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КартаВръзкиТемиБългарияНощта (K-TRIO)Мария Склодовска-КюриЗа ученициЗа учителиМетодологияИзненадай ме
HEИндивидуална стипендия2023–2025

BonEggHens · Investigation of coupled bone and eggshell (de)mineralization during laying cycle of hens

„Хоризонт Европа“ — Действия „Мария Склодовска-Кюри“

Период
2023-09-01 → 2025-08-31
Финансиране от ЕС
181 153 €
Участници
3
Схема
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF

Линиите свързват координатора с партньорите.

Накратко на български

Връзката между минералния състав на костите и черупките на яйцата при кокошките се анализира чрез високоразрешаващи техники. Това помага за подобряване на благосъстоянието на птиците и дава знания за човешките костни заболявания като остеопорозата.

Този кратък обзор е генериран от изкуствен интелект

Кратко обяснение, генерирано от езиков модел по текста на CORDIS. Оригиналът е по-долу.

Резултати накратко

Investigation of coupled bone and eggshell (de)mineralization during laying cycle of hens

Bone is a rigid organ that provides structural support and acts as a reservoir of essential minerals. In laying hens, this function is particularly demanding: each day they mobilize about 10% of their body calcium to build an eggshell. To meet this demand, hens form a special type of bone, called medullary bone (located in the medullary cavity), which serves as a calcium storage. Repeated mobilization of calcium for eggshell formation disrupts the balance between bone resorption and formation, potentially slowing turnover in the structural compartments and altering the organization of the mineral–collagen composite. This may compromise the quality of the cortical bone and modify the distribution and intensity of the bone anisotropic mechanical response. This skeletal disorder poses serious challenges for animal welfare, the sustainability of egg production, and the economic viability of the poultry industry (it especially affects commercial flocks). Beyond poultry farming, understanding how bone forms, dissolves, and adapts to age physiological changes also provides insights relevant to human bone health, particularly for diseases such as osteoporosis. BonEggHens project aims to address these issues through a systematic study of hen bone and eggshells across different life and production (laying cycle) stages by high-resolution techniques. The main objectives are: • To characterize bone and eggshell composition and structure from the macro- to the nanoscale. • To determine the role of collagenous and non-collagenous proteins in controlling bone dissolution. • To assess how labile versus crystalline mineral phases influence bone fragility. • To establish correlations between i) micro and nanoscopic characteristics of hen’s bones and bone quality ii) bone structural and compositional changes and eggshell quality. By combining advanced microscopy, mineralogical analyses, organic matrix investigation, and statistical approaches, the project will uncover the mechanisms leading to hen bone degradation and the links between bone quality and eggshell formation. These findings will contribute to improving poultry health and sustainability, while also providing knowledge relevant to human bone biology and disease.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз

Цел на проекта

Skeletal disorders in laying hens are a major concern for the food industry. It is well recognized that bone demineralization in laying hens is coupled to the daily mobilization of Ca for egg formation but the relation between bone properties and eggshell quality is still unclear. A key point for understanding this coupled process is reveling the factors that influence bone dissolution since the unbalance between resorption and formation is what causes bone diseases such as osteoporosis and osteogenesis imperfecta. Notably, there is limited information on how the composition, structural organization and interaction between bone mineral phase and organic matrix in different bone types influence chicken bone dissolution and its mechanical properties. BonEggHens aims to perform a systematic study, from macro to nanoscopic scale, on a large array of bone and eggshell samples representative of the hens life cycle, to assess i) the effect of the mineral labile phase and the organic matrix on bone dissolution, ii) the relation between micro and nanoscopic characteristics of hens bones to bone quality parameters (e.g., bone density, mineral crystallinity) and iii) the correlation between bone structural and compositional changes and eggshell quality. The results of the proposed study will shed light on bone/eggshell (de)mineralization processes, which will help to find solutions for a more sustainable yet productive farming system for ovo-production. Moreover, the outcome of BonEggHens has potential implications for future biomineral investigation by cutting-edge microscopy tools and, most importantly, for the study of human bone diseases resembling those in chickens. Finally, the development of the proposal will be career-defining, contributing to the professional and personal growth of the experienced researcher and providing the necessary skills and competences to increase her competitiveness and attain a permanent position in the European scientific framework.

Оригинален текст от CORDIS (на английски).

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Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз