Protective effects of total flavonoids of Astragalus combined with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum against Salmonella enterica-challenged intestinal injury in broilers.
- 1College of Agriculture, Yanbian University, Gongyuan Street, Yanji, Jilin, 133000, China.
- 2College of Pharmacy, Yanbian University, Gongyuan Street, Yanji, Jilin, 133000, China.
- 3College of Agriculture, Yanbian University, Gongyuan Street, Yanji, Jilin, 133000, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
Abstract
Salmonella enterica (SE) challenge compromises growth performance and intestinal health in broilers and is accompanied by intestinal injury, impaired barrier function, inflammatory responses, and gut microbial dysbiosis. Although total flavonoids of Astragalus (TFA) and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (LP) have each been reported to support intestinal health, their combined effects during SE challenge remain poorly defined. This study investigated the protective effects of TFA combined with LP against SE-induced intestinal injury and explored the potential mechanisms involved. Fifty 1-day-old Arbor Acres broiler chicks were randomly allocated to five groups: Control, SE, TFA, LP, and TFA+LP. Growth performance, diarrhea parameters, ileal morphology, epithelial apoptosis, serum biomarkers, inflammatory cytokines, tight junction-related gene and protein expression, and gut microbiota composition were analyzed. SE challenge impaired growth performance, increased diarrhea rate, and induced intestinal injury. TFA, LP, and their combination alleviated these alterations, with the TFA+LP treatment showing greater efficacy than either individual treatment for selected endpoints. Factorial analysis identified greater-than-additive interactions for VH, IL-1β, Claudin-1 protein abundance, and the positively stained areas of Claudin-1 and ZO-1. Specifically, TFA+LP treatment reduced serum DAO, D-LA, PCT, CRP, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6, increased IL-10, and increased tight junction-related protein expression. Moreover, TFA and LP, alone or in combination, were associated with distinct ileal microbial profiles and differences in selected bacterial taxa. Correlation analysis further showed that selected bacterial genera were associated with growth performance, intestinal barrier status, inflammatory responses, and epithelial apoptosis. TFA and LP, administered alone or in combination, attenuated SE-associated growth impairment and intestinal injury in broilers. The combined treatment produced greater effects than either individual treatment for selected outcomes, although these responses were not uniformly greater than additive effect. These findings support further evaluation of combined TFA and LP administration as a potential strategy for maintaining intestinal health in broilers.
Related
- Dietary Weizmannia faecalis DSM 32016 probiotic supplementation reduces Salmonella colonization and supports growth performance in broilers challenged with Salmonella enterica serovars.
- Protective effects of sanguinarine-baicalin salt in broilers challenged with avian pathogenic Escherichia coli O78.
- Astragalus cicer L. and Astragalus glycyphyllos L. Flowers as Potential Functional Foods: Nutritional Composition, Chemical Characterization, and Biological Activity
- Liver miRNome is modulated by nutrient restriction in early lactation cows challenged with intramammary lipopolysaccharide
- The complete chloroplast genome and phylogenetic analysis of Astragalus floridulus Podlech 1993 (Fabaceae)
BibTeX
@article{yu2026protective,
title = {{Protective effects of total flavonoids of Astragalus combined with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum against Salmonella enterica-challenged intestinal injury in broilers.}},
author = {Tian Yu and Minghong Yu and Meng Cui and Rui Sang and Siyu Li and Lei Wang and Xuemei Zhang},
journal = {Poultry science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.psj.2026.107922},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42868849},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Protective effects of total flavonoids of Astragalus combined with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum against Salmonella enterica-challenged intestinal injury in broilers.
AU - Tian Yu
AU - Minghong Yu
AU - Meng Cui
AU - Rui Sang
AU - Siyu Li
AU - Lei Wang
AU - Xuemei Zhang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/07
JO - Poultry science
DO - 10.1016/j.psj.2026.107922
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42868849
AB - Salmonella enterica (SE) challenge compromises growth performance and intestinal health in broilers and is accompanied by intestinal injury, impaired barrier function, inflammatory responses, and gut microbial dysbiosis. Although total flavonoids of Astragalus (TFA) and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (LP) have each been reported to support intestinal health, their combined effects during SE challenge remain poorly defined. This study investigated the protective effects of TFA combined with LP against SE-induced intestinal injury and explored the potential mechanisms involved. Fifty 1-day-old Arbor Acres broiler chicks were randomly allocated to five groups: Control, SE, TFA, LP, and TFA+LP. Growth performance, diarrhea parameters, ileal morphology, epithelial apoptosis, serum biomarkers, inflammatory cytokines, tight junction-related gene and protein expression, and gut microbiota composition were analyzed. SE challenge impaired growth performance, increased diarrhea rate, and induced intestinal injury. TFA, LP, and their combination alleviated these alterations, with the TFA+LP treatment showing greater efficacy than either individual treatment for selected endpoints. Factorial analysis identified greater-than-additive interactions for VH, IL-1β, Claudin-1 protein abundance, and the positively stained areas of Claudin-1 and ZO-1. Specifically, TFA+LP treatment reduced serum DAO, D-LA, PCT, CRP, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6, increased IL-10, and increased tight junction-related protein expression. Moreover, TFA and LP, alone or in combination, were associated with distinct ileal microbial profiles and differences in selected bacterial taxa. Correlation analysis further showed that selected bacterial genera were associated with growth performance, intestinal barrier status, inflammatory responses, and epithelial apoptosis. TFA and LP, administered alone or in combination, attenuated SE-associated growth impairment and intestinal injury in broilers. The combined treatment produced greater effects than either individual treatment for selected outcomes, although these responses were not uniformly greater than additive effect. These findings support further evaluation of combined TFA and LP administration as a potential strategy for maintaining intestinal health in broilers.
SN - 0032-5791
SN - 1525-3171
ER -