ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Animal Nutrition and Metabolism
NAD+-Mediated SIRT1–LKB1–AMPK Signaling Drives Lipid Remodeling and Meat Quality Differences Between Daweishan Miniature and Arbor Acres Chicken Breeds
Provisionally accepted
昊 吴1
Junfeng Luo2
Zonghui Jian3Min Yang1Jingying Zhao1,4Jing Fu1Shixiong Yan1Tengfei Dou1Junjing Jia1Lixian Liu4*Zhiqiang Xu2*- 1Yunnan Agricultural University Faculty of Animal Science and Technology, Kunming, China
- 2Yunnan Agricultural University College of Food Science and Technology, Kunming, China
- 3Yunnan Vocational and Technical College of Agriculture, Kunming, China
- 4Chuxiong Normal University Institute of Science and Technology, Chuxiong, China
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This study aimed to compare the meat composition, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺) metabolism, SIRT1–LKB1–AMPK signaling, and lipid profiles between the slow-growing Daweishan miniature (M1) and fast-growing Arbor Acres (A1) broiler breeds. Breast muscle samples were collected at 30 days of age (n= 6/breed) for chemical analysis, targeted metabolomics, ELISA, and LC-MS-based lipidomics. Chemical composition showed higher moisture and fat contents in A1 broilers, whereas M1 chickens had greater protein contents (p < 0.05). The concentrations of NAD⁺ and its key precursors, including nicotinamide (NAM), nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), and nicotinamide riboside (NR), were higher (p < 0.05) in the M1 as compared to the A1 chicken breed. ELISA results showed an increased concentration of SIRT1, LKB1, and AMPK in M1 chickens, which was positively associated with NAD⁺ and its precursors. Lipidomics identified 1,772 lipids across 69 subclasses, with 378 and 310 differentially expressed molecules. The M1 chickens showed downregulation of triglycerides and cholesteryl esters, with mixed regulation of fatty acids. Correlation analysis suggested that NAD⁺-driven SIRT1–LKB1–AMPK signaling associated with lipid catabolism, inhibits lipogenesis, and remodels fatty acid composition. These results indicate that M1 chickens exhibit enhanced metabolic regulation and protein-rich muscle with distinct lipid remodeling, whereas A1 broilers favor rapid growth and fat accumulation. The study provides mechanistic insight into breed-specific differences in muscle metabolism and meat quality, highlighting NAD⁺ and its signaling axis as key regulators of lipid homeostasis in chicken breast muscle.
Keywords: Arbor Acre broiler1, Breast muscle2, Daweishan miniature chicken3, chemical composition4, NAD+5, Key enzyme6, and Lipid metabolism7
Received: 23 Sep 2025; Accepted: 27 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 吴, Luo, Jian, Yang, Zhao, Fu, Yan, Dou, Jia, Liu and Xu. 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:
Lixian Liu
Zhiqiang Xu
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