The Effects of Fermented Chinese Herbal Medicine on Growth Performance, Immunity, Intestinal Microbiota, and Intestinal Metabolite Profile of Broiler Chicks

The Effects of Fermented Chinese Herbal Medicine on Growth Performance, Immunity, Intestinal Microbiota, and Intestinal Metabolite Profile of Broiler Chicks | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article The Effects of Fermented Chinese Herbal Medicine on Growth Performance, Immunity, Intestinal Microbiota, and Intestinal Metabolite Profile of Broiler Chicks Junyang Fan, Xue Zhang, Yuntian Zhang, Xueyan Hu, Mingfan Yang, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7238260/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 16 Feb, 2026 Read the published version in Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins → Version 1 posted 15 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study investigates the effects of fermented Banqi( Radix Isatidis and Astragalus membranaceus ) extract (FBQ) on the growth performance, immunity, intestinal microbiota, and metabolite profile of broiler chicks. A total of 160 one-day-old yellow-feathered broilers were assigned to four treatment groups: control (PBS), Bacillus subtilis (BS), unfermented Banqi extract (UFBQ), and fermented Banqi extract (FBQ). The experiment lasted for 42 days. Results showed that FBQ significantly enhanced growth performance, with higher body weight and average daily gain ( P < 0.05) compared to other groups. Blood biochemical parameters indicated improved protein, calcium, and fat metabolism in FBQ-fed chicks. Immune function was also enhanced, with significant increases in anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-4, IL-10) and immunoglobulins (IgG, sIgA) ( P < 0.01). Intestinal microbiota analysis revealed that FBQ increased microbial diversity and enriched beneficial genera such as Bifidobacterium . The metabolomics analysis identified 73 differential metabolites in the FBQ group. Notably, the differential metabolites detected in the BS or UFBQ groups were also identified in the FBQ group. This finding confirms that fermented traditional Chinese medicine integrates the combined advantages of both probiotics and traditional Chinese medicine. Overall, this study provides robust evidence that FBQ can serve as a safe and effective feed additive for broiler chickens, facilitating the promotion and application of fermented traditional Chinese medicine. Fermented BanQi extract Growth performance Immunity Intestinal microbiota Metabolite profile Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 INTRODUCTION According to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics of China for the first quarter of 2025, poultry meat output reached 6.41 million tonnes, up 5.1% year-on-year. This robust growth reflects consumers’ sustained and strong demand for poultry products. Yet the industry continues to face severe cost pressures, with feed expenses accounting for 60–70% of total production costs[ 1 ]. To curb these costs and prevent disease, many producers once relied heavily on in-feed antibiotics. Overuse of these drugs, however, has led to resistant strains of pathogens, poorer meat quality, and dangerous residues that threaten human health[ 2 ]. In response, China implemented a nationwide ban on all antibiotic growth promoters in feed starting July 2020[ 3 ]. This landmark policy ushers the Chinese poultry sector into a new era and makes the urgent development of green, residue-free alternatives more critical than ever. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a treasured pharmacological resource in China. It has long played an important role in enhancing immunity and growth performance in livestock and poultry, and TCM-based products are currently the only growth-promoting feed additives permitted for use in China. Radix Isatidis (ban lan gen) is rich in bioactive compounds; its extract has been shown to effectively combat Infectious Bronchitis Virus (IBV) infection[ 4 ]. Astragalus membranaceus (huang qi) is another key traditional herb whose main active constituents—astragalosides and astragalus polysaccharides —exert notable immunomodulatory effects. By improving intestinal health and modulating the gut microbiota, Astragalus significantly increases average daily gain (ADG) and reduces feed conversion ratio (FCR) in broilers[ 5 ]. Our previous work demonstrated that the BanQi polysaccharide complex ( Radix Isatidis and Astragalus membranaceus ) enhances immune function and possesses antiviral activity (Patent No. ZL 200610160048.4). However, many of TCM’s active ingredients are trapped within plant cell walls, making them poorly absorbed by chicks and limiting their practical application in poultry production. Fermentation with probiotics can markedly improve the bioavailability of these compounds[ 6 ]. In our laboratory, we prepared fermented BanQi by BanQi extract with Bacillus subtilis. Preliminary studies showed that this process substantially increases the levels of free amino acids and bioactive constituents in the extract. When fed to weaned lambs, the fermented BanQi preparation improved growth performance and intestinal health more effectively than the unfermented extract[ 7 ]. Against this background, we hypothesize that, compared with either probiotics alone or unfermented BanQi extract, the fermented BanQi preparation can more effectively enhance growth performance and intestinal immunity in broiler chicks, and thus represents a safe and efficacious dietary additive. Using Yellow-feathered broilers as the model, the present study was therefore designed to evaluate the impact of fermented BanQi broth on chick growth and intestinal immune status. By integrating 16S rRNA-based gut-microbiota profiling with untargeted metabolomics, we further sought to systematically elucidate the mechanisms by which fermented Chinese medicine improves intestinal health, thereby providing a solid theoretical foundation for its wider application in the poultry industry. MATERIALS AND METHODS Herbal Extraction and Fermentation Strains Radix Isatidis (100 g) and Astragalus membranaceus (200 g) slices were purchased from Yi Guo Ren Pharmacy in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China. After precise weighing, the herbs were soaked in 3000 mL of distilled water, boiled, and then simmered for 120 minutes. The extract was subsequently concentrated to 300 mL to prepare the unfermented Banqi extract (UFBQ). Meanwhile, an identical batch and weight of the herbs were decocted and concentrated to 75 mL using the same method, specifically for the subsequent fermentation process.The Bacillus subtilis (BS) strain used for fermentation was isolated from the intestines of healthy chickens in our laboratory and is currently preserved in the China General Microbiological Culture Collection Center (CGMCC No. 24193). After pre-culturing in Lysogeny Broth (LB) medium at 37°C for 24 hours, the concentration of the strain was adjusted to 3×10⁹ CFU/mL. Under sterile conditions, 75 mL of the herbal concentrate, 225 mL of LB medium, and 5 mL of BS culture were mixed in a sterilized culture bottle to form the fermentation system. The system was then fermented at 35°C for 36 hours to produce the fermented Banqi liquid (FBQ).Viable cell counting analysis of the fermented liquid revealed a Bacillus subtilis concentration of 1.21×10¹⁰ CFU/mL. This result indicates that the Banqi extract significantly enhances the abundance of Bacillus subtilis during the fermentation process. Experimental Design and Dietary Treatments The experiment was conducted in the Science and Education Park of Henan Agricultural University in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China, in January 2025. All experimental procedures were conducted in accordance with the guidelines of the Animal Care and Use Committee of Henan Agricultural University and received ethical approval under protocol No. HNND20250113008. Prior to the start of the experiment, the chicken house and related equipment were fumigated to ensure hygiene. In the first week after the chickens were introduced into the house, the indoor temperature was maintained at 30°C and then reduced by 2°C per week until it reached 25°C. A total of 160 one-day-old yellow-feathered broilers were randomly assigned to four treatment groups, with four replicate cages per group and 10 broilers per cage. The negative control group (Control) chicks were gavaged with 0.6 ml of PBS, the BS group chicks were gavaged with 0.6 ml of BS suspension (1.21×10¹⁰ CFU/ml), and the chicks in the UFBQ and FBQ groups were gavaged with 0.6 ml of UFBQ or FBQ, respectively. The experiment lasted for 42 days. During the experimental period, the chicks had free access to water and feed. The feed provided was a pelleted diet formulated according to the published standards of “Compound Feed for Laying Hens and Broilers” (GB/T 5916 − 2020). Two types of feed formulations were used based on the age and growth stage of the chickens: starter feed (days 1–21) and grower-finisher feed (days 22–42). The ingredients and nutritional composition of the feed for each stage are detailed in Table 1 . Table 1 Composition and Nutritional Levels of the Basal Diet Ingredients 1 ~ 21 d 22 ~ 42 d Nutrient components 1 ~ 21 d 22 ~ 42 d Corn 59.20 61.10 ME/(MJ/kg) 13.29 13.50 Soybean meal 24.45 23. 90 CP 22.00 18.00 Expanded soybeans 2.00 3.00 Ca 0.90 0.85 Soybean oil 3.00 3.00 TP 0.63 0.55 Corn gluten meal 4.30 3.00 Lys 1.20 1.00 Fish meal 3.00 2.00 Met 0.58 0.50 CaHPO 4 1.20 1.20 Thr 0.84 0.75 Limestone 1.00 1.00 Trp 0.21 0.20 NaCl 0.30 0.30 L-Lys 0.55 0.50 Premix 1 1 Total 100.00 100.00 Note: In the nutritive composition of the basal diet, metabolizable energy is a calculated value and all other indices are measured values. Growth Performance Measurements On day 1 of the experiment, all chicks were individually weighed. During the experiment, the daily feed intake and weight gain of each group were accurately recorded. At the end of the experiment, all chicks were weighed again to record their live body weight (BW). The average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) of each group were calculated to evaluate the effects of different medications on the growth performance of the chicks. Determination of Immune Organ Index At the end of the experiment, 8 birds were randomly selected from each treatment group and slaughtered by cervical dislocation. The liver, bursa of Fabricius, and spleen were collected and weighed to calculate the organ index. The formula for calculating the immune organ index is: Immune Organ Index = Immune Organ Weight (mg) / Body Weight (g). Hematological and Serum Biochemical Analysis After the experiment, the chicks were fasted for 12 hours. Blood was collected from the wing vein and placed into 5 mL anticoagulant vacuum blood collection tubes and coagulant-promoting blood collection tubes for the collection of whole blood and serum, respectively. The total white blood cell count (WBC), red blood cell count (RBC), and hemoglobin (HGB) levels in the whole blood of each group of chicks were measured using the Shenzhen Mindray hematology analyzer (BC5000). Meanwhile, the levels of total protein, albumin, globulin, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, total cholesterol, triglycerides, urea nitrogen, alkaline phosphatase, calcium, and lipase in the serum of each group of chicks were measured using the company's fully automatic biochemical analyzer (BS400). Cytokine, Serum IgG, and Intestinal sIgA Assays At the end of the experiment, blood samples were collected from the chicks and serum was separated. The levels of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), immunoglobulin G (IgG), and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in the serum were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Meanwhile, the content of secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) in the duodenum was measured using an ELISA kit, strictly following the instructions provided. Extraction and sequencing of intestinal microbiota DNA After the trial was completed, cecal contents samples were immediately collected for subsequent analysis of the cecal microbiota in chicks using high-throughput sequencing technology. Genomic DNA was extracted using a kit (DP328) provided by Tiangen Biotech Co., Ltd. (China). Sequencing was performed on the Illumina MiSeq platform using specific primers 338F (5′-ACTCCTACGGGAGCAGCAG-3′) and 806R (5′-GGACTACHVGGGTWTCTAAT-3′) to amplify the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene, with end-sequencing conducted on the NovaSeq PE250 platform (Illumina, San Diego, USA). The quality of the raw sequencing data was controlled using fastp software version 0.20.0, and FLASH software version 1.2.7 was used to merge paired-end sequencing reads.The sequences were clustered based on a 97% similarity threshold for operational taxonomic units (OTUs) (Edgar, 2013). The OTUs were defined using UPARSE software, and the representative sequences of each OTU were classified using the RDP Classifier version 2.2, with the Silva V132 database as the reference for classification and identification. Non-targeted metabolomic analysis of cecal contents After the trial ended, cecal contents were collected from each group of chicks for analysis of the metabolite composition in the contents using LC-MS. The method used is as follows. A 50 mg cecal sample was accurately weighed and extracted with 400 µL of methanol-water (4:1, v/v) solution. After being crushed using the high-throughput tissue homogenizer Wonbio-96c, the sample was centrifuged at 13,000g for 15 min at 4℃. The supernatant was collected for LC-MS/MS analysis. A quality control (QC) sample was prepared by mixing equal volumes of all samples to monitor the stability of the analysis. Metabolite analysis was performed using the ExionLC™AD system equipped with an ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 column. The mobile phase consisted of 0.1% formic acid in water (solvent A) and 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile-isopropanol (1:1, v/v) (solvent B). The injection volume was 20 µL, flow rate was 0.4 mL/min, and the column temperature was maintained at 40℃. The MS source temperature was 500℃, curtain gas (CUR) was set at 30 psi, ion source GS1 and GS2 were both set at 50 psi, ion-spray voltage floating (ISVF) was 4000V in negative mode and 5000V in positive mode, declustering potential was 80V, and collision energy (CE) ranged from 20 to 60V in rolling mode for MS/MS. Data were acquired in Data Dependent Acquisition (DDA) mode over a mass range of 50 to 1000 m/z. Post-analysis, data were processed using Progenesis QI 2.3 software. Metabolic features detected in at least 80% of samples were retained. Log-transformed data were used to identify differences in cecal metabolite levels among different groups of chicks. Statistical significance was set at P 1 in OPLS-DA. Finally, the differential metabolites were subjected to pathway analysis based on the KEGG database. Data Analysis Process The experimental results are presented as mean ± standard error of the mean (Mean ± SEM). Differences among group means were analyzed by one-way ANOVA, followed by Duncan’s multiple-range test for pairwise comparisons. All statistical analyses and graphs were performed using Prism software. Prior to ANOVA, normality and homogeneity of variance were verified. A P -value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant, and P < 0.01 was considered highly significant. RESULTS Measurement of Growth Performance and Immune Organ Indexes The effects of three types of feed additives on the growth performance of chicks are shown in Table 2 . On the first day of the trial, there were no significant differences in the initial body weight among the groups (P = 0.8993). However, at 21 and 42 days, the body weight of chicks in the FBQ and UFBQ groups was significantly higher than that in the control and BS groups ( P < 0.0001), with the FBQ group showing a more pronounced effect. In terms of average daily gain (ADG), during the 1–21-day period, the ADG of the FBQ and UFBQ groups was significantly higher than that of the control and BS groups ( P < 0.0001), and the FBQ group had the highest ADG. Over the entire trial period (1–42 days), the ADG of the FBQ group remained significantly higher than that of the control and BS groups (P = 0.0005). For average daily feed intake (ADF1), during the 22–42-day period, the ADF1 of the UFBQ group was significantly lower than that of the control and BS groups (P = 0.0058), but there were no significant differences in ADF1 among the groups over the entire trial period (P = 0.6064). Regarding feed conversion ratio (FCR), the FCR of the FBQ and UFBQ groups was significantly lower than that of the control and BS groups during the 1–21-day, 22–42-day, and 1–42-day periods ( P < 0.05), and the FCR of the BS group was significantly lower than that of the control group during the 22–42-day and 1–42-day periods. In addition, the results of the immune organ index measurement showed that, compared with the control group, feeding FBQ significantly decreased the liver index of chicks (P<0.05) (Fig. 1 A), while no significant differences were found in the spleen and bursa of Fabricius indices (Figs. 1 B and 1 C). These results indicate that probiotics and traditional Chinese medicine can enhance the growth performance of chicks to a certain extent and reduce the feed conversion ratio. The use of probiotics to ferment traditional Chinese medicine can significantly enhance this beneficial effect and maintain the liver health of chicks. Table 2 Effects of BS, UFQ, and FBQ on the growth performance of broiler chicks Groups Control BS UFBQ FBQ P value BW, g 1d 52.62 ± 0.73 52.94 ± 1.05 52.71 ± 0.91 52.67 ± 0.88 0.8993 21d 905.87 ± 46.09 a 962.81 ± 62.35 a 1050.71 ± 47.92 b 1115.66 ± 87.45 b <0.0001 42d 1482.38 ± 71.11 a 1553.13 ± 102.15 a 1607.25 ± 72.19 ab 1714.88 ± 129.59 b 0.0004 ADG, g/d 1-21d 40.63 ± 2.19 a 43.33 ± 2.98 a 47.52 ± 2.30 b 50.62 ± 4.15 b <0.0001 22-42d 27.45 ± 1.45 28.11 ± 1.90 26.50 ± 1.18 28.53 ± 2.04 0.1072 1-42d 34.04 ± 1.70 a 35.71 ± 2.44 a 37.01 ± 1.73 ab 39.57 ± 3.08 b 0.0005 ADF1, g/d 1-21d 80.48 ± 7.54 81.58 ± 9.14 87.92 ± 5.09 90.61 ± 9.13 0.0713 22-42d 56.95 ± 3.84 a 54.25 ± 4.54 ab 49.31 ± 2.78 b 52.41 ± 4.58 ab 0.0058 1-42d 68.72 ± 4.70 67.92 ± 6.76 68.62 ± 3.91 71.51 ± 6.84 0.6064 FCR 1-21d 1.98 ± 0.11 a 1.88 ± 0.10 ab 1.85 ± 0.03 b 1.79 ± 0.05 b 0.0002 22-42d 2.07 ± 0.05 a 1.93 ± 0.04 b 1.86 ± 0.03 c 1.83 ± 0.04 c <0.0001 1-42d 2.02 ± 0.06 a 1.90 ± 0.06 b 1.85 ± 0.02 bc 1.80 ± 0.04 c <0.0001 Note: a,b Means within the same row that have no common superscript are significantly different at P < 0.05. The test results Serum Biochemical Parameters in Chicks The results of the hematological tests of the chicks are shown in Table 3 . The white blood cell count (WBC), red blood cell count (RBC), and hemoglobin content (Hb) of chicks in different treatment groups were all within the normal physiological range, and there were no significant differences among the groups (P > 0.05), indicating that the treatments had no significant effect on the hematological parameters of the broiler chickens.The results of the serum biochemical tests for chicks in different treatment groups are presented in Table 4 . The levels of Total Protein, Albumin, and Globulin showed significant differences among the groups ( P < 0.05), with the FBQ group exhibiting higher levels of Total Protein and Albumin compared to the Control group (P = 0.0351 and P = 0.0039, respectively). The ALT levels also varied significantly ( P < 0.05), with the FBQ group having significantly lower ALT levels than the Control group ( P = 0.0069). Total Cholesterol levels were significantly different among the groups ( P < 0.001), with the FBQ group showing higher levels than the Control group, while other treatment groups also had elevated cholesterol levels compared to the Control group, indicating that different treatments may influence lipid metabolism in chicks ( P = 0.0004). BUN levels exhibited significant differences ( P < 0.01), with the FBQ group having significantly lower BUN levels than the Control group, suggesting a potential protective effect of FBQ on kidney function ( P = 0.0076). Calcium (Ca) levels also showed significant differences ( P < 0.01), with the FBQ group having higher calcium levels than other groups, indicating that FBQ treatment may enhance calcium absorption in chicks ( P = 0.0011). Lipase levels were significantly different among the groups ( P 0.05), indicating that these parameters remained relatively stable across the treatment groups. These results indicate that, compared to the use of probiotics or herbal extracts alone, fermented herbal preparations more readily influence the serum biochemical parameters of chicks, contributing to improved health status. Table 3 Effects of BS, UFQ, and FBQ on hematological indices in broiler chicks Groups Control BS UFBQ FBQ P value WBC(10⁹/L) 8.21 ± 2.54 8.50 ± 2.41 9.33 ± 1.83 7.08 ± 2.64 0.3483 RBC(10¹²/L) 5.20 ± 0.84 5.53 ± 0.73 5.64 ± 0.38 5.45 ± 0.90 0.7022 Hb(g/L) 142.16 ± 18.27 157.64 ± 24.57 149.24 ± 18.35 166.84 ± 181.9 0.1073 Note: In the nutritive composition of the basal diet, metabolizable energy is a calculated value and all other indices are measured values. Table 4 Effects of BS, UFBQ, and FBQ on serum biochemical parameters in broiler chicks Indicator Control BS UFBQ FBQ P value Total Protein(g/L) 91.21 ± 4.00 a 96.26 ± 8.22 ab 98.23 ± 9.34 ab 101.73 ± 4.08 b 0.0351 Albumin (g/L) 45.84 ± 3.02 a 53.44 ± 3.93 b 54.05 ± 5.60 b 54.18 ± 6.11 b 0.0039 Globulin (g/L) 35.13 ± 3.39 a 42.45 ± 8.51 ab 45.43 ± 8.33 b 47.43 ± 5.78 b 0.0068 ALT(U/L) 33.80 ± 5.52 a 34.36 ± 7.74 a 28.28 ± 8.07 ab 23.05 ± 5.14 b 0.0069 AST(U/L) 34.71 ± 6.80 38.93 ± 7.44 34.46 ± 12.26 34.05 ± 9.61 0.6982 Total Cholesterol(mmol/L) 3.60 ± 0.24 a 5.50 ± 0.84 b 5.01 ± 1.22 b 5.37 ± 0.77 b 0.0004 Triglyceride (mmol/L) 1.38 ± 0.29 1.14 ± 0.35 1.55 ± 0.45 1.63 ± 0.55 0.1163 BUN (mmol/L) 10.35 ± 0.66 a 9.79 ± 1.45 ab 9.98 ± 1.19 a 8.42 ± 0.85 b 0.0076 ALP (U/L) 111.23 ± 37.94 118.86 ± 35.07 124.05 ± 29.25 100.54 ± 34.19 0.5533 Ca(mmol/L) 2.59 ± 0.20 a 2.74 ± 0.24 a 2.62 ± 0.24 a 3.14 ± 0.28 b 0.0011 Lipase(U/L) 60.54 ± 26.31a 75.61 ± 36.50 ab 99.05 ± 38.30 ab 110.69 ± 22.36 b 0.0156 Note: In the nutritive composition of the basal diet, metabolizable energy is a calculated value and all other indices are measured values. Chick serum cytokine test results The test results of the chick serum cytokines are shown in Fig. 2 . Compared to the control group, the levels of IFN-γ and IL-2 in the serum of chicks fed with FBQ, UFBQ, and BS were reduced to varying degrees, with significant differences observed in the FBQ group ( P < 0.001) (Fig. 2 A - 2 B). Furthermore, compared to the control group, the levels of IL-10 and IL-4 in the serum of the BS, UFBQ, and FBQ groups were significantly elevated ( P < 0.001) (Fig. 2 C- 2 D), while the levels of TGF-β and NOS were significantly reduced ( P < 0.001) (Fig. 2 E- 2 F). Measurement Results of Serum IgG and Intestinal sIgA The results of serum IgG and intestinal sIgA measurements are presented in Fig. 3 . Compared to the control group, chicks fed with UFBQ and FBQ showed a significant increase in serum IgG levels (P < 0.01), with FBQ exhibiting the most pronounced effect (Fig. 3 A). While the BS group also showed a slight increase in serum IgG, the difference was not statistically significant. Additionally, chicks fed with BS, UFBQ, and FBQ all demonstrated a significant boost in sIgA levels ( P < 0.01), with the FBQ group showing the most remarkable elevation (Fig. 3 B). These findings suggest that FBQ has the potential to modulate the immune system, thereby enhancing both the systemic immune response and gut mucosal immunity in chicks. The impact of fermented Banqi extract on the microbial diversity in the cecum of young chickens As shown in Fig. 4 , the sequencing of the cecal microbiota of chicks reveals that, aside from the shared OTUs, the FBQ group has the highest number of OTUs (8007), indicating that feeding FBQ enhances the diversity of the cecal microbiota in chicks (Fig. 4 A). Alpha - diversity analysis shows that compared to the Control group, Chao1 and Shannon indices decrease in chicks fed UFBQ, but feeding fermented drugs prevents this decline, maintaining indices at Control - comparable levels (Fig. 4 B). Beta - diversity analysis shows a clear separation in the composition of the cecal microbiota of chicks fed different additives (Fig. 4 C). At the phylum level, the abundance of Firmicutes increases and that of Bacteroidota decreases in the cecal microbiota of chicks fed FBQ or UFBQ compared to the Control or BS group (Fig. 4 D). At the genus level, compared to the Control group, immune - related changes are evident in the BS group. The relative abundance of Blautia and Ruminococcus increases and that of Alistipes decreases in the FBQ and UFBQ groups (Fig. 4 E). Additionally, LefSe analysis (LDA = 2) identifies differentially abundant microbes across groups. The Control group is enriched in g_Georgenia and g__Pusillimonas . The BS group is enriched in g_Butyricimonas , f__Bacillaceae_g__Bacillus , g__Psychrobacter , and g__Rothia . The FBQ group is enriched in g__Bifidobacterium , f__Peptostreptococcaceae_g__Clostridium , and g__Turicibacter . Notably, no significantly up - regulated microbes are found in the UFBQ group(figure 4 F). The effect of fermented Banqi membranaceus liquid on the cecal contents of chicks Non-targeted metabolomics analysis of chick cecal metabolites was performed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), with the results shown in Fig. 5 . A total of 2,253 metabolites were identified in this experiment (Supplementary Table 1), and their classification is presented in Fig. 5 A. The top three categories were organic acids and derivatives (24.469%), lipids and lipid-like molecules (22.301%), and organic heterocyclic compounds (13.628%). Compared to the Control group, the BS group had 1,016 upregulated and 1,237 downregulated metabolites, the UFBQ group had 1,247 upregulated and 1,006 downregulated metabolites, and the FBQ group had 1,237 upregulated and 1,016 downregulated metabolites (Fig. 5 B, Supplementary Figs. 1A - B). Using VIP > 1, |log₂FC| >1, and P < 0.05 as criteria for screening differential metabolites, the results are shown in Table 5 . The BS group had 12 significantly changed metabolites (4 upregulated, 8 downregulated), the UFBQ group had 30 significantly changed metabolites (13 upregulated, 17 downregulated), and the FBQ group had 73 significantly changed metabolites (44 upregulated, 29 downregulated) (Fig. 5 C, Supplementary Figs. 1C – D and Table 5 – 7 ). Notably, the four upregulated metabolites in the BS group and eleven in the UFBQ group were also upregulated in the FBQ group. Similarly, five downregulated metabolites in the BS group and nine in the UFBQ group were also downregulated in the FBQ group (Fig. 5 D- 5 E). These results highlight the combined effects of fermented traditional Chinese medicine, which possesses both medicinal properties and probiotic characteristics. Table 5 Screened Differential Metabolite Profiles (BS vs Control) Metabolite Name log2FC p-value VIP Atorvastatin 3.59 0.00071871 13.85 Uridine 2.01 0.019486907 4.10 Ile-Ala-Arg 1.35 0.040136152 1.01 Ribothymidine 1.18 0.024134323 2.34 Methyl 10-acetyloxy-4,5,9-trihydroxy-1,4a-dimethyl-7-propan-2-yl-2,3,4,9,10,10a-hexahydrophenanthrene-1-carboxylate -1.13 0.037918218 3.13 (2e,6e,11e,13e)-18-(2,6-dioxopiperidin-4-yl)-9-hydroxy-8-methoxy-10,12,14-trimethyl-15-oxooctadeca-2,6,11,13-tetraenoic acid -1.14 0.01900725 1.24 Defluoroatorvastatin -1.28 0.002544514 5.17 (2r,3s,4s,5r,6r)-2-[[(2s,3r,4r)-3,4-dihydroxy-4-(hydroxymethyl)oxolan-2-yl]oxymethyl]-6-[4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)butan-2-yloxy]oxane-3,4,5-triol -1.39 0.000128444 4.07 Phe(benzoyl)-leu-arg -1.40 0.011741614 2.60 Methanone, [6-hydroxy-1-[2-(4-morpholinyl)ethyl]-1h-indol-3-yl]-1-naphthalenyl- -1.43 0.001026566 20.21 Mitoxantrone -1.54 0.000418594 12.80 2-[(2r,4as,8s,8as)-8-[2-[(4as,7r,8ar)-7-(1-carboxyethenyl)-1-hydroxy-4a-methyl-2-oxo-6,7,8,8a-tetrahydro-5h-naphthalen-1-yl]ethyl]-4a-methyl-7-oxo-1,2,3,4,8,8a-hexahydronaphthalen-2-yl]prop-2-enoic acid -1.74 0.017354903 2.82 Table 6 Screened Differential Metabolite Profiles (UFBQ vs Control) Metabolite Name log2FC p-value VIP Atorvastatin 3.80 0.000269064 12.61 Uridine 3.40 0.002324697 6.39 2-(n-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid 2.33 0.042228982 9.51 Ribothymidine 2.26 0.003608838 3.01 Taurine 1.86 0.015081424 7.19 L-cysteine-glutathione disulfide 1.84 0.019863766 1.56 N,n'-diacetylchitobiose 1.64 0.016904505 1.59 Frangulin b 1.60 0.022813837 2.20 Quinoline-2,8-diol 1.31 0.025767812 4.61 Ouabain 1.29 0.039955678 2.08 Thalsimidine 1.25 0.011343875 1.88 Ile-Trp 1.12 0.042472032 1.02 Neohesperidose 1.08 0.040337183 2.04 Marticin -1.11 0.009736819 2.69 S-methyl-5'-thioadenosine -1.13 0.04172043 2.24 (-)-n6-(2-phenylisopropyl)adenosine -1.14 0.004852032 2.34 Desmethylverapamil -1.15 0.021683532 1.29 2-oxoadipic acid -1.18 0.012120443 1.01 Bromobutide -1.20 0.01880417 1.39 Senegenin -1.34 0.021967802 1.64 1-palmitoyl-2-hydroxy-sn-glycero-3-phospho-(1'-rac-glycerol) -1.35 0.004918268 3.06 Fulvestrant 9-sulfone -1.48 0.011910788 2.45 2-[(2r,4as,8s,8as)-8-[2-[(4as,7r,8ar)-7-(1-carboxyethenyl)-1-hydroxy-4a-methyl-2-oxo-6,7,8,8a-tetrahydro-5h-naphthalen-1-yl]ethyl]-4a-methyl-7-oxo-1,2,3,4,8,8a-hexahydronaphthalen-2-yl]prop-2-enoic acid -1.56 0.023100921 1.08 (2r,3s,4s,5r,6r)-2-[[(2s,3r,4r)-3,4-dihydroxy-4-(hydroxymethyl)oxolan-2-yl]oxymethyl]-6-[4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)butan-2-yloxy]oxane-3,4,5-triol -1.57 5.02699E-05 3.80 Met-Glu-Lys -1.61 0.006109415 1.49 Mitoxantrone -1.70 4.88044E-05 11.85 Methanone, [6-hydroxy-1-[2-(4-morpholinyl)ethyl]-1h-indol-3-yl]-1-naphthalenyl- -1.73 0.000380904 16.79 Quillaic acid -1.84 0.017236223 1.95 Apiole -2.07 0.021203436 4.71 Madecassic acid -2.08 0.026137453 1.06 Table 7 Screened Differential Metabolite Profiles (FBQ vs Control) Metabolite Name log2FC p-value VIP Atorvastatin 4.09 0.000137076 13.11 Uridine 3.98 0.01422429 6.32 Taurine 2.25 0.005023243 6.39 Thalsimidine 2.18 0.022057703 1.71 2-(n-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid 2.15 0.017301849 10.72 Ribothymidine 2.07 0.000959394 3.52 L-cysteine-glutathione disulfide 2.05 0.003008799 1.45 Ile-Leu-Arg 2.03 0.034101925 1.27 Ile-Ala-Arg 1.98 0.000233507 1.01 Ouabain 1.90 0.032909301 2.19 1-palmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine 1.88 0.015040562 3.80 N,n'-diacetylchitobiose 1.76 0.00321675 8.80 Proscillaridin a 1.75 0.036303677 1.22 Sphinganine 1.64 0.049676373 1.68 4-morpholinopropanesulfonic acid 1.63 0.002058604 2.78 Histamine 1.53 0.03471695 4.18 Dl-Leu-dl-Val 1.50 0.010421036 1.84 Lys-Val 1.49 0.000401891 1.01 1-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine 1.49 0.040460306 2.17 5-L-Glutamyl-L-alanine 1.47 0.012710084 1.34 Leu-Leu 1.46 0.011779181 1.55 Leu-Val 1.45 0.005027212 4.17 Frangulin b 1.45 0.015478955 2.50 N-acetylhistamine 1.42 0.009104618 5.11 Leucylleucine 1.40 0.009049356 3.27 Val-Arg 1.35 0.017561898 1.60 Val-Val 1.34 0.004505377 1.76 1-o-octadecyl-sn-glyceryl-3-phosphorylcholine 1.33 0.044725669 2.44 Lys-Ile 1.28 0.002210544 1.39 Ile-Trp 1.27 0.015246159 1.06 Sulfoacetic acid 1.26 0.005072801 1.15 L-alanyl-l-norleucine 1.21 0.007132782 1.18 Ile-Arg 1.17 0.00797186 1.66 Ala-Leu-Lys 1.11 0.009842032 1.15 Leu-Gly-Leu 1.11 0.00314704 1.30 L-saccharopine 1.11 0.047345074 1.62 Ile-Ser 1.11 0.016045669 1.24 3-aminopyridine 1.10 0.010314647 1.59 Norfentanyl 1.05 0.000558325 1.32 N-acetyl-d-glucosamine 1.05 0.035983855 1.83 Desmethylverapamil 1.03 0.009163479 1.07 Quinestrol 1.01 0.016894421 1.03 Phe(benzoyl)-leu-arg 1.01 0.014972837 1.68 4-hydroxy-2-methoxybenzaldehyde 1.00 0.014979697 1.01 Trans-crocetin -1.02 0.019441626 1.60 Imazapyr -1.02 0.015303894 4.28 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde -1.05 0.001990937 3.63 L-thiocitrulline -1.06 0.030448414 2.79 Methanone, [6-hydroxy-1-[2-(4-morpholinyl)ethyl]-1h-indol-3-yl]-1-naphthalenyl- -1.07 0.004689919 1.94 Quillaic acid -1.07 0.028242228 1.10 (2e,6e,11e,13e)-18-(2,6-dioxopiperidin-4-yl)-9-hydroxy-8-methoxy-10,12,14-trimethyl-15-oxooctadeca-2,6,11,13-tetraenoic acid -1.09 0.002368844 1.17 Gamma-l-glutamyl-l-glutamic acid -1.09 0.008149916 3.92 Fulvestrant 9-sulfone -1.10 0.011630785 1.43 Oleana-1,9(11)-dien-28-amide, 2-cyano-3,12-dioxo-n-(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)- -1.14 0.000399391 3.78 Cytosine -1.16 0.020923574 1.47 Mitoxantrone -1.16 0.006750417 1.23 (2r,3s,4s,5r,6r)-2-[[(2s,3r,4r)-3,4-dihydroxy-4-(hydroxymethyl)oxolan-2-yl]oxymethyl]-6-[4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)butan-2-yloxy]oxane-3,4,5-triol -1.19 0.017941805 1.15 3,3-dimethylglutaric acid -1.21 0.001529109 2.16 Apiole -1.25 0.028159532 2.60 DISCUSSION Multiple studies have reported that probiotic fermentation can markedly enhance the therapeutic efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) while simultaneously reducing its toxic and side effects[ 8 , 9 ]. In addition, fermented TCM demonstrates superior performance in promoting animal growth and immunity, and it helps lower feed costs[ 10 , 11 ]. However, few investigations have simultaneously compared probiotics, unfermented TCM, and fermented TCM within the same experimental system. Therefore, the present study employed one-day-old healthy chicks to systematically evaluate the effects of probiotics, unfermented TCM, and fermented TCM on growth performance and overall health, aiming to provide robust evidence for cost reduction and efficiency enhancement of fermented TCM. Compared with the Bacillus subtilis (BS) group or the unfermented BanQi extract (UFBQ) group, dietary supplementation with fermented BanQi (FBQ) significantly improved growth performance (body weight and average daily gain) and feed efficiency (feed conversion ratio), while reducing the liver index by 12%. These findings are consistent with prior research on fermented TCM in broilers, aligning closely with results reported by Rahmani Mohammad Malyar, Xinhong Zhou, and their colleagues[ 12 , 13 ]. ‌ FBQ demonstrated a particularly pronounced effect on nutrient metabolism. It significantly elevated serum levels of TP, ALB, GLO, ALP, Ca and Lip, while concurrently reducing ALT and BUN. TP represents the sum of all serum proteins; a rise in TP reflects improved metabolic and nutritional status. Previous studies indicate that high-performing flocks generally exhibit higher serum albumin levels, likely linked to more efficient dietary protein intake and metabolism[ 14 ]. Albumin (ALB), the predominant plasma protein, maintains oncotic pressure and transports nutrients, whereas globulin (GLO) is closely tied to immune function—elevated immunoglobulins signal immune activation [ 15 , 16 ]. FBQ demonstrated a particularly pronounced effect on nutrient metabolism. It significantly elevated serum levels of total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), globulin (GLO), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), calcium (Ca), and lipase, while concurrently reducing alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN). Total protein (TP) represents the sum of all serum proteins; a rise in TP reflects improved metabolic and nutritional status. Previous studies indicate that high-performing flocks generally exhibit higher serum albumin levels, likely linked to more efficient dietary protein intake and metabolism (T et al. 2017). Albumin (ALB), the predominant plasma protein, maintains oncotic pressure and transports nutrients, whereas globulin (GLO) is closely tied to immune function—elevated immunoglobulins signal immune activation (H et al. 2011; N et al. 2017). Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), an enzyme associated with bone and liver metabolism, often increases during accelerated skeletal growth or enhanced immunity. Broilers challenged with Eimeria tenella and subsequently supplemented with Astragalus polysaccharides showed markedly higher serum ALP activity, suggesting ALP’s role in immune modulation [ 17 , 18 ]. Ca is essential for skeletal development and neuromuscular function; adequate Ca intake enhances bone mineral density and strength [ 19 ], Lipase, the key enzyme for fat digestion, exhibits activity levels that are positively correlated with apparent nutrient utilization (dry matter, energy, crude protein) in chicks [ 20 ]. Collectively, these elevated indices indicate that FBQ markedly improves the absorption and metabolism of protein, calcium, and fat, thereby underpinning superior growth performance. Conversely, the reductions in ALT and BUN—established markers of hepatic and renal health—demonstrate that FBQ effectively safeguards liver and kidney function in broilers [ 21 , 22 ]. ‌ In terms of immune modulation, BS, UFBQ, and FBQ all shifted the immune balance in chicks, with FBQ producing the most pronounced effects. All three treatments down-regulated pro-inflammatory cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-2, TGF-β, NOS) and up-regulated anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-4, IL-10). Elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines are usually linked to overt inflammation or hyper-activated immunity; they drive the inflammatory cascade by activating immune cells, releasing inflammatory mediators, and increasing vascular permeability [ 23 ], Conversely, anti-inflammatory cytokines restore immune homeostasis and resolve inflammation by inhibiting pro-inflammatory cytokine production, modulating immune-cell activity, and promoting tissue repair[ 24 ]. IgG, the most abundant immunoglobulin, confers broad immune protection by neutralizing pathogens and activating the complement system[ 25 , 26 ]. SIgA is the dominant antibody of the mucosal immune system and plays a vital defensive role on mucosal surfaces of the digestive, respiratory, and urogenital tracts[ 27 ]. In addition, sIgA protects intestinal health by binding enteric pathogens and preventing their adhesion and colonization[ 28 , 29 ]. In the present study, dietary supplementation with BS, UFBQ, or FBQ significantly elevated IgG and sIgA levels, with FBQ showing the greatest enhancement. These results further confirm FBQ’s pronounced immunopotentiating advantage, indicating its capacity to effectively boost systemic immunity and mucosal defense while amplifying the beneficial effects of probiotics or traditional Chinese medicine. Gut-microbiota sequencing revealed that, relative to the control group, supplementing chicks with UFBQ significantly lowered cecal microbial diversity—a trend consistent with previous findings in lambs, indicating that UFBQ may disturb the steady-state balance of the gut microbiota[ 7 ]. However, feeding fermented Chinese medicine can prevent this adverse effect. Butyricimonas , a Gram-negative anaerobe known for producing butyrate and other short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), was markedly enriched by FBQ. Its expansion is strongly associated with improved intestinal barrier function and offers notable protection in necrotic enteritis (NE) models [ 30 , 31 ]. Bacillus , a ubiquitous Gram-positive spore-forming genus, can withstand extreme heat and acidity. Dietary Bacillus subtilis has repeatedly been shown to increase daily weight gain and feed conversion, strengthen the intestinal barrier, and reduce Salmonella adhesion and invasion, thereby protecting epithelial integrity[ 32 , 33 ]. In the present study, both Butyricimonas and Bacillus were significantly enriched in the BS group. Bifidobacterium , a rapidly colonizing probiotic, ferments carbohydrates into SCFAs—acetate, lactate and butyrate—that lower luminal pH and suppress Salmonella growth[ 34 ]. Chicks fed Bifidobacterium exhibit marked increases in serum IgA, IgG and IgM, greater body-weight gain, and improved feed conversion and nutrient digestibility[ 35 ]. In our trial, Bifidobacterium was selectively enriched in the FBQ group, suggesting that its proliferation is one mechanism by which FBQ enhances growth performance and intestinal immunity. Metabolomic profiling revealed that feeding BS, UFQ, or FBQ markedly elevated the abundance of beneficial cecal metabolites such as atorvastatin and uridine in broiler chicks. Atorvastatin, a potent lipid-lowering drug, inhibits hepatic HMG-CoA reductase and reduces cholesterol synthesis[ 36 ]. Dietary supplementation of 20 mg/kg atorvastatin significantly improves body-weight gain, feed conversion, and intestinal villus morphology—height, width and absorptive surface area—in chicks[ 37 ]. Uridine, a nucleoside composed of uracil and ribose, is pivotal for cellular metabolism, energy supply and biosynthesis. Supplementing 1.5 g/kg uridine increases chick body weight, promotes intestinal development (longer villi, greater absorptive area), enhances both cellular and humoral immunity, and lowers disease risk [ 38 ]. In the present study, atorvastatin and uridine were up-regulated in the BS, UFBQ and FBQ groups. Notably, fold-changes were highest in the FBQ group, providing a metabolomic explanation for the superior growth and intestinal immunity observed with FBQ. Beyond these three metabolites, chicks fed FBQ also accumulated higher cecal concentrations of taurine, which modulates the central thermoregulatory center to alleviate heat stress, strengthens anti-inflammatory and antioxidant capacity, improves intestinal barrier function, and optimizes body composition and production efficiency[ 39 – 41 ]. Importantly, prior analyses showed that fermentation increased free amino acids and short peptides in the BanQi extract. Consistently, the FBQ group exhibited enrichment of small peptides such as Dl-Leu-dl-Val, Lys-Val, Ile-Leu-Arg and Ile-Ala-Arg, a signature not observed in the BS or UFBQ groups. Conclusion This study provides solid evidence that BanQi fermented by Bacillus subtilis (FBQ) markedly outperforms either probiotics or the unfermented extract in boosting growth, fine-tuning protein–calcium–fat metabolism, strengthening systemic and mucosal immunity, reshaping the gut microbiota, and enriching beneficial metabolites in yellow-feathered broilers, thus offering a safe, effective and low-cost route to replace in-feed antibiotics. Future work will first pin down the optimal dose, timing and rearing conditions for FBQ across breeds and ages, then use integrated metagenomic, transcriptomic and proteomic approaches to dissect the molecular networks linking FBQ, microbiota and host. We will also assess its impact on meat quality, flavour and shelf life, run pilot-scale safety and economic evaluations, and explore synergies with other functional additives, laying stronger scientific and practical foundations for FBQ’s large-scale adoption and standardisation. Declarations Declaration of interest The authors declare no competing interests. Funding This research was financially supported by the Key Research and Development Program of Henan Province (221111111300), as well as by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31972731). Author Contribution All authors participated in the conception and overall design of the study. Drug preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Junyang Fan and Xue Zhang. Animal rearing was supervised by Yuntian Zhang and Xueyan Hu. Junyang Fan and Hongying Zhang jointly drafted and finalized the manuscript, while Mingfan Yang, Yue Jin and Sai Mao critically reviewed and revised it. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript. Data Availability None of the data was deposited in an official repository. Data that support those study findings are available upon request. References Yang L, He T, Xiong F, Chen X, Fan X, Jin S, et al. 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Nucleosides, nucleotides & nucleic acids. 2023;42(7):547-62; doi: 10.1080/15257770.2023.2169454. VA U, EO O, FK A, J Z, X W, H J, et al. Functional roles of taurine, L-theanine, L-citrulline, and betaine during heat stress in poultry. Journal of animal science and biotechnology. 2022;13(1):23; doi: 10.1186/s40104-022-00675-6. R M-V, MT B, AM G-Z, Y M, PA G, R F. The methionine precursor DL-2-hydroxy-(4-methylthio)butanoic acid protects intestinal epithelial barrier function. Food chemistry. 2013;141(3):1702-9; doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2013.04.081. Y W, J W, M J, S H, Y C, T Y, et al. Clostridium autoethanogenum protein inclusion in the diet for broiler: Enhancement of growth performance, lipid metabolism, and gut microbiota. Frontiers in veterinary science. 2022;9:1028792; doi: 10.3389/fvets.2022.1028792. Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files SupplementaryFigures1.docx SupplementaryTable1.xlsx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 16 Feb, 2026 Read the published version in Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 24 Nov, 2025 Reviews received at journal 23 Nov, 2025 Reviews received at journal 20 Nov, 2025 Reviews received at journal 14 Nov, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 14 Nov, 2025 Reviews received at journal 14 Nov, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 14 Nov, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 14 Nov, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 14 Nov, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 03 Aug, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 01 Aug, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 01 Aug, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 29 Jul, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 29 Jul, 2025 First submitted to journal 28 Jul, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7238260","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":498770828,"identity":"c0cf8e3a-5cfe-46ff-9162-edc6cc82d8f5","order_by":0,"name":"Junyang Fan","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Henan Agricultural University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Junyang","middleName":"","lastName":"Fan","suffix":""},{"id":498770829,"identity":"f35ea271-4d27-4abe-a204-5059795316ab","order_by":1,"name":"Xue Zhang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Henan Agricultural University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Xue","middleName":"","lastName":"Zhang","suffix":""},{"id":498770830,"identity":"05f22094-e5be-4296-a1fe-1134f3d2e3a5","order_by":2,"name":"Yuntian Zhang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Henan Agricultural University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yuntian","middleName":"","lastName":"Zhang","suffix":""},{"id":498770831,"identity":"09c033cd-a7f7-416b-8c40-236907e40d87","order_by":3,"name":"Xueyan Hu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Henan Agricultural University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Xueyan","middleName":"","lastName":"Hu","suffix":""},{"id":498770832,"identity":"2524f335-7042-4475-8c2f-6ec8d8e39736","order_by":4,"name":"Mingfan Yang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Henan Agricultural University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mingfan","middleName":"","lastName":"Yang","suffix":""},{"id":498770833,"identity":"8e209c89-4778-4cc2-a9fc-262350b23825","order_by":5,"name":"Yue Jin","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Henan Agricultural University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yue","middleName":"","lastName":"Jin","suffix":""},{"id":498770834,"identity":"fa59057a-65a1-448a-bf7d-fe4b0eeb9f6b","order_by":6,"name":"Sai Mao","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Henan Agricultural University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sai","middleName":"","lastName":"Mao","suffix":""},{"id":498770835,"identity":"dfd5046b-9fbd-4fb8-8818-d26d9412dfc4","order_by":7,"name":"Hongying Zhang","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA8UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACAwSZfAxVkAgtaWmkaAGDHDPitJiz9x5+zVNwx247e863Bx932CU2sDdvk2CouYNTi2XPuTRrHoNnyTt73m43nHkmObGB51iZBMOxZ7gddiPHzJjH4HCywY3cbdK8bcyJDRI5ZhKMDYeJ0ZLzTPpvW31ig/wbglqMHwO12AEZbNKMbYeBtvAQ0HLmjBnjHIPDCQZnnplJ9rYdN27jSSu2SDiGR8vxHuMPb/4ctjc4nvxM4mdbtWw/++GNNz7U4NYCBGxSPAwMiQ1wLohIwKeBgYH54w8GBnv8akbBKBgFo2BEAwDmnFkQKNYPNgAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Henan Agricultural University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hongying","middleName":"","lastName":"Zhang","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-07-29 02:53:18","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7238260/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7238260/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12602-026-10954-7","type":"published","date":"2026-02-16T15:58:43+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":88889151,"identity":"6082fd4e-f0e0-4765-9af0-c8c2fac86fbd","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-08-12 12:35:19","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":84930,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eEffects of dietary BS, UFBQ, or FBQ on the liver, spleen, and bursa indices in broilers.(A) Liver index; (B) Spleen index; (C) Bursa index. Asterisks denote statistical significance: * P \u0026lt; 0.05; ** P \u0026lt; 0.01; *** P \u0026lt; 0.001. n = 8 per group.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7238260/v1/cda998952c14e4b78ad71b86.png"},{"id":88889153,"identity":"98f32e68-156d-4013-8b24-f514fd327ed8","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-08-12 12:35:19","extension":"png","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":110626,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eEffects of dietary BS, UFBQ, or FBQ on serum cytokine concentrations in broilers.(A) IFN-γ; (B) IL-2; (C) IL-10; (D) IL-4; (E) TGF-β; (F) NOS. Asterisks denote statistical significance: * P \u0026lt; 0.05; ** P \u0026lt; 0.01; *** P \u0026lt; 0.001. n = 8 per group.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7238260/v1/9e3c9cb572486ba0fe4d1995.png"},{"id":88889152,"identity":"c9856ac1-6d97-4fc2-9e7c-2d0c85576662","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-08-12 12:35:19","extension":"png","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":61673,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eEffects of dietary BS, UFBQ, or FBQ on serum IgG and duodenal sIgA levels in broilers.(A) IgG concentration; (B) sIgA concentration. Asterisks denote statistical significance: * P \u0026lt; 0.05; ** P \u0026lt; 0.01. n = 8 per group.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7238260/v1/aba997962cecc33bb6a01859.png"},{"id":88889159,"identity":"6f72b482-bae0-4193-8f3d-9f69e0db3ce2","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-08-12 12:35:19","extension":"png","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":276381,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eEffects of dietary BS, UFBQ, or FBQ on cecal microbial diversity in broilers.(A) Venn diagram of OTU counts.; (B) Alpha-diversity indices; (C) Beta-diversity; (D) Microbial composition at the phylum level; (E) Microbial composition at the genus level; (F) LEfSe analysis.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"4.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7238260/v1/28bc45477c95b8e88e40da98.png"},{"id":88889155,"identity":"48442801-4d2c-45b1-8f5e-344812524676","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-08-12 12:35:19","extension":"png","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":256391,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eEffects of dietary BS, UFBQ, or FBQ on cecal metabolites in broilers.(A) Metabolite classification; (B) Heatmap of metabolite profiles (FBQ vs. Control); (C) Volcano plot of metabolites; (D) Venn analysis of up-regulated differential metabolites; (E) Venn analysis of down-regulated differential metabolites.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"5.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7238260/v1/7dfed48a3113b463c68abb4a.png"},{"id":103251523,"identity":"8acc6b8a-c34a-407f-8bb8-0c050549058b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-23 16:10:25","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":2085355,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7238260/v1/633c31a9-1bd5-4d22-b042-99e3d3a8bfc3.pdf"},{"id":88893840,"identity":"99b2eae8-10c1-4f43-9efd-1c7d0b5e499b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-08-12 12:59:19","extension":"docx","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":228560,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"SupplementaryFigures1.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7238260/v1/7c7cbb7ac7a76c46641b4953.docx"},{"id":88891631,"identity":"c188d655-3abc-42c1-b0e5-beab6f7d046c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-08-12 12:51:19","extension":"xlsx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":1158310,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"SupplementaryTable1.xlsx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7238260/v1/c51d9704a05951f7a5f7bbdc.xlsx"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"The Effects of Fermented Chinese Herbal Medicine on Growth Performance, Immunity, Intestinal Microbiota, and Intestinal Metabolite Profile of Broiler Chicks","fulltext":[{"header":"INTRODUCTION","content":"\u003cp\u003eAccording to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics of China for the first quarter of 2025, poultry meat output reached 6.41\u0026nbsp;million tonnes, up 5.1% year-on-year. This robust growth reflects consumers\u0026rsquo; sustained and strong demand for poultry products. Yet the industry continues to face severe cost pressures, with feed expenses accounting for 60\u0026ndash;70% of total production costs[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e]. To curb these costs and prevent disease, many producers once relied heavily on in-feed antibiotics. Overuse of these drugs, however, has led to resistant strains of pathogens, poorer meat quality, and dangerous residues that threaten human health[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e]. In response, China implemented a nationwide ban on all antibiotic growth promoters in feed starting July 2020[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e]. This landmark policy ushers the Chinese poultry sector into a new era and makes the urgent development of green, residue-free alternatives more critical than ever.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTraditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a treasured pharmacological resource in China. It has long played an important role in enhancing immunity and growth performance in livestock and poultry, and TCM-based products are currently the only growth-promoting feed additives permitted for use in China. \u003cem\u003eRadix Isatidis\u003c/em\u003e (ban lan gen) is rich in bioactive compounds; its extract has been shown to effectively combat Infectious Bronchitis Virus (IBV) infection[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e]. \u003cem\u003eAstragalus membranaceus\u003c/em\u003e (huang qi) is another key traditional herb whose main active constituents\u0026mdash;astragalosides and \u003cem\u003eastragalus polysaccharides\u003c/em\u003e\u0026mdash;exert notable immunomodulatory effects. By improving intestinal health and modulating the gut microbiota, Astragalus significantly increases average daily gain (ADG) and reduces feed conversion ratio (FCR) in broilers[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e]. Our previous work demonstrated that the BanQi polysaccharide complex (\u003cem\u003eRadix Isatidis\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eAstragalus membranaceus\u003c/em\u003e) enhances immune function and possesses antiviral activity (Patent No. ZL 200610160048.4). However, many of TCM\u0026rsquo;s active ingredients are trapped within plant cell walls, making them poorly absorbed by chicks and limiting their practical application in poultry production. Fermentation with probiotics can markedly improve the bioavailability of these compounds[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e]. In our laboratory, we prepared fermented BanQi by BanQi extract with Bacillus subtilis. Preliminary studies showed that this process substantially increases the levels of free amino acids and bioactive constituents in the extract. When fed to weaned lambs, the fermented BanQi preparation improved growth performance and intestinal health more effectively than the unfermented extract[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAgainst this background, we hypothesize that, compared with either probiotics alone or unfermented BanQi extract, the fermented BanQi preparation can more effectively enhance growth performance and intestinal immunity in broiler chicks, and thus represents a safe and efficacious dietary additive. Using Yellow-feathered broilers as the model, the present study was therefore designed to evaluate the impact of fermented BanQi broth on chick growth and intestinal immune status. By integrating 16S rRNA-based gut-microbiota profiling with untargeted metabolomics, we further sought to systematically elucidate the mechanisms by which fermented Chinese medicine improves intestinal health, thereby providing a solid theoretical foundation for its wider application in the poultry industry.