Kang Ao, Ni Jialei, Cheng Xinyu, Wu Shuyu, Liu Yun, Ma Weiming, Wang Dong
College of Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University Tai'an Shandong People's Republic of China.
College of Veterinary Medicine Northeast Agricultural University Harbin Heolongjiang People's Republic of China.
Food Sci Nutr. 2025 May 28;13(6):e70271. doi: 10.1002/fsn3.70271. eCollection 2025 Jun.
This study aimed to investigate the beneficial effects of α-linolenic acid (ALA) on intestinal barrier function and antioxidant status in broilers, along with the associated molecular mechanisms. 320 one-day-old Arbor Acres broilers were randomly divided into four groups, each with eight replicates, and fed diets with 0 (control), 200, 400, and 600 mg of ALA/kg for 42 days. ALA supplementation did not significantly affect the broilers' overall growth performance. Supplementing diets with 400 and 600 mg/kg of ALA significantly enhanced ( < 0.05) jejunal and ileal villus height, the jejunal villus height to crypt depth ratio, and ileal mRNA expression and protein levels of Zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and occludin in broilers on Day 42. Broilers fed diets containing 600 mg/kg of ALA exhibited significantly increased ( < 0.05) serum catalase (CAT) activity, total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), and jejunal and ileal activities of CAT and total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), alongside reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations in serum, jejunum, and ileum on Days 21 and 42, compared to the control group. Supplementing 600 mg/kg of ALA significantly increased ( < 0.05) the mRNA expressions of CAT, SOD1, NRF2, and HO-1, along with the protein levels of cytoplasmic and nuclear NRF2 and HO-1 in the jejunum and ileum on Days 21 and 42. These findings demonstrate the protective effects of ALA in improving intestinal health in broilers. The underlying mechanisms may involve enhancing intestinal barrier integrity by increasing tight junction protein abundance and boosting intestinal antioxidant capacity by elevating antioxidant enzyme activity and activating the NRF2 pathway. In conclusion, our results showed that 600 mg/kg of ALA was identified as the optimal concentration for improving intestinal barrier function and antioxidant status in broilers, highlighting its potential for protecting intestinal health through ALA-based interventions.
本研究旨在探讨α-亚麻酸（ALA）对肉鸡肠道屏障功能和抗氧化状态的有益作用及其相关分子机制。320只1日龄爱拔益加肉鸡随机分为四组，每组8个重复，分别饲喂含0（对照组）、200、400和600mg/kg ALA的日粮42天。补充ALA对肉鸡的整体生长性能没有显著影响。在第42天，日粮中添加400和600mg/kg的ALA显著提高了（P<0.05）空肠和回肠绒毛高度、空肠绒毛高度与隐窝深度比值以及肉鸡回肠中紧密连接蛋白1（ZO-1）和闭合蛋白的mRNA表达及蛋白水平。与对照组相比，饲喂含600mg/kg ALA日粮的肉鸡在第21天和第42天时，血清过氧化氢酶（CAT）活性、总抗氧化能力（T-AOC）以及空肠和回肠的CAT和总超氧化物歧化酶（T-SOD）活性显著增加（P<0.05），同时血清、空肠和回肠中的丙二醛（MDA）浓度降低。在第21天和第42天，补充600mg/kg的ALA显著增加了空肠和回肠中CAT、SOD1、NRF2和HO-1的mRNA表达以及细胞质和细胞核中NRF2和HO-1的蛋白水平（P<0.05）。这些结果表明ALA对改善肉鸡肠道健康具有保护作用。其潜在机制可能包括通过增加紧密连接蛋白丰度来增强肠道屏障完整性，以及通过提高抗氧化酶活性和激活NRF2途径来增强肠道抗氧化能力。总之，我们的结果表明，600mg/kg的ALA被确定为改善肉鸡肠道屏障功能和抗氧化状态的最佳浓度，突出了其通过基于ALA的干预措施保护肠道健康的潜力。
