Dietary inclusion of golden apple snail egg powder as a natural astaxanthin source modulates MUC2 gene expression without affecting performance or organ weight in laying pullets

Golden apple snail eggs (GASE) is a potential natural source of astaxanthin, a carotenoid with notable antioxidant properties. However, the presence of antinutrients within GASE raises concerns regarding their effective utilisation in animal diets. This study evaluated the impact of dietary GASE on growth, internal organs (pancreas, liver), and genes for intestinal integrity (MUC2) and amino acid transport (SLC7A2, ASCT1) in laying chicken pullets. A total of one hundred and forty-four 12–week-old laying chicken pullets were assigned to a completely randomised design with 4 treatments and 6 replication. The treatments consisted of a basal diet based on broken rice (B), the basal diet supplemented with 20 g/kg GASE (L), the basal diet supplemented with 40 g/kg GASE (H), and a control diet based on maize without GASE (M). Following a 28–day experimental period, measurements of pullet growth performance, pancreas and liver weights, and jejunal histomorphometry revealed no significant differences among the dietary groups (p > 0.05). The dietary inclusion of GASE led to a suppression of MUC2 gene expression (p < 0.05). Conversely, the expression levels of the amino acid transporter genes, SLC7A2 and ASCT1, remained unaffected by the GASE supplementation (p > 0.05). These findings suggest GASE powder is a safe feed ingredient for laying chickens at the tested levels in this short-term study. Further research is needed to fully understand astaxanthin’s potential protective effects on the intestine and other organs, as well as the long-term effects of dietary GASE.