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"MATERIALS AND METHODS","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHerbal Extraction and Fermentation Strains\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRadix Isatidis\u003c/em\u003e (100 g) and \u003cem\u003eAstragalus membranaceus\u003c/em\u003e (200 g) slices were purchased from Yi Guo Ren Pharmacy in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China. After precise weighing, the herbs were soaked in 3000 mL of distilled water, boiled, and then simmered for 120 minutes. The extract was subsequently concentrated to 300 mL to prepare the unfermented Banqi extract (UFBQ). Meanwhile, an identical batch and weight of the herbs were decocted and concentrated to 75 mL using the same method, specifically for the subsequent fermentation process.The Bacillus subtilis (BS) strain used for fermentation was isolated from the intestines of healthy chickens in our laboratory and is currently preserved in the China General Microbiological Culture Collection Center (CGMCC No. 24193). After pre-culturing in Lysogeny Broth (LB) medium at 37\u0026deg;C for 24 hours, the concentration of the strain was adjusted to 3\u0026times;10⁹ CFU/mL. Under sterile conditions, 75 mL of the herbal concentrate, 225 mL of LB medium, and 5 mL of BS culture were mixed in a sterilized culture bottle to form the fermentation system. The system was then fermented at 35\u0026deg;C for 36 hours to produce the fermented Banqi liquid (FBQ).Viable cell counting analysis of the fermented liquid revealed a Bacillus subtilis concentration of 1.21\u0026times;10\u0026sup1;⁰ CFU/mL. This result indicates that the Banqi extract significantly enhances the abundance of Bacillus subtilis during the fermentation process.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eExperimental Design and Dietary Treatments\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe experiment was conducted in the Science and Education Park of Henan Agricultural University in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China, in January 2025. All experimental procedures were conducted in accordance with the guidelines of the Animal Care and Use Committee of Henan Agricultural University and received ethical approval under protocol No. HNND20250113008. Prior to the start of the experiment, the chicken house and related equipment were fumigated to ensure hygiene. In the first week after the chickens were introduced into the house, the indoor temperature was maintained at 30\u0026deg;C and then reduced by 2\u0026deg;C per week until it reached 25\u0026deg;C. A total of 160 one-day-old yellow-feathered broilers were randomly assigned to four treatment groups, with four replicate cages per group and 10 broilers per cage. The negative control group (Control) chicks were gavaged with 0.6 ml of PBS, the BS group chicks were gavaged with 0.6 ml of BS suspension (1.21\u0026times;10\u0026sup1;⁰ CFU/ml), and the chicks in the UFBQ and FBQ groups were gavaged with 0.6 ml of UFBQ or FBQ, respectively. The experiment lasted for 42 days. During the experimental period, the chicks had free access to water and feed. The feed provided was a pelleted diet formulated according to the published standards of \u0026ldquo;Compound Feed for Laying Hens and Broilers\u0026rdquo; (GB/T 5916\u0026thinsp;\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;2020). Two types of feed formulations were used based on the age and growth stage of the chickens: starter feed (days 1\u0026ndash;21) and grower-finisher feed (days 22\u0026ndash;42). The ingredients and nutritional composition of the feed for each stage are detailed in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eComposition and Nutritional Levels of the Basal Diet\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eIngredients\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;21\u0026nbsp;d\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e22\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;42\u0026nbsp;d\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNutrient components\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;21\u0026nbsp;d\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e22\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;42\u0026nbsp;d\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCorn\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e59.20\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e61.10\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eME/(MJ/kg)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.29\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.50\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSoybean\u0026nbsp;meal\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e24.45\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e23.\u0026nbsp;90\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCP\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e22.00\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e18.00\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eExpanded\u0026nbsp;soybeans\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.00\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.00\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCa\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.90\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.85\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSoybean\u0026nbsp;oil\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.00\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.00\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTP\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.63\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.55\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCorn\u0026nbsp;gluten\u0026nbsp;meal\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.30\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.00\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eLys\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.20\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.00\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFish\u0026nbsp;meal\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.00\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.00\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMet\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.58\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.50\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCaHPO\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.20\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.20\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eThr\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.84\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.75\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eLimestone\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.00\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.00\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTrp\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.21\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.20\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNaCl\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.30\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.30\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eL-Lys\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.55\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.50\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePremix\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e100.00\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e100.00\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003ctfoot\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"6\"\u003eNote: In the nutritive composition of the basal diet, metabolizable energy is a calculated value and all other indices are measured values.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tfoot\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eGrowth Performance Measurements\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn day 1 of the experiment, all chicks were individually weighed. During the experiment, the daily feed intake and weight gain of each group were accurately recorded. At the end of the experiment, all chicks were weighed again to record their live body weight (BW). The average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) of each group were calculated to evaluate the effects of different medications on the growth performance of the chicks.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDetermination of Immune Organ Index\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt the end of the experiment, 8 birds were randomly selected from each treatment group and slaughtered by cervical dislocation. The liver, bursa of Fabricius, and spleen were collected and weighed to calculate the organ index. The formula for calculating the immune organ index is: Immune Organ Index\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Immune Organ Weight (mg) / Body Weight (g).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHematological and Serum Biochemical Analysis\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfter the experiment, the chicks were fasted for 12 hours. Blood was collected from the wing vein and placed into 5 mL anticoagulant vacuum blood collection tubes and coagulant-promoting blood collection tubes for the collection of whole blood and serum, respectively. The total white blood cell count (WBC), red blood cell count (RBC), and hemoglobin (HGB) levels in the whole blood of each group of chicks were measured using the Shenzhen Mindray hematology analyzer (BC5000). Meanwhile, the levels of total protein, albumin, globulin, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, total cholesterol, triglycerides, urea nitrogen, alkaline phosphatase, calcium, and lipase in the serum of each group of chicks were measured using the company's fully automatic biochemical analyzer (BS400).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCytokine, Serum IgG, and Intestinal sIgA Assays\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt the end of the experiment, blood samples were collected from the chicks and serum was separated. The levels of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), immunoglobulin G (IgG), and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in the serum were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Meanwhile, the content of secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) in the duodenum was measured using an ELISA kit, strictly following the instructions provided.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eExtraction and sequencing of intestinal microbiota DNA\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfter the trial was completed, cecal contents samples were immediately collected for subsequent analysis of the cecal microbiota in chicks using high-throughput sequencing technology. Genomic DNA was extracted using a kit (DP328) provided by Tiangen Biotech Co., Ltd. (China). Sequencing was performed on the Illumina MiSeq platform using specific primers 338F (5\u0026prime;-ACTCCTACGGGAGCAGCAG-3\u0026prime;) and 806R (5\u0026prime;-GGACTACHVGGGTWTCTAAT-3\u0026prime;) to amplify the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene, with end-sequencing conducted on the NovaSeq PE250 platform (Illumina, San Diego, USA). The quality of the raw sequencing data was controlled using fastp software version 0.20.0, and FLASH software version 1.2.7 was used to merge paired-end sequencing reads.The sequences were clustered based on a 97% similarity threshold for operational taxonomic units (OTUs) (Edgar, 2013). The OTUs were defined using UPARSE software, and the representative sequences of each OTU were classified using the RDP Classifier version 2.2, with the Silva V132 database as the reference for classification and identification.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNon-targeted metabolomic analysis of cecal contents\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfter the trial ended, cecal contents were collected from each group of chicks for analysis of the metabolite composition in the contents using LC-MS. The method used is as follows. A 50 mg cecal sample was accurately weighed and extracted with 400 \u0026micro;L of methanol-water (4:1, v/v) solution. After being crushed using the high-throughput tissue homogenizer Wonbio-96c, the sample was centrifuged at 13,000g for 15 min at 4℃. The supernatant was collected for LC-MS/MS analysis. A quality control (QC) sample was prepared by mixing equal volumes of all samples to monitor the stability of the analysis. Metabolite analysis was performed using the ExionLC\u0026trade;AD system equipped with an ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 column. The mobile phase consisted of 0.1% formic acid in water (solvent A) and 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile-isopropanol (1:1, v/v) (solvent B). The injection volume was 20 \u0026micro;L, flow rate was 0.4 mL/min, and the column temperature was maintained at 40℃. The MS source temperature was 500℃, curtain gas (CUR) was set at 30 psi, ion source GS1 and GS2 were both set at 50 psi, ion-spray voltage floating (ISVF) was 4000V in negative mode and 5000V in positive mode, declustering potential was 80V, and collision energy (CE) ranged from 20 to 60V in rolling mode for MS/MS. Data were acquired in Data Dependent Acquisition (DDA) mode over a mass range of 50 to 1000 m/z. Post-analysis, data were processed using Progenesis QI 2.3 software. Metabolic features detected in at least 80% of samples were retained. Log-transformed data were used to identify differences in cecal metabolite levels among different groups of chicks. Statistical significance was set at \u003cem\u003eP\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.05 and VIP\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;1 in OPLS-DA. Finally, the differential metabolites were subjected to pathway analysis based on the KEGG database.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eData Analysis Process\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe experimental results are presented as mean\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;standard error of the mean (Mean\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;SEM). Differences among group means were analyzed by one-way ANOVA, followed by Duncan\u0026rsquo;s multiple-range test for pairwise comparisons. All statistical analyses and graphs were performed using Prism software. Prior to ANOVA, normality and homogeneity of variance were verified. A \u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e-value\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05 was considered statistically significant, and \u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01 was considered highly significant.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"RESULTS","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMeasurement of Growth Performance and Immune Organ Indexes\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe effects of three types of feed additives on the growth performance of chicks are shown in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e. On the first day of the trial, there were no significant differences in the initial body weight among the groups (P\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.8993). However, at 21 and 42 days, the body weight of chicks in the FBQ and UFBQ groups was significantly higher than that in the control and BS groups (\u003cem\u003eP\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.0001), with the FBQ group showing a more pronounced effect. In terms of average daily gain (ADG), during the 1\u0026ndash;21-day period, the ADG of the FBQ and UFBQ groups was significantly higher than that of the control and BS groups (\u003cem\u003eP\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.0001), and the FBQ group had the highest ADG. Over the entire trial period (1\u0026ndash;42 days), the ADG of the FBQ group remained significantly higher than that of the control and BS groups (P\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.0005). For average daily feed intake (ADF1), during the 22\u0026ndash;42-day period, the ADF1 of the UFBQ group was significantly lower than that of the control and BS groups (P\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.0058), but there were no significant differences in ADF1 among the groups over the entire trial period (P\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.6064). Regarding feed conversion ratio (FCR), the FCR of the FBQ and UFBQ groups was significantly lower than that of the control and BS groups during the 1\u0026ndash;21-day, 22\u0026ndash;42-day, and 1\u0026ndash;42-day periods (\u003cem\u003eP\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.05), and the FCR of the BS group was significantly lower than that of the control group during the 22\u0026ndash;42-day and 1\u0026ndash;42-day periods. In addition, the results of the immune organ index measurement showed that, compared with the control group, feeding FBQ significantly decreased the liver index of chicks (P\u0026lt;0.05) (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003eA), while no significant differences were found in the spleen and bursa of Fabricius indices (Figs.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003eB and \u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003eC). These results indicate that probiotics and traditional Chinese medicine can enhance the growth performance of chicks to a certain extent and reduce the feed conversion ratio. The use of probiotics to ferment traditional Chinese medicine can significantly enhance this beneficial effect and maintain the liver health of chicks.