ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Animal Nutrition and Metabolism
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1672417
This article is part of the Research TopicBioactive Natural Compounds and Their Role in Oxidative Stress in AnimalsView all 5 articles
Comparative hepatoprotective effects of AMK and PAMK via Nrf2 signaling in broiler breeders
Provisionally accepted
Baili Lu1Jiayu He1Shirou Pan1
Junhao Wei2Bingxin Li1
Nan Cao1
Yunmao Huang1Yunbo Tian1Ngai Cheong2Ying Chen3
Danning Xu1
Wanyan Li1*- 1Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China
- 2Macao Polytechnic University, Macau, Macao, SAR China
- 3Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
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Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz. (AMK) and its purified polysaccharide fraction (PAMK) are known for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and hepatoprotective properties, showing potential benefits for poultry liver health. This study simulated hepatic oxidative stress in late-laying hens, a physiological stage characterized by increased metabolic demands and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, without exogenous hepatotoxic agents. Hens were randomly assigned to three groups: control (basal diet), AMK (basal diet + 15 g/kg AMK), and PAMK (basal diet + 400 mg/kg PAMK). Both AMK and PAMK significantly reduced serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities compared to control. Notably, PAMK showed superior efficacy, decreasing malondialdehyde (MDA) levels by 35.29% versus 32.87% in AMK, and more effectively increasing antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px). Histopathological analysis revealed better-preserved liver structure and less inflammatory infiltration in PAMK-fed hens. Mechanistically, both treatments upregulated Nrf2 and downstream antioxidant genes, with stronger activation observed in the PAMK group. In vitro, PAMK reduced H 2 O 2 -induced ROS accumulation and apoptosis in primary embryonic chicken hepatocytes, effects that were attenuated by the Nrf2 inhibitor ML385. In conclusion, PAMK exerts superior hepatoprotective effects compared to crude AMK by modulating the Nrf2 pathway, mitigating oxidative stress, apoptosis, and autophagy. Future research should evaluate PAMK's long-term safety, synergistic potential with other natural antioxidants, and cost-effectiveness in poultry production.
Keywords: broiler breeders, Oxidative Stress, PAMK, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Apoptosis
Received: 24 Jul 2025; Accepted: 27 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Lu, He, Pan, Wei, Li, Cao, Huang, Tian, Cheong, Chen, Xu and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Wanyan Li, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China
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