The continuous ovulation of laying hens during the peak period is likely to cause oxidative stress, resulting in a reduction in the laying cycle over time. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant effects of Aronia melanocarpa (AM) in the diet and its effect on the yolk precursor content caused by ovulation in laying hens during the peak period. A total of 300 25-week-old Roman brown laying hens were randomly divided into five groups with six replicates in each group, 10 in each replicate. The control group was fed a basal diet, the positive control group was fed a Vitamin C (VC) plus basal diet, and the experimental group was fed 1%, 4%, and 7% doses of AM plus diet according to the principle of energy and nitrogen requirements, which lasted eight weeks. At the end of the study, the egg quality, biochemical, and antioxidant markers, as well as mRNA and protein expressions, were evaluated to determine the potential signaling pathways involved. Results showed that the addition of AM to the feed increased the weight of laying hens at the peak of egg production and improved egg quality. The biochemical markers, as well as the antioxidant parameters in the serum, liver, and ovarian tissues, were ameliorated. The gene and protein expression of recombinant kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) in the liver and ovarian tissues was decreased, while nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression was increased. The feed supplemented with AM also increased the estrogen contents and lipid parameters, as well as the gene and protein expressions related to the yolk precursor. Feed supplemented with AM could improve the egg quality and the oxidative stress caused by the ovulation process of laying hens during the peak egg production period by activating the Keap1/Nrf2 signaling pathway. These results suggest that the feed supplemented with 1% AM and 4% AM can improve egg production in peak laying hens.

Flammulina velutipes is one of the most consumed mushrooms mainly produced in China but their stem base, which is a waste resource in production usually not used, but has revealed reducing cholesterol effects and preventing fatty liver. Considering the important role of ovarian development in poultry production and the unclear mechanism of dietary nutrition in ovarian development, the effect of F. velutipes stem waste (FVS) on ovarian follicle development in laying hens and its potential mechanism were investigated by adding 2%, 4% and 6% FVS to the diet of laying hens and the production performance, biochemical parameters, hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis hormone level, mRNA and protein changes on laying hens at sexual maturity and peak laying period were evaluated. FVS significantly improved the egg white weight and eggshell strength of laying hens, and markedly reduced the levels of lipid and abdominal fat. In addition to regulate lipid metabolism, FVS also inhibited the ovarian apoptosis pathway, reduced follicular atresia, increased the genes and proteins expression related to follicle stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR), luteinizing hormone receptor (LHR) and steroid hormone synthesis signal pathway, and increased the level of serum hormone. FVS could thus promote ovarian development by reducing cholesterol and other lipid levels, stimulating steroid hormone signalling pathway as well as improve the production performance of laying hens, suggesting that FVS could be added to poultry feed as a nutritional supplement.

White-nose syndrome (WNS) is an infectious disease of bats caused by the psychrophilic fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans. Phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA) is a microbial secondary metabolite with broad-spectrum antifungal activity. Previous studies show that PCA suppresses the growth of P. destructans at low concentrations, yet its mechanism remains unclear. Here, we evaluated the in vitro antifungal activity of PCA. We then investigated its potential mechanism using physiological and biochemical assays, as well as integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses. PCA showed effective antifungal activity against P. destructans (EC₅₀ = 32.9 μg/mL). Physiological and biochemical assays indicated that PCA perturbed cell wall organization and increased membrane permeability, leading to leakage of intracellular contents. It also induced oxidative stress, DNA damage, and apoptosis. Multi-omics integration revealed that PCA markedly perturbed cell wall and membrane metabolism, virulence factor expression, and energy metabolism. It provoked oxidative stress while downregulating genes involved in the cell cycle, DNA replication, and repair. Together, these findings delineate the inhibitory effects of PCA on P. destructans in vitro, provide initial mechanistic insights into its antifungal action, and suggest that PCA merits further evaluation as a possible component of environmentally compatible strategies for WNS management.

Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd) invades the skin tissue of bats, leading to severe population declines. The skin microbiome plays a crucial role in protecting hosts from fungal infection and exhibits pronounced spatiotemporal dynamics in its structure and function. Meanwhile, metabolites derived from microbial communities reflect the host physiological state and participate in microbe–pathogen interactions. In this study, we investigated the spatiotemporal dynamics of skin bacterial communities and metabolites during hibernation in Rhinolophus ferrumequinum by integrating 16S rRNA sequencing with untargeted metabolomics and experimentally verified the antifungal effects of microbially derived potential metabolites against Pd. Our results revealed that the structure of the skin bacterial community varied significantly across sampling contexts, with its assembly primarily governed by stochastic processes. Bacterial diversity reached its lowest level during middle hibernation, accompanied by a simplified co-occurrence network dominated by cooperative or mutualistic interactions. Additionally, metabolomic analyses demonstrated systematic metabolic remodeling of bat skin across hibernation stages, marked by significant enrichment of multiple pathways closely involved in host antimicrobial defense. Furthermore, metabolite profiles differed across locations, and the abundance patterns of several metabolites were strongly correlated with Pd infection levels. Integrated analyses identified multiple metabolites that showed significant correlations with bacterial genera capable of synthesizing the corresponding compounds. In vitro validation confirmed that nine metabolites effectively inhibited the growth of Pd, among which melatonin exhibited the strongest antifungal activity. Collectively, this study reveals the dynamics of the skin microbiome and metabolites of R. ferrumequinum during hibernation, providing novel insights into the defensive role of skin-associated microbes and metabolites in maintaining population health and resilience against fungal pathogens.

Improving production performance and health is the key goal of laying hens farming. This experiment was conducted to examine the effects of Flammulina velu