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eEffects of BS, UFQ, and FBQ on the growth performance of broiler chicks\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGroups\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eControl\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eBS\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eUFBQ\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFBQ\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eP value\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"6\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eBW, g\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1d\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e52.62\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.73\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e52.94\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.05\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e52.71\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.91\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e52.67\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.88\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.8993\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e21d\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e905.87\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;46.09\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e962.81\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;62.35\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1050.71\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;47.92\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1115.66\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;87.45\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;0.0001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e42d\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1482.38\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;71.11\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1553.13\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;102.15\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1607.25\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;72.19\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1714.88\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;129.59\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0004\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"6\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eADG, g/d\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1-21d\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e40.63\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.19\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e43.33\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.98\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e47.52\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.30\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e50.62\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4.15\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;0.0001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e22-42d\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e27.45\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.45\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e28.11\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.90\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e26.50\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.18\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e28.53\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.04\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.1072\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1-42d\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e34.04\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.70\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e35.71\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.44\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e37.01\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.73\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e39.57\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.08\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0005\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"6\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eADF1, g/d\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1-21d\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e80.48\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;7.54\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e81.58\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;9.14\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e87.92\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5.09\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e90.61\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;9.13\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0713\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e22-42d\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e56.95\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.84\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e54.25\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4.54\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e49.31\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.78\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e52.41\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4.58\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0058\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1-42d\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e68.72\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4.70\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e67.92\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;6.76\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e68.62\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.91\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e71.51\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;6.84\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.6064\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"6\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFCR\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1-21d\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.98\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.11\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.88\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.10\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.85\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.79\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0002\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e22-42d\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.07\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.93\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.86\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.83\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;0.0001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1-42d\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.02\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.06\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.90\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.06\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.85\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003ebc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.80\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;0.0001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003ctfoot\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"6\"\u003eNote: \u003csup\u003ea,b\u003c/sup\u003e Means within the same row that have no common superscript are significantly different at \u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tfoot\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe test results Serum Biochemical Parameters in Chicks\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe results of the hematological tests of the chicks are shown in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e. The white blood cell count (WBC), red blood cell count (RBC), and hemoglobin content (Hb) of chicks in different treatment groups were all within the normal physiological range, and there were no significant differences among the groups (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05), indicating that the treatments had no significant effect on the hematological parameters of the broiler chickens.The results of the serum biochemical tests for chicks in different treatment groups are presented in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e. The levels of Total Protein, Albumin, and Globulin showed significant differences among the groups (\u003cem\u003eP\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.05), with the FBQ group exhibiting higher levels of Total Protein and Albumin compared to the Control group (P\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.0351 and P\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.0039, respectively). The ALT levels also varied significantly (\u003cem\u003eP\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.05), with the FBQ group having significantly lower ALT levels than the Control group (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.0069). Total Cholesterol levels were significantly different among the groups (\u003cem\u003eP\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.001), with the FBQ group showing higher levels than the Control group, while other treatment groups also had elevated cholesterol levels compared to the Control group, indicating that different treatments may influence lipid metabolism in chicks (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.0004). BUN levels exhibited significant differences (\u003cem\u003eP\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.01), with the FBQ group having significantly lower BUN levels than the Control group, suggesting a potential protective effect of FBQ on kidney function (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.0076). Calcium (Ca) levels also showed significant differences (\u003cem\u003eP\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.01), with the FBQ group having higher calcium levels than other groups, indicating that FBQ treatment may enhance calcium absorption in chicks (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.0011). Lipase levels were significantly different among the groups (\u003cem\u003eP\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.05), with the FBQ group showing higher levels than the Control group (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.0156). Other indicators such as AST, Triglyceride, and ALP did not show significant differences (\u003cem\u003eP\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.05), indicating that these parameters remained relatively stable across the treatment groups. These results indicate that, compared to the use of probiotics or herbal extracts alone, fermented herbal preparations more readily influence the serum biochemical parameters of chicks, contributing to improved health status.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eEffects of BS, UFQ, and FBQ on hematological indices in broiler chicks\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGroups\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eControl\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eBS\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eUFBQ\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFBQ\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eP value\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eWBC(10⁹/L)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8.21\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.54\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8.50\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.41\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e9.33\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.83\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e7.08\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.64\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.3483\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eRBC(10\u0026sup1;\u0026sup2;/L)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.20\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.84\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.53\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.73\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.64\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.38\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.45\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.90\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.7022\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHb(g/L)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e142.16\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;18.27\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e157.64\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;24.57\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e149.24\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;18.35\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e166.84\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;181.9\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.1073\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003ctfoot\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"6\"\u003eNote: In the nutritive composition of the basal diet, metabolizable energy is a calculated value and all other indices are measured values.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tfoot\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 4\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eEffects of BS, UFBQ, and FBQ on serum biochemical parameters in broiler chicks\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eIndicator\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eControl\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eBS\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eUFBQ\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFBQ\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e value\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTotal Protein(g/L)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e91.21\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4.00\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e96.26\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;8.22\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e98.23\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;9.34\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e101.73\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4.08\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0351\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlbumin (g/L)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e45.84\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.02\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e53.44\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.93\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e54.05\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5.60\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e54.18\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;6.11\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0039\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGlobulin (g/L)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e35.13\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.39\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e42.45\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;8.51\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e45.43\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;8.33\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e47.43\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5.78\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0068\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eALT(U/L)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e33.80\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5.52\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e34.36\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;7.74\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e28.28\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;8.07\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e23.05\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5.14\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0069\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAST(U/L)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e34.71\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;6.80\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e38.93\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;7.44\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e34.46\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;12.26\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e34.05\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;9.61\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.6982\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTotal Cholesterol(mmol/L)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.60\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.24\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.50\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.84\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.01\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.22\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.37\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.77\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0004\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTriglyceride (mmol/L)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.38\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.29\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.14\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.35\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.55\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.45\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.63\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.55\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.1163\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eBUN (mmol/L)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e10.35\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.66\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e9.79\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.45\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e9.98\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.19\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8.42\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.85\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0076\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eALP (U/L)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e111.23\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;37.94\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e118.86\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;35.07\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e124.05\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;29.25\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e100.54\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;34.19\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.5533\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCa(mmol/L)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.59\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.20\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.74\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.24\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.62\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.24\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.14\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.28\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0011\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eLipase(U/L)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e60.54\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;26.31a\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e75.61\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;36.50\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e99.05\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;38.30\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e110.69\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;22.36\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0156\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003ctfoot\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"6\"\u003eNote: In the nutritive composition of the basal diet, metabolizable energy is a calculated value and all other indices are measured values.