Work

Dietary dimethylglycine sodium salt attenuates lipopolysaccharide-associated hepatic alterations and modulates redox responses in broiler chickens

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Repeated lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure compromises broiler growth and hepatic homeostasis. This study investigated the effects of dietary dimethylglycine sodium salt (DMG-Na) on hepatic responses to repeated LPS challenge and breast-muscle quality. A total of 320 one-day-old male Arbor Acres broilers were assigned to a 2 × 2 factorial design with 0 or 0.4 g DMG-Na/kg basal diet and saline or LPS (10 cages of 8 birds per treatment). Lipopolysaccharide (1 mg/kg body weight) was administered intraperitoneally on d 17, 19, and 21. DMG-Na × LPS interactions were detected for postchallenge average daily gain (P = 0.038), feed conversion ratio (P = 0.031), hepatic histopathological score (P = 0.013), and swollen mitochondrial profiles (P = 0.002). Relative to LPS alone, DMG-Na supplementation reduced histopathological score, mitochondrial swelling, and fraction-associated protein carbonyl content and was accompanied by lower hepatic SIRT1 protein abundance and phosphorylated NF-κB p65 abundance in LPSD birds (P < 0.05). Factorial transcriptomics and metabolomics identified 138 interaction-associated genes and 126 metabolite features, respectively, involving inflammatory and redox-related processes. Hepatic mtDNA abundance increased, whereas ATP and respiratory-chain complex activities remained unchanged. Breast-muscle drip loss showed an interaction (P = 0.041), but supplementation did not significantly alter drip loss within LPS-challenged birds. The treatment-only regression model outperformed the hepatic-variable random forest in predicting drip loss. Dietary DMG-Na improved postchallenge feed efficiency and attenuated hepatic inflammatory, redox, and structural alterations in LPS-challenged broilers.

Source: Poultry Science

DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2026.107994

Authors: Luyi Jiang, Yaqi Rao, Kaiwen Bai

Institutions: Zhejiang Shuren University, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology

Language: English

Topic: Animal Nutrition and Physiology

Subfield: Animal Science and Zoology

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Zero hunger

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,600