Dietary supplementation of dimethyl itaconate protects against chronic heat stress-induced growth performance impairment and lipid metabolism disorder in broiler chickens

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of dietary supplementation of dimethyl itaconate (DI) on chronic heat stress (HS)-induced impairment of the growth performance and lipid metabolism in broiler chickens. 21 days old male Ross 308 broiler chickens (a total of 120, about 700 g body weight) were randomly divided into five treatment groups, including control group, HS group, HS + 50 mg/kg DI group, HS + 150 mg/kg DI group, and HS + 200 mg/kg DI group, and each group contains eight cages of twenty-four broilers. The broiler chickens in the control group were raised in the room (21 ± 1 °C) and fed with a finisher diet for 21 days. The broiler chickens of the HS group and the HS + DI groups were raised in the room (32 ± 1 °C for 8 h/day) and fed with a finisher diet containing DI at 0, 50, 150, and 200 mg/kg diet for 21 days. The results showed that HS-induced decreases in the final body weight (P < 0.01), average daily gain (P < 0.01), and average daily feed intake (P < 0.01) were alleviated by dietary supplementation of DI (P < 0.05). In addition, dietary supplementation of DI attenuated the increases in the liver index (P < 0.01) and abdominal fat rate (P < 0.01) caused by HS in broilers (P < 0.05). Treatment with DI ameliorated HS-induced lipid accumulation in the liver and serum of broiler chickens (P < 0.05). The upregulation of mRNA levels of fat synthesis factors (P < 0.01) and downregulation of mRNA levels of lipolysis-related factors (P < 0.01) caused by HS were markedly blunted after treatment with DI in the liver of broilers (P < 0.05). Broilers exposed to HS exhibited lower phosphorylated protein levels of AMP-activated protein kinase α and acetyl-CoA carboxylase α compared to the control group (P < 0.01), which were improved by treatment with DI (P < 0.01). Collectively, these results demonstrated that dietary supplementation of DI protects against chronic HS-induced growth performance impairment and lipid metabolism disorder in broiler chickens. These results not only provide a theoretical basis for DI to alleviate metabolic disorders, but also provide a reference value for DI as a feed additive to improve heat stress in poultry caused by high temperature.

In-depth investigation of the mechanisms of high and low residual feed intake regulating hens during the late laying period via liver and gut microbiota

“…When the liver is damaged, the normal structure of liver cells is disrupted, leading to a significant increase in ALT and AST levels in the blood. In poultry, elevated levels of LDL-C indicate disturbances in lipid metabolism, which may contribute to the occurrence of metabolic-related diseases [47] ; HDL-C, as it aids in the removal of LDL-C from the body and transports it to the liver for metabolism, is generally considered "good cholesterol" [48] . In this study, we observed that the AST concentration was significantly lower in the LRFI group than in the HRFI group, while the HDL-C content was significantly higher in the LRFI group.…”

Chitosan Oligosaccharides Alleviate Heat-Stress-Induced Lipid Metabolism Disorders by Suppressing the Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Response in the Liver of Broilers

“…Broilers under heat stress usually suffered from an energy supply deficit due to their decreased feed intake and increased output for survival [ 19 ]. Numerous studies indicated that heat stress had detrimental effects on lipid utilization by reducing lipolytic capacity, enhancing TG transports from the liver to extrahepatic tissues and abdominal adiposity [ 4 , 5 , 19 , 57 ].…”

“…Nutritional management, especially feed additives, which exerts lipid-lowering, anti-oxidant, and/or anti-inflammatory effects, might represent a beneficial regulator to alleviate heat-stress-induced hepatic lipid metabolism disorders. For instance, itaconate and astaxanthin, which exert an anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory capacity, were used to alleviate heat-stress-induced hepatic lipid metabolism disorders in broilers [ 18 , 19 ].…”

Effects of medical plants on alleviating the effects of heat stress on chickens

“…Moreover, chronic HS increases the hepatic index (weight and liver enzymes), abdominal fat, lipid accumulation, thereby reducing the availability of nutrition for growth and development ( Oladeinde et al, 2023 ). This feature was explained by ( Li et al, 2023a ), who found that HS induces up-regulation of fat synthesis genes and down regulated lipolysis-related genes in broiler.…”

“…It is well established that HS is a significant environmental factor responsible for liver damage. Therefore, the elevation of TNF-α levels in the liver or serum may contribute to liver dysfunction ( Li et al, 2023a ).…”