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tfoot\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eChick serum cytokine test results\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe test results of the chick serum cytokines are shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e. Compared to the control group, the levels of IFN-γ and IL-2 in the serum of chicks fed with FBQ, UFBQ, and BS were reduced to varying degrees, with significant differences observed in the FBQ group (\u003cem\u003eP\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.001) (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eA -\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eB). Furthermore, compared to the control group, the levels of IL-10 and IL-4 in the serum of the BS, UFBQ, and FBQ groups were significantly elevated (\u003cem\u003eP\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.001) (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eC-\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eD), while the levels of TGF-β and NOS were significantly reduced (\u003cem\u003eP\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.001) (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eE-\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eF).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMeasurement Results of Serum IgG and Intestinal sIgA\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe results of serum IgG and intestinal sIgA measurements are presented in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e. Compared to the control group, chicks fed with UFBQ and FBQ showed a significant increase in serum IgG levels \u003cem\u003e(P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.01), with FBQ exhibiting the most pronounced effect (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eA). While the BS group also showed a slight increase in serum IgG, the difference was not statistically significant. Additionally, chicks fed with BS, UFBQ, and FBQ all demonstrated a significant boost in sIgA levels (\u003cem\u003eP\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.01), with the FBQ group showing the most remarkable elevation (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eB). These findings suggest that FBQ has the potential to modulate the immune system, thereby enhancing both the systemic immune response and gut mucosal immunity in chicks.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe impact of fermented Banqi extract on the microbial diversity in the cecum of young chickens\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e, the sequencing of the cecal microbiota of chicks reveals that, aside from the shared OTUs, the FBQ group has the highest number of OTUs (8007), indicating that feeding FBQ enhances the diversity of the cecal microbiota in chicks (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003eA). Alpha - diversity analysis shows that compared to the Control group, Chao1 and Shannon indices decrease in chicks fed UFBQ, but feeding fermented drugs prevents this decline, maintaining indices at Control - comparable levels (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003eB). Beta - diversity analysis shows a clear separation in the composition of the cecal microbiota of chicks fed different additives (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003eC). At the phylum level, the abundance of Firmicutes increases and that of Bacteroidota decreases in the cecal microbiota of chicks fed FBQ or UFBQ compared to the Control or BS group (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003eD). At the genus level, compared to the Control group, immune - related changes are evident in the BS group. The relative abundance of \u003cem\u003eBlautia\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eRuminococcus\u003c/em\u003e increases and that of \u003cem\u003eAlistipes\u003c/em\u003e decreases in the FBQ and UFBQ groups (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003eE). Additionally, LefSe analysis (LDA\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;2) identifies differentially abundant microbes across groups. The Control group is enriched in \u003cem\u003eg_Georgenia\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eg__Pusillimonas\u003c/em\u003e. The BS group is enriched in \u003cem\u003eg_Butyricimonas\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003ef__Bacillaceae_g__Bacillus\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eg__Psychrobacter\u003c/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eg__Rothia\u003c/em\u003e. The FBQ group is enriched in \u003cem\u003eg__Bifidobacterium\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003ef__Peptostreptococcaceae_g__Clostridium\u003c/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eg__Turicibacter\u003c/em\u003e. Notably, no significantly up - regulated microbes are found in the UFBQ group(figure \u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003eF).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe effect of fermented Banqi membranaceus liquid on the cecal contents of chicks\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNon-targeted metabolomics analysis of chick cecal metabolites was performed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), with the results shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e. A total of 2,253 metabolites were identified in this experiment (Supplementary Table\u0026nbsp;1), and their classification is presented in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003eA. The top three categories were organic acids and derivatives (24.469%), lipids and lipid-like molecules (22.301%), and organic heterocyclic compounds (13.628%). Compared to the Control group, the BS group had 1,016 upregulated and 1,237 downregulated metabolites, the UFBQ group had 1,247 upregulated and 1,006 downregulated metabolites, and the FBQ group had 1,237 upregulated and 1,016 downregulated metabolites (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003eB, Supplementary Figs.\u0026nbsp;1A - B). Using VIP\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;1, |log₂FC| \u0026gt;1, and \u003cem\u003eP\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003c/em\u003e as criteria for screening differential metabolites, the results are shown in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e. The BS group had 12 significantly changed metabolites (4 upregulated, 8 downregulated), the UFBQ group had 30 significantly changed metabolites (13 upregulated, 17 downregulated), and the FBQ group had 73 significantly changed metabolites (44 upregulated, 29 downregulated) (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003eC, Supplementary Figs.\u0026nbsp;1C \u0026ndash; D and Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab7\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e). Notably, the four upregulated metabolites in the BS group and eleven in the UFBQ group were also upregulated in the FBQ group. Similarly, five downregulated metabolites in the BS group and nine in the UFBQ group were also downregulated in the FBQ group (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003eD-\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003eE). These results highlight the combined effects of fermented traditional Chinese medicine, which possesses both medicinal properties and probiotic characteristics.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab5\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 5\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eScreened Differential Metabolite Profiles (BS vs Control)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMetabolite Name\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003elog2FC\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ep-value\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eVIP\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAtorvastatin\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.59\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.00071871\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.85\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eUridine\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.01\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.019486907\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.10\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eIle-Ala-Arg\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.35\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.040136152\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.01\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eRibothymidine\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.18\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.024134323\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.34\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMethyl 10-acetyloxy-4,5,9-trihydroxy-1,4a-dimethyl-7-propan-2-yl-2,3,4,9,10,10a-hexahydrophenanthrene-1-carboxylate\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.13\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.037918218\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.13\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e(2e,6e,11e,13e)-18-(2,6-dioxopiperidin-4-yl)-9-hydroxy-8-methoxy-10,12,14-trimethyl-15-oxooctadeca-2,6,11,13-tetraenoic acid\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.14\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.01900725\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.24\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDefluoroatorvastatin\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.28\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.002544514\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.17\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e(2r,3s,4s,5r,6r)-2-[[(2s,3r,4r)-3,4-dihydroxy-4-(hydroxymethyl)oxolan-2-yl]oxymethyl]-6-[4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)butan-2-yloxy]oxane-3,4,5-triol\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.39\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.000128444\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.07\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePhe(benzoyl)-leu-arg\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.40\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.011741614\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.60\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMethanone, [6-hydroxy-1-[2-(4-morpholinyl)ethyl]-1h-indol-3-yl]-1-naphthalenyl-\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.43\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.001026566\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e20.21\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMitoxantrone\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.54\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.000418594\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e12.80\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2-[(2r,4as,8s,8as)-8-[2-[(4as,7r,8ar)-7-(1-carboxyethenyl)-1-hydroxy-4a-methyl-2-oxo-6,7,8,8a-tetrahydro-5h-naphthalen-1-yl]ethyl]-4a-methyl-7-oxo-1,2,3,4,8,8a-hexahydronaphthalen-2-yl]prop-2-enoic acid\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.74\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.017354903\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.82\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab6\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 6\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eScreened Differential Metabolite Profiles (UFBQ vs Control)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMetabolite Name\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003elog2FC\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ep-value\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eVIP\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAtorvastatin\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.80\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.000269064\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e12.61\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eUridine\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.40\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.002324697\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e6.39\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2-(n-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.33\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.042228982\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e9.51\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eRibothymidine\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.26\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.003608838\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.01\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTaurine\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.86\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.015081424\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e7.19\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eL-cysteine-glutathione disulfide\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.84\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.019863766\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.56\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eN,n'-diacetylchitobiose\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.64\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.016904505\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.59\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrangulin b\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.60\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.022813837\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.20\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eQuinoline-2,8-diol\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.31\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.025767812\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.61\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOuabain\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.29\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.039955678\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.08\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eThalsimidine\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.25\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.011343875\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.88\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eIle-Trp\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.12\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.042472032\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.02\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNeohesperidose\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.08\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.040337183\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.04\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMarticin\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.11\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.009736819\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.69\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eS-methyl-5'-thioadenosine\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.13\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.04172043\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.24\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e(-)-n6-(2-phenylisopropyl)adenosine\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.14\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.004852032\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.34\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDesmethylverapamil\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.15\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.021683532\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.29\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2-oxoadipic acid\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.18\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.012120443\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.01\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eBromobutide\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.20\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.01880417\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.39\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSenegenin\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.34\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.021967802\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.64\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1-palmitoyl-2-hydroxy-sn-glycero-3-phospho-(1'-rac-glycerol)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.35\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.004918268\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.06\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFulvestrant 