China Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Medicine ›› 2026, Vol. 53 ›› Issue (2): 659-670.doi: 10.16431/j.cnki.1671-7236.2026.02.014

• Nutrition and Feed • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effects of LPS on the Growth Performance, Serum Biochemistry and Intestinal Health of Mahuang Chickens

ZHANG Zhiying1(), HU Xiaodi1, PENG Su1, ZHANG Xingyue1, SHE Peining1, HUANG Xiaojie2, SHI Dayou1()   

  1. 1.College of Veterinary Medicine,South China Agricultural University,Guangzhou 510642,China
    2.Guangxi Vocational University of Agriculture,Nanning 530007,China
  • Received:2025-07-15 Online:2026-02-05 Published:2026-01-27
  • Contact: SHI Dayou E-mail:2549215237@qq.com;shidayou@scau.edu.cn

Abstract:

Objective This study aimed to investigate the optimal dosage of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for establishing an inflammatory model in Mahuang chickens via intraperitoneal injection. Method A total of 120 one-day-old male Mahuang chickens (39.11 g ± 3.13 g) were randomly assigned to 4 groups with 6 replicates per group and 5 chickens per replicate. The trial lasted 21 days. The control group (CON) received intraperitoneal injections of normal saline at 15, 17, 19, and 21 days of age, while the treatment groups (LL, LM, and LH) received LPS at 0.25, 0.5, and 1 mg/kg body weight, respectively. Blood collection and slaughter were performed on days 15 and 21 to calculate growth performance and immune organ indices, serum biochemical parameters, corticosterone, inflammatory cytokines, antioxidant indicators, and related gene expression. Result On day 15, compared with CON group, the final body weight and average daily gain of Mahuang chickens in all LPS-treated groups showed no significant changes (P>0.05). The jejunal villus height (VH) and villus-to-crypt ratio (V/C) of Mahuang chickens in LH group decreased significantly (P<0.05). The expression of Occludin and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) in the jejunum of Mahuang chickens in LM and LH groups was significantly down-regulated (P<0.05). The serum corticosterone content of Mahuang chickens in LH group increased (P<0.05). The serum triglyceride (TG) content of Mahuang chickens in LL, LM, and LH groups decreased significantly (P<0.05). The serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) content of Mahuang chickens in LH group increased significantly (P<0.05). The serum total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) activity of Mahuang chickens in LH group decreased significantly (P<0.05), while the malondialdehyde (MDA) content increased significantly (P<0.05).On day 21, compared with CON group, the spleen index and thymus index of Mahuang chickens in LM and LH groups showed an increasing trend (P>0.05). The jejunal crypt depth (CD) of Mahuang chickens in LH group increased extremely significantly (P<0.01), while the V/C decreased significantly (P<0.05). The expression of Claudin-1 in the jejunum of Mahuang chickens in LH group was down-regulated extremely significantly (P<0.01), while the expression of IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and nuclear NF-κB was up-regulated extremely significantly (P<0.01). The T-SOD activity of Mahuang chickens in all LPS-treated groups decreased significantly (P<0.05). Conclusion LPS injection significantly affected immune organ development, intestinal morphology, inflammatory cytokine expression, and antioxidant function in Mahuang chickens, successfully inducing inflammatory stress. Considering all indicators, 1.0 mg/kg LPS was the optimal dose for establishing an inflammatory model in Mahuang chickens.

Key words: lipopolysaccharide (LPS); Mahuang chickens; growth performance; serum biochemistry; organ index; intestinal barrier

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