HO-1, P < 0.05; Nrf2, P = 0.098; CAT, P = 0.060; GPX1, P = 0.063; and SOD2, P = 0.052) and lipid metabolism (including PPARγ, P < 0.05; SREBP1, P = 0.059; and CPT1A, P = 0.058). Additionally, CHF supplementation increased Firmicutes and decreased Bacteroidetes, Spirochaetes, and Synergistetes abundances (P < 0.05), which may contribute to better meat quality.

conclusionsOur results suggest that CHF supplementation improved the quality and nutritional value of meat, which will provide a theoretical basis for the utilization of CHF as a feed additive in spent hens' diets.

Indexed as

Cecal microbiotaChinese herbal formulaFatty acidMeat qualityNetwork pharmacologySpent hens

Identifiers

PMID39894829
PMCPMC11789354

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.