{
  "abstract": "This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of Zanthoxylum bungeanum seed powder (ZBS) on growth performance, immune function, and cecal microbiota in 817 broilers. A total of 260 one-day-old 817 broilers were randomly assigned to 4 treatment groups (CON, ZBS1, ZBS2, and ZBS3) with 5 replicates per treatment and were fed diets containing 0, 1%, 2%, or 3% ZBS, respectively, for 63 d. The results showed that dietary ZBS had no significant effects on average daily feed intake, average daily gain, or gain-to-feed ratio (P > 0.05). However, body weight at 28 and 63 d and average daily gain during d 1-28 and d 1-63 showed significant quadratic responses to increasing dietary ZBS levels (P < 0.05). The bursa of Fabricius index increased linearly with increasing ZBS inclusion (P < 0.05). Serum concentrations of IL-2, IL-6, TNF-α, IgA, and IgG and splenic contents of IgA, IgG, C3, and C4 were significantly increased (P < 0.05), whereas splenic IL-1β content and the expression of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway-related genes was significantly decreased (P < 0.05). 16S rRNA sequencing showed that ZBS did not affect cecal microbial α-diversity (P > 0.05), but altered microbial community composition. The relative abundances of Faecalibacterium, Bifidobacterium, and Megasphaera were significantly increased in the 3% ZBS group (P < 0.05). PICRUSt2 analysis indicated that the predicted abundances of starch and sucrose metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, the phosphotransferase system, and pyruvate-formate lyase-related functions were significantly increased in the 3% ZBS group (P < 0.05). Redundancy analysis showed that microbial community variation was significantly associated with dietary ZBS level and immune-related parameters, including IgA, IgG, C3, and C4 (P < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary ZBS improved humoral immunity-related parameters, reduced the expression of inflammation-related genes in the spleen, and affected the composition and predicted functions of the cecal microbiota in broilers. Based on quadratic regression of splenic C4, IL-1β, TRAF2, TLR4, and NFKB2, the optimal dietary ZBS inclusion level was estimated at 1.00-2.55%.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Animal Nutrition and Bio-feed, Key Laboratory of Chongqing Education Commission of China, College of Animal Science and Technology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.",
    "Animal Nutrition and Bio-feed, Key Laboratory of Chongqing Education Commission of China, College of Animal Science and Technology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China. Electronic address: tangzhiru2326@sina.com."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 9,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Zhijin Hu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Huatao Liu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yuxi Shen"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Fu Feng"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Zhihong Sun"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Weizhong Sun"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yetong Xu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jiaman Pang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Zhiru Tang"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/a3z2sy48npkvk.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1016/j.psj.2026.107780",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13675919",
  "id": "a3z2sy48npkvk",
  "issns": [
    "0032-5791",
    "1525-3171"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42837744",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "1103|Animal Nutrition and Physiology"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7213281714",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13675919?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13675919",
  "pmid": "42837744",
  "published": "2026-09-15",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/a3z2sy48npkvk.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:10Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42837744",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42837744"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:1103|Animal Nutrition and Physiology",
      "subfield": "zoology-behaviour"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Effects of dietary Zanthoxylum bungeanum seed powder on growth performance, immune function, and cecal microbiota in broilers.",
  "title_text": "Effects of dietary Zanthoxylum bungeanum seed powder on growth performance, immune function, and cecal microbiota in broilers.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:18:10Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/a3z2sy48npkvk",
  "venue": "Poultry science",
  "versions": []
}