Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42485916›Full record

ArticlePoultry science2026

Balancing essential amino acids in low-protein diets: Impacts on growth performance, amino acid transport, and cecal microbiota in yellow-feathered chickens.

Xinyue Liang, Jinling Ye, Sai Zhang, Mahmoud M Azzam, Xiajing Lin, Manting Ma, Xinyang Dong, Shuangshuang Zhai, Zongyong Jiang, Shouqun Jiang and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Poultry science, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Xinyue LiangInstitute of Animal Science, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science in South China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Nutrition, Guangzhou 510640, China; College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434023, China.
Jinling YeInstitute of Animal Science, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science in South China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Nutrition, Guangzhou 510640, China.
Sai ZhangInstitute of Animal Science, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science in South China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Nutrition, Guangzhou 510640, China.
Mahmoud M AzzamAnimal Production Department, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
Xiajing LinInstitute of Animal Science, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science in South China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Nutrition, Guangzhou 510640, China.
Manting MaInstitute of Animal Science, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science in South China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Nutrition, Guangzhou 510640, China.
Xinyang DongCollege of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
Shuangshuang ZhaiCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434023, China.
Zongyong JiangInstitute of Animal Science, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science in South China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Nutrition, Guangzhou 510640, China.
Shouqun JiangInstitute of Animal Science, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science in South China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Nutrition, Guangzhou 510640, China. Electronic address: jiangshouqun@gdaas.cn.
Dong RuanInstitute of Animal Science, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science in South China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Nutrition, Guangzhou 510640, China. Electronic address: donruan@126.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effects of partially removing essential amino acids (methionine, tryptophan, arginine, and isoleucine) from a low-protein diet on medium-speed yellow-feathered broilers aged 1-30 days. The evaluation focused on growth performance, physiological and biochemical indicators, amino acid transport, intestinal microbiota, and plasma free amino acid profiles. A total of 1,080 one-day-old yellow-feathered broiler hens were randomly assigned to six groups: a standard protein group (SD, CP 20.5%), a low-protein group (LP, CP 18%), and four amino acids groups that 20% reduction relative to the LP group in methionine (LP-Met), tryptophan (LP-Trp), arginine (LP-Arg), isoleucine (LP-Ile), respectively. Each group consisted of six replicates, with 30 chickens per replicate, the experiment lasted for 30 days. The results showed that the final body weight (BW) and average daily gain (ADG) of the LP group were significantly lower than those of the SD group (P < 0.05). The LP-Arg group exhibited the lowest FBW and ADG and the highest feed conversion ratio (P < 0.05), while the LP-Ile and LP-Met groups showed significantly higher protein deposition rates compared with the SD and LP groups (P < 0.05). The LP group exhibited elevated plasma level of triglycerides, blood urea nitrogen, and growth hormone, along with decreased levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (P < 0.05). Reduction of Met or Trp decreased TG level compared with those observed in SD group, whereas reduction of Arg or Ile lowered BUN level (P < 0.05). The expression of the neutral amino acid transporter (B0AT) and excitatory amino acid transporter 3 (EAAT3) in the jejunum of the LP group was significantly upregulated (P < 0.05), with partial recovery observed after the reduction of Met, Trp, Arg, and Ile. Moreover, the LP group exhibited reduced α-diversity in the cecal microbiota and a decreased ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (P < 0.05). The LP-Met group showed enrichment of beneficial bacteria such as Faecalibacterium, whereas the LP-Trp group was characterized by an increased the abundance of Firmicutes phylum (P < 0.05). The LP-Arg and LP-Ile groups exhibited a trend toward recovery of gut microbiota diversity. The LP group exhibited reduced levels of taurine and cysteine (P < 0.05), with differential responses observed among the amino acid reduction groups (e.g., elevated Thr in the LP-Met group and decreased Arg in the LP-Arg group). In summary, Arg reduction in LP diet had the most pronounced inhibitory effect on growth, whereas dietary Met and Ile reductions promoted greater protein deposition. These findings highlight the importance of precise amino acid balance to optimize production performance and health in yellow-feathered broilers fed low-protein diets.

Indexed as

Amino Acids, EssentialChickensDietary ProteinsDiet, Protein-RestrictedGastrointestinal MicrobiomeAnimal FeedAnimal Nutritional Physiological PhenomenaAnimalsCecumDietFemaleRandom AllocationAmino Acids, EssentialDietary ProteinsAmino acid balanceAmino acid transportersProtein metabolism, Intestinal microbiotaYellow-feathered chickens

Identifiers

PMID42485916
PMCPMC13427480

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.