{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,26]],"date-time":"2026-06-26T07:50:10Z","timestamp":1782460210725,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":37,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,26]],"date-time":"2026-06-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782432000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Vet. Sci."],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    This study was conducted to investigate the effects of a composite of\n                    <jats:italic>Cordyceps cicadae polysaccharide<\/jats:italic>\n                    (CCP) and plant extract (PE) on growth performance, serum antioxidant status, and cecal microbiota of Yandang chickens, a Chinese indigenous breed, with the aim of evaluating its potential as a natural feed additive candidate for antibiotic-free poultry production. A total of 315 1-day-old healthy Yandang chickens were randomly allocated to seven groups: blank control, vaccinated control, antibiotic control, CCP group, PE group, low-dose combination group, and high-dose combination group. Supplementation with CCP at 50 mg\/kg BW significantly increased average daily gain (ADG) compared with the vaccinated control (\n                    <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                    &amp;lt; 0.05); the high-dose combination did not differ significantly from the CCP group in ADG. All additive-treated groups significantly elevated serum total protein and albumin levels while reducing creatinine content (\n                    <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                    &amp;lt; 0.05). The CCP group and high-dose combination group significantly increased serum total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities, and markedly decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) content (\n                    <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                    &amp;lt; 0.05), with the high-dose combination showing the strongest antioxidant activity among all treatment groups. Cecal microbiota analysis revealed that the high-dose combination significantly increased the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes, a phylum known for its capacity to degrade complex polysaccharides. PERMANOVA based on Bray\u2013Curtis distance revealed significant differences in overall microbial community structure among groups (\n                    <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                    = 0.001). In conclusion, CCP supplementation was associated with improved growth performance, while the CCP-PE composite, especially the high-dose combination, enhanced antioxidant capacity and modulated cecal microbiota in Yandang chickens under the conditions of this study. The high-dose combination exerted the optimal comprehensive effects on antioxidant capacity and intestinal flora, and may be considered a promising natural feed additive candidate for antibiotic-free poultry production.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fvets.2026.1878293","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,26]],"date-time":"2026-06-26T07:33:28Z","timestamp":1782459208000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Cordyceps cicadae polysaccharide and plant extract as a potential antibiotic-free feed additive: effects on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, and cecal microbiota of Yandang chickens"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Ruiping","family":"Li","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Wenzhou Vocational College of Science and Technology","place":["Wenzhou, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Suzhen","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Wenzhou Vocational College of Science and Technology","place":["Wenzhou, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Liyan","family":"Dong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Wenzhou Vocational College of Science and Technology","place":["Wenzhou, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zhangguo","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Zhejiang A&F University","place":["Hangzhou, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shixiang","family":"Xu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Wenzhou Vocational College of Science and Technology","place":["Wenzhou, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tao","family":"Zeng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences","place":["Hangzhou, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chong","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Wenzhou Vocational College of Science and Technology","place":["Wenzhou, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"He","family":"Ma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Wenzhou Vocational College of Science and Technology","place":["Wenzhou, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yiqiu","family":"Chai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Entomogenous Fungus Resources Research and Development of Wenzhou, Zhejiang Institute of Subtropical Crops","place":["Wenzhou, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,26]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"116658","DOI":"10.1016\/j.anifeedsci.2026.116658","article-title":"Astragalus polysaccharide and Agaricus Blazei polysaccharides improve growth performance, meat quality and health status of lambs via rescheduling the rumen microbiota","volume":"334","author":"Li","year":"2026","journal-title":"Anim Feed Sci Technol."},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1118","DOI":"10.16303\/j.cnki.1005-4545.2021.06.13","article-title":"Effects of Cordyceps cicadae polysaccharide on growth performance, antioxidant capacity and intestinal microbial diversity of broiler chickens","volume":"41","author":"Li","year":"2021","journal-title":"Chin J Vet Sci."},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1598","DOI":"10.16303\/j.cnki.1005-4545.2021.08.25","article-title":"Effects of Cordyceps cicadae polysaccharide on lipid metabolism and immune function of chicken","volume":"41","author":"Li","year":"2021","journal-title":"Chin J Vet Sci."},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"5433","DOI":"10.3969\/j.issn.1006-267x.2020.11.050","article-title":"Effects of Cordyceps cicadae polysaccharide and plant extract on growth performance and immune function of Yandang ma-chicken","volume":"32","author":"Li","year":"2020","journal-title":"Chin J Anim Nutr."},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"8","DOI":"10.3390\/metabo15010008","article-title":"Effects of Cordyceps cicadae polysaccharide on gut microbiota, the intestinal mucosal barrier, and inflammation in diabetic mice","volume":"15","author":"Sun","year":"2025","journal-title":"Metabolites."},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1016\/j.anifeedsci.2010.03.007","article-title":"Essential oils in poultry nutrition: main effects and modes of action","volume":"158","author":"Brenes","year":"2010","journal-title":"Anim Feed Sci Technol."},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"39","DOI":"10.1016\/j.anifeedsci.2017.12.003","article-title":"Different essential oils in diets of broiler chickens: 2. 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