Abstract
Background: Improving production performance and health is the key goal of laying hens farming. This experiment was conducted to examine the effects of Flammulina velutipes stipe wastes (FVW) on the performance of laying hens by regulating cecum microbiota, intestinal barrier and immune response. A total of 108 24-week-old Loman brown laying hens were randomly divided into basal diet group (BD), basal diet supplemented with 0.05 g/kg probiotic compound (PRO), and basal diet supplemented with 40 g/kg FVW. The trial lasted for 8 weeks. Results: The results showed that compared with PRO and BD, FVW supplementation decreased feed conversion and increased egg Haugh unit of laying hens (P < 0.05). 16 S rRNA high-throughput sequencing analysis showed that Muribaculaceae, Eubacteriaceae, Synergistes, and Anaerofustis were differentially enriched in FVW-fed laying hens (P < 0.05). In addition, FVW increased the proportion of propionate in cecum, and mRNA levels of TLR-2, TLR-4, MyD88, Muc-2, Claudin-1, and ZO-1 in small intestinal mucosa were increased (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, FVW decreased the content of proinflammatory cytokines in serum (P < 0.05). According to Spearman correlation analysis, Eubacteriaceae and Anaerofustis were positively correlated with propionic acid and anti-inflammatory cytokine ratios, Muribaculaceae and Synergistes were positively correlated with intestinal barrier related gene levels. Conclusions: Dietary FVW supplementation improved the performance and egg quality of laying hens, increased the mRNA expression of intestinal mucosal immune factors, and decreased the content of proinflammatory factors in serum, which could potentially be linked to the changes of gut microbiota of laying hens.