Metabolite Profiling Under Dietary Myo-Inositol Supplementation in Laying Hens from Two High-Performing Strains.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of myo-inositol (MI) on the blood metabolite profile in two high-performing laying hen strains. Diets were corn-soybean meal-based and not supplemented or supplemented with 1, 2, or 3 g MI/kg feed. Ten hens per strain (Lohmann Brown-classic (LB) and Lohmann LSL-classic (LSL)) and diet were euthanized at the age of 30 weeks following a 4-week feeding period in metabolic units. Plasma and liver samples were taken from each individual hen. The Absolute-IDQ(TM) p180 kit (Biocrates, Innsbruck, Austria) was used for metabolite profiling in plasma, plasma insulin, and liver triglyceride content were determined by a chicken-specific ELISA and a spectrometric assay, respectively. Supply of dietary MI caused only minor changes in metabolite profiles despite increased plasma MI concentrations. These changes indicated weak anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects of MI feeding in laying hens. The effect of strain on metabolite profiles was more pronounced, indicating a higher level of metabolic inflammation in LB hens. By K-means cluster analysis, two clusters (KMC1, KMC2) of hens were identified with enhanced serotonin concentrations in KMC2 hens irrespective of strain and feeding. Further research is needed to assess the biological role of these findings.