Effects of lysolecithins on performance, egg quality, blood profiles and liver histopathology in late-phase laying hens.

1. This study investigated the effects of lysolecithins (LL) on performance, egg quality, blood profiles, relative organ weight and liver histopathology in laying hens.2.A total of 480 healthy 65-week-old Lohmann laying hens were randomlyallocated into four treatments in a2 × 2 factorial arrangement design with two levels of energy (AMEn,11.08 MJ/kg and 12.94 MJ/kg)and two levels of LL(0 and 0.05%).3.Birds fed high energy diets had lower ( < 0.05)average daily intake and feed conversion rate during week 0-4, 5-8and 0-8, but higher ( < 0.05)average egg weight (AEW) during trial weeks 0-4. There was aninteraction in ( < 0.05) AEW during trial weeks 0-14 and 0-8 forenergy and LL. The high energy diets increased yolk colour at the endof weeks 2 and 4, while addition of LL increased albumen height atthe end of week 2. There was an interaction ( < 0.05) in yolkcolour between energy and LL at the end of week 2. There was aninteraction ( < 0.05) in serum superoxidedismutaseand LDL-C throughout the experiment.4.The high energy diets increased ( < 0.05) the relative weight ofabdominal fat compared with low energy diets. The high energy dietsincreased ( < 0.05) liver ether extract content and liverpathological injury scorecompared with low energy diets at the end of week 8, while theaddition of LL decreased ( < 0.05) liverpathological injury score.4.Thesupplementation of LL in high energy dietscould alleviate some negative effects on liver injury in late layinghens.