9-sulfone\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.48\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.011910788\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.45\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2-[(2r,4as,8s,8as)-8-[2-[(4as,7r,8ar)-7-(1-carboxyethenyl)-1-hydroxy-4a-methyl-2-oxo-6,7,8,8a-tetrahydro-5h-naphthalen-1-yl]ethyl]-4a-methyl-7-oxo-1,2,3,4,8,8a-hexahydronaphthalen-2-yl]prop-2-enoic acid\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.56\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.023100921\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.08\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e(2r,3s,4s,5r,6r)-2-[[(2s,3r,4r)-3,4-dihydroxy-4-(hydroxymethyl)oxolan-2-yl]oxymethyl]-6-[4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)butan-2-yloxy]oxane-3,4,5-triol\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.57\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.02699E-05\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.80\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMet-Glu-Lys\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.61\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.006109415\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.49\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMitoxantrone\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.70\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.88044E-05\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e11.85\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMethanone, [6-hydroxy-1-[2-(4-morpholinyl)ethyl]-1h-indol-3-yl]-1-naphthalenyl-\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.73\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.000380904\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e16.79\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eQuillaic acid\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.84\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.017236223\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.95\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eApiole\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-2.07\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.021203436\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.71\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMadecassic acid\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-2.08\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.026137453\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.06\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab7\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 7\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eScreened Differential Metabolite Profiles (FBQ vs Control)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMetabolite Name\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003elog2FC\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ep-value\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eVIP\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAtorvastatin\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.09\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.000137076\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.11\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eUridine\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.98\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.01422429\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e6.32\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTaurine\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.25\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.005023243\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e6.39\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eThalsimidine\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.18\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.022057703\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.71\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2-(n-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.15\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.017301849\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e10.72\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eRibothymidine\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.07\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.000959394\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.52\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eL-cysteine-glutathione disulfide\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.05\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.003008799\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.45\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eIle-Leu-Arg\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.03\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.034101925\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.27\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eIle-Ala-Arg\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.98\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.000233507\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.01\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOuabain\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.90\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.032909301\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.19\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1-palmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.88\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.015040562\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.80\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eN,n'-diacetylchitobiose\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.76\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.00321675\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8.80\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eProscillaridin a\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.75\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.036303677\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.22\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSphinganine\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.64\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.049676373\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.68\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4-morpholinopropanesulfonic acid\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.63\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.002058604\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.78\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHistamine\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.53\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.03471695\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.18\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDl-Leu-dl-Val\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.50\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.010421036\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.84\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eLys-Val\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.49\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.000401891\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.01\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.49\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.040460306\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.17\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5-L-Glutamyl-L-alanine\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.47\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.012710084\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.34\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eLeu-Leu\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.46\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.011779181\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.55\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eLeu-Val\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.45\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.005027212\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.17\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrangulin b\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.45\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.015478955\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.50\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eN-acetylhistamine\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.42\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.009104618\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.11\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eLeucylleucine\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.40\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.009049356\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.27\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eVal-Arg\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.35\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.017561898\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.60\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eVal-Val\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.34\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.004505377\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.76\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1-o-octadecyl-sn-glyceryl-3-phosphorylcholine\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.33\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.044725669\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.44\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eLys-Ile\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.28\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.002210544\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.39\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eIle-Trp\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.27\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.015246159\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.06\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSulfoacetic acid\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.26\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.005072801\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.15\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eL-alanyl-l-norleucine\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.21\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.007132782\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.18\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eIle-Arg\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.17\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.00797186\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.66\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAla-Leu-Lys\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.11\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.009842032\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.15\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eLeu-Gly-Leu\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.11\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.00314704\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.30\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eL-saccharopine\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.11\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.047345074\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.62\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eIle-Ser\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.11\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.016045669\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.24\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3-aminopyridine\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.10\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.010314647\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.59\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNorfentanyl\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.05\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.000558325\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.32\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eN-acetyl-d-glucosamine\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.05\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.035983855\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.83\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDesmethylverapamil\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.03\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.009163479\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.07\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eQuinestrol\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.01\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.016894421\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.03\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePhe(benzoyl)-leu-arg\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.01\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.014972837\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.68\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4-hydroxy-2-methoxybenzaldehyde\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.00\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.014979697\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.01\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTrans-crocetin\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.02\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.019441626\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.60\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eImazapyr\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.02\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.015303894\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.28\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4-hydroxybenzaldehyde\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.05\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.001990937\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.63\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eL-thiocitrulline\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.06\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.030448414\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.79\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMethanone, [6-hydroxy-1-[2-(4-morpholinyl)ethyl]-1h-indol-3-yl]-1-naphthalenyl-\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.07\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.004689919\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.94\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eQuillaic acid\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.07\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.028242228\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.10\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e(2e,6e,11e,13e)-18-(2,6-dioxopiperidin-4-yl)-9-hydroxy-8-methoxy-10,12,14-trimethyl-15-oxooctadeca-2,6,11,13-tetraenoic acid\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.09\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.002368844\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.17\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGamma-l-glutamyl-l-glutamic acid\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.09\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.008149916\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.92\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFulvestrant 9-sulfone\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.10\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.011630785\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.43\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOleana-1,9(11)-dien-28-amide, 2-cyano-3,12-dioxo-n-(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)-\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.14\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.000399391\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.78\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCytosine\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.16\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.020923574\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.47\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMitoxantrone\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.16\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.006750417\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.23\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e(2r,3s,4s,5r,6r)-2-[[(2s,3r,4r)-3,4-dihydroxy-4-(hydroxymethyl)oxolan-2-yl]oxymethyl]-6-[4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)butan-2-yloxy]oxane-3,4,5-triol\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.19\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.017941805\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.15\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3,3-dimethylglutaric acid\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.21\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.001529109\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.16\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eApiole\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-1.25\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.028159532\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.60\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"DISCUSSION","content":"\u003cp\u003eMultiple studies have reported that probiotic fermentation can markedly enhance the therapeutic efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) while simultaneously reducing its toxic and side effects[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e]. In addition, fermented TCM demonstrates superior performance in promoting animal growth and immunity, and it helps lower feed costs[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e]. However, few investigations have simultaneously compared probiotics, unfermented TCM, and fermented TCM within the same experimental system. Therefore, the present study employed one-day-old healthy chicks to systematically evaluate the effects of probiotics, unfermented TCM, and fermented TCM on growth performance and overall health, aiming to provide robust evidence for cost reduction and efficiency enhancement of fermented TCM. Compared with the Bacillus subtilis (BS) group or the unfermented BanQi extract (UFBQ) group, dietary supplementation with fermented BanQi (FBQ) significantly improved growth performance (body weight and average daily gain) and feed efficiency (feed conversion ratio), while reducing the liver index by 12%. These findings are consistent with prior research on fermented TCM in broilers, aligning closely with results reported by Rahmani Mohammad Malyar, Xinhong Zhou, and their colleagues[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026zwnj; FBQ demonstrated a particularly pronounced effect on nutrient metabolism. It significantly elevated serum levels of TP, ALB, GLO, ALP, Ca and Lip, while concurrently reducing ALT and BUN. TP represents the sum of all serum proteins; a rise in TP reflects improved metabolic and nutritional status. Previous studies indicate that high-performing flocks generally exhibit higher serum albumin levels, likely linked to more efficient dietary protein intake and metabolism[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e]. Albumin (ALB), the predominant plasma protein, maintains oncotic pressure and transports nutrients, whereas globulin (GLO) is closely tied to immune function\u0026mdash;elevated immunoglobulins signal immune activation [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e]. FBQ demonstrated a particularly pronounced effect on nutrient metabolism. It significantly elevated serum levels of total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), globulin (GLO), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), calcium (Ca), and lipase, while concurrently reducing alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTotal protein (TP) represents the sum of all serum proteins; a rise in TP reflects improved metabolic and nutritional status. Previous studies indicate that high-performing flocks generally exhibit higher serum albumin levels, likely linked to more efficient dietary protein intake and metabolism (T et al. 2017). Albumin (ALB), the predominant plasma protein, maintains oncotic pressure and transports nutrients, whereas globulin (GLO) is closely tied to immune function\u0026mdash;elevated immunoglobulins signal immune activation (H et al. 2011; N et al. 2017).