Effects of the Salvia miltiorrhiza, Ligustrum lucidum, and Taraxacum mongolicum ultra-fine powder formula on meat quality of aged layers by multi-omics

Zhihua Li; Chengwen Meng; Md Abul Kalam Azad; Qian Zhu; Wenchao Lin; Yadong Cui; Wei Lan; Qinghua He; Xiangfeng Kong

doi:10.1016/j.psj.2025.104783

Effects of the Salvia miltiorrhiza, Ligustrum lucidum, and Taraxacum mongolicum ultra-fine powder formula on meat quality of aged layers by multi-omics

Poult Sci. 2025 Jan 5;104(2):104783. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2025.104783. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Zhihua Li¹, Chengwen Meng², Md Abul Kalam Azad², Qian Zhu², Wenchao Lin², Yadong Cui³, Wei Lan³, Qinghua He⁴, Xiangfeng Kong⁵

Affiliations

¹ CAS Key Laboratory of Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Hunan 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, 410125, China; Department of Food Science and Engineering, College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, China.
² CAS Key Laboratory of Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Hunan 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, 410125, China.
³ School of Biology and Food Engineering, Fuyang Normal University, Fuyang, 236037, China.
⁴ Department of Food Science and Engineering, College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, China.
⁵ CAS Key Laboratory of Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Hunan 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, 410125, China. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 39823836
DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2025.104783

Abstract

This study was aimed to identify the targets of 1% ultra-fine Chinese medicine formula (UCMF, 0.5% Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. + 0.25% Ligustrum lucidum Ait. + 0.25% Taraxacum mongolicum Hand.-Mazz.) in delaying aging and explore its impacts on meat quality of aged layers. The effective components of the above three Chinese herbs were screened, and the network pharmacology analysis identified 91 common targets and enriched pathways between herbs and aging. The results showed that cellular response to chemical stimulus, response to oxidative stress, and response to oxygen-containing compound pathways were crucial for UCMF to resist aging. Further in vivo analyses confirmed that UCMF supplementation enhanced the antioxidant function in breast muscles of aged layers by upregulating (P < 0.05) the SOD2 gene expression. Meanwhile, UCMF supplementation reduced (P < 0.05) yellowness (b* value) and drip loss while enhancing (P < 0.05) cooked meat percentage of aged layers. For the health lipid indices in breast muscles, UCMF supplementation increased (P < 0.05) polyunsaturated fatty acids/saturated fatty acids and hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic ratios and decreased (P < 0.05) the thrombogenic index. The UCMF supplementation optimized the cecal microbiota of aged layers by enhancing the relative abundance of Firmicutes and reducing the relative abundances of Bacteroidetes and Spirochaetes (P < 0.05), which may be related to improving meat quality. In conclusion, dietary UCMF supplementation may be an effective strategy for improving antioxidant function and the meat quality of aged layers.

Keywords: Antioxidant function; Cecal microbiota; Meat quality; Network pharmacology; Ultra-fine Chinese medicine formula.