Effects of micelle silymarin in corn-soybean meal-based diet on laying hens' performance, egg quality, and blood profile, with comparative assessment of blood absorption rates between powdered and micelle silymarin

Micelle silymarin (MS) is recognized for its diverse range of beneficial properties, which encompass anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, and antidiabetic effects. The main objective of this study was to examine the effects of micelle silymarin on the performance, egg quality, blood profile, and absorption rate of silymarin in laying hens. In experiment 1: 288 Hy-Line brown laying hens, 28 wk old, were utilized for this experiment. The hens were randomly allocated into 3 dietary treatment groups, with each group comprising eight replicates of 12 hens, each housed in individual pens with access to feed and water. Over a 12-wk feeding trial, the hens were provided with a basal diet supplemented with different levels of MS: 0, 0.03, and 0.06%. In experiment 2: For this experiment, 192 Hy-Line Brown laying hens were divided into 2 dietary treatment groups, with each group comprising eight replications of 12 hens. The dietary treatments were: TRT1, basal diet + powder silymarin 4%; TRT2, basal diet + MS 4%. From the first experiment, the findings revealed that incorporating micelle silymarin (MS) into the hens' diet significantly increased egg weight at wk 6 (P < 0.05). Similarly, at wk 12 and throughout the entire experiment, significant effects were observed on downgraded egg count, egg production, egg weight, and feed conversion ratio (FCR) (P < 0.05). Moreover, Haugh Units (HU) and albumen height showed a linear improvement (P < 0.05) at wk 4 with MS supplementation. Furthermore, there was a linear increase in egg yolk color, albumen height, and eggshell thickness at wk 8 with MS supplementation (P < 0.05). Furthermore, a layers-fed diet supplemented with MS showed a linear increase (P < 0.05) in HU, egg weight, yolk color, albumen height, eggshell strength, and eggshell thickness in wk 12. Regarding blood profile parameters, the study revealed linear reductions for aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (P < 0.05), whereas there was a tendency for albumin, triglyceride, and cholesterol (P < 0.10). In the second experiment, it was observed that the blood absorption rate of silymarin was higher in TRT2 compared to TRT1 at 2- and 4-h intervals following administration. In summary, increasing MS supplementation in the diet of laying hens enhanced egg production, egg quality, and blood profile. Additionally, silymarin absorption was higher in its micelle form than in its powder form.