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlkaline phosphatase (ALP), an enzyme associated with bone and liver metabolism, often increases during accelerated skeletal growth or enhanced immunity. Broilers challenged with Eimeria tenella and subsequently supplemented with Astragalus polysaccharides showed markedly higher serum ALP activity, suggesting ALP\u0026rsquo;s role in immune modulation [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e]. Ca is essential for skeletal development and neuromuscular function; adequate Ca intake enhances bone mineral density and strength [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e], Lipase, the key enzyme for fat digestion, exhibits activity levels that are positively correlated with apparent nutrient utilization (dry matter, energy, crude protein) in chicks [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e]. Collectively, these elevated indices indicate that FBQ markedly improves the absorption and metabolism of protein, calcium, and fat, thereby underpinning superior growth performance. Conversely, the reductions in ALT and BUN\u0026mdash;established markers of hepatic and renal health\u0026mdash;demonstrate that FBQ effectively safeguards liver and kidney function in broilers [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026zwnj; In terms of immune modulation, BS, UFBQ, and FBQ all shifted the immune balance in chicks, with FBQ producing the most pronounced effects. All three treatments down-regulated pro-inflammatory cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-2, TGF-β, NOS) and up-regulated anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-4, IL-10). Elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines are usually linked to overt inflammation or hyper-activated immunity; they drive the inflammatory cascade by activating immune cells, releasing inflammatory mediators, and increasing vascular permeability [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e], Conversely, anti-inflammatory cytokines restore immune homeostasis and resolve inflammation by inhibiting pro-inflammatory cytokine production, modulating immune-cell activity, and promoting tissue repair[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e]. IgG, the most abundant immunoglobulin, confers broad immune protection by neutralizing pathogens and activating the complement system[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e25\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e]. SIgA is the dominant antibody of the mucosal immune system and plays a vital defensive role on mucosal surfaces of the digestive, respiratory, and urogenital tracts[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e27\u003c/span\u003e]. In addition, sIgA protects intestinal health by binding enteric pathogens and preventing their adhesion and colonization[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e29\u003c/span\u003e]. In the present study, dietary supplementation with BS, UFBQ, or FBQ significantly elevated IgG and sIgA levels, with FBQ showing the greatest enhancement. These results further confirm FBQ\u0026rsquo;s pronounced immunopotentiating advantage, indicating its capacity to effectively boost systemic immunity and mucosal defense while amplifying the beneficial effects of probiotics or traditional Chinese medicine.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGut-microbiota sequencing revealed that, relative to the control group, supplementing chicks with UFBQ significantly lowered cecal microbial diversity\u0026mdash;a trend consistent with previous findings in lambs, indicating that UFBQ may disturb the steady-state balance of the gut microbiota[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e]. However, feeding fermented Chinese medicine can prevent this adverse effect. \u003cem\u003eButyricimonas\u003c/em\u003e, a Gram-negative anaerobe known for producing butyrate and other short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), was markedly enriched by FBQ. Its expansion is strongly associated with improved intestinal barrier function and offers notable protection in necrotic enteritis (NE) models [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e30\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e31\u003c/span\u003e]. \u003cem\u003eBacillus\u003c/em\u003e, a ubiquitous Gram-positive spore-forming genus, can withstand extreme heat and acidity. Dietary \u003cem\u003eBacillus subtilis\u003c/em\u003e has repeatedly been shown to increase daily weight gain and feed conversion, strengthen the intestinal barrier, and reduce Salmonella adhesion and invasion, thereby protecting epithelial integrity[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e32\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e]. In the present study, both \u003cem\u003eButyricimonas\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eBacillus\u003c/em\u003e were significantly enriched in the BS group. \u003cem\u003eBifidobacterium\u003c/em\u003e, a rapidly colonizing probiotic, ferments carbohydrates into SCFAs\u0026mdash;acetate, lactate and butyrate\u0026mdash;that lower luminal pH and suppress Salmonella growth[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e34\u003c/span\u003e]. Chicks fed \u003cem\u003eBifidobacterium\u003c/em\u003e exhibit marked increases in serum IgA, IgG and IgM, greater body-weight gain, and improved feed conversion and nutrient digestibility[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e35\u003c/span\u003e]. In our trial, \u003cem\u003eBifidobacterium\u003c/em\u003e was selectively enriched in the FBQ group, suggesting that its proliferation is one mechanism by which FBQ enhances growth performance and intestinal immunity.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMetabolomic profiling revealed that feeding BS, UFQ, or FBQ markedly elevated the abundance of beneficial cecal metabolites such as atorvastatin and uridine in broiler chicks. Atorvastatin, a potent lipid-lowering drug, inhibits hepatic HMG-CoA reductase and reduces cholesterol synthesis[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e36\u003c/span\u003e]. Dietary supplementation of 20 mg/kg atorvastatin significantly improves body-weight gain, feed conversion, and intestinal villus morphology\u0026mdash;height, width and absorptive surface area\u0026mdash;in chicks[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e]. Uridine, a nucleoside composed of uracil and ribose, is pivotal for cellular metabolism, energy supply and biosynthesis. Supplementing 1.5 g/kg uridine increases chick body weight, promotes intestinal development (longer villi, greater absorptive area), enhances both cellular and humoral immunity, and lowers disease risk [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e38\u003c/span\u003e]. In the present study, atorvastatin and uridine were up-regulated in the BS, UFBQ and FBQ groups. Notably, fold-changes were highest in the FBQ group, providing a metabolomic explanation for the superior growth and intestinal immunity observed with FBQ.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeyond these three metabolites, chicks fed FBQ also accumulated higher cecal concentrations of taurine, which modulates the central thermoregulatory center to alleviate heat stress, strengthens anti-inflammatory and antioxidant capacity, improves intestinal barrier function, and optimizes body composition and production efficiency[\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR40\" citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e39\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e41\u003c/span\u003e]. Importantly, prior analyses showed that fermentation increased free amino acids and short peptides in the BanQi extract. Consistently, the FBQ group exhibited enrichment of small peptides such as Dl-Leu-dl-Val, Lys-Val, Ile-Leu-Arg and Ile-Ala-Arg, a signature not observed in the BS or UFBQ groups.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study provides solid evidence that BanQi fermented by Bacillus subtilis (FBQ) markedly outperforms either probiotics or the unfermented extract in boosting growth, fine-tuning protein\u0026ndash;calcium\u0026ndash;fat metabolism, strengthening systemic and mucosal immunity, reshaping the gut microbiota, and enriching beneficial metabolites in yellow-feathered broilers, thus offering a safe, effective and low-cost route to replace in-feed antibiotics. Future work will first pin down the optimal dose, timing and rearing conditions for FBQ across breeds and ages, then use integrated metagenomic, transcriptomic and proteomic approaches to dissect the molecular networks linking FBQ, microbiota and host. We will also assess its impact on meat quality, flavour and shelf life, run pilot-scale safety and economic evaluations, and explore synergies with other functional additives, laying stronger scientific and practical foundations for FBQ\u0026rsquo;s large-scale adoption and standardisation.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ch2\u003eDeclaration of interest\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare no competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eFunding\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis research was financially supported by the Key Research and Development Program of Henan Province (221111111300), as well as by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31972731).\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAuthor Contribution\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll authors participated in the conception and overall design of the study. Drug preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Junyang Fan and Xue Zhang. Animal rearing was supervised by Yuntian Zhang and Xueyan Hu. Junyang Fan and Hongying Zhang jointly drafted and finalized the manuscript, while Mingfan Yang, Yue Jin and Sai Mao critically reviewed and revised it. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eData Availability\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eNone of the data was deposited in an official repository. Data that support those study findings are available upon request.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYang L, He T, Xiong F, Chen X, Fan X, Jin S, et al. Identification of key genes and pathways associated with feed efficiency of native chickens based on transcriptome data via bioinformatics analysis. BMC Genomics. 2020;21(1):292; doi: 10.1186/s12864-020-6713-y.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSM L, L Z, SX S, ML Z, ZY D. 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Clostridium autoethanogenum protein inclusion in the diet for broiler: Enhancement of growth performance, lipid metabolism, and gut microbiota. Frontiers in veterinary science. 2022;9:1028792; doi: 10.3389/fvets.2022.1028792.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"probiotics-and-antimicrobial-proteins","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"paap","sideBox":"Learn more about [Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins](http://link.springer.com/journal/12601)","snPcode":"12602","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/12602/3","title":"Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Fermented BanQi extract, Growth performance, Immunity, Intestinal microbiota, Metabolite profile","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7238260/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7238260/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThis study investigates the effects of fermented Banqi( \u003cem\u003eRadix Isatidis\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eAstragalus membranaceus\u003c/em\u003e ) extract (FBQ) on the growth performance, immunity, intestinal microbiota, and metabolite profile of broiler chicks. A total of 160 one-day-old yellow-feathered broilers were assigned to four treatment groups: control (PBS), Bacillus subtilis (BS), unfermented Banqi extract (UFBQ), and fermented Banqi extract (FBQ). The experiment lasted for 42 days. Results showed that FBQ significantly enhanced growth performance, with higher body weight and average daily gain (\u003cem\u003eP \u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e 0.05) compared to other groups. Blood biochemical parameters indicated improved protein, calcium, and fat metabolism in FBQ-fed chicks. Immune function was also enhanced, with significant increases in anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-4, IL-10) and immunoglobulins (IgG, sIgA) (\u003cem\u003eP \u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e 0.01). Intestinal microbiota analysis revealed that FBQ increased microbial diversity and enriched beneficial genera such as \u003cem\u003eBifidobacterium\u003c/em\u003e. The metabolomics analysis identified 73 differential metabolites in the FBQ group. Notably, the differential metabolites detected in the BS or UFBQ groups were also identified in the FBQ group. This finding confirms that fermented traditional Chinese medicine integrates the combined advantages of both probiotics and traditional Chinese medicine. Overall, this study provides robust evidence that FBQ can serve as a safe and effective feed additive for broiler chickens, facilitating the promotion and application of fermented traditional Chinese medicine.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"The Effects of Fermented Chinese Herbal Medicine on Growth Performance, Immunity, Intestinal Microbiota, and Intestinal Metabolite Profile of Broiler Chicks","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-08-12 12:35:14","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7238260/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2025-11-24T13:16:17+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-11-23T20:01:24+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-11-20T06:38:15+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-11-15T04:21:34+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"238621784374681951560283067593777054889","date":"2025-11-14T13:34:20+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-11-14T12:45:01+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"212466687001951724837782123428763100931","date":"2025-11-14T12:39:03+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"111068649599225159899751425246843495693","date":"2025-11-14T12:31:40+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"237243909828296162162360784571325265110","date":"2025-11-14T12:23:17+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"158109257506071245930268264914861195570","date":"2025-08-03T12:46:52+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"66509439868122743202190186189936658640","date":"2025-08-01T12:16:34+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-08-01T12:11:49+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-07-29T10:17:02+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-07-29T10:12:55+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins","date":"2025-07-29T02:50:59+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"probiotics-and-antimicrobial-proteins","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"paap","sideBox":"Learn more about [Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins](http://link.springer.com/journal/12601)","snPcode":"12602","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/12602/3","title":"Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"bb4ff30b-0f6c-405b-affd-edb1841fff4d","owner":[],"postedDate":"August 12th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-02-23T16:07:46+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-7238260","link":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12602-026-10954-7","journal":{"identity":"probiotics-and-antimicrobial-proteins","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins"},"publishedOn":"2026-02-16 15:58:43","publishedOnDateReadable":"February 16th, 2026"},"versionCreatedAt":"2025-08-12 12:35:14","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1007/s12602-026-10954-7","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12602-026-10954-7","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7238260","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7238260","identity":"rs-7238260","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}