Alleviating effects of dietary formic acid polymer supplementation on lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory injury in gut-liver axis of broilers

A close interplay exists between the gut and liver, known as the "gut-liver axis", which plays a vital role in health and disease. This research aimed to explore the effects of dietary formic acid polymer (FAP) addition on inflammatory injury in gut-liver axis of broilers due to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge. Four hundred and fifty 1-day-old male Arbor Acres broilers were assigned to three treatment groups: (1) control (non-challenged, basal diet); (2) LPS (LPS-challenged, basal diet); (3) LPS+FAP (LPS-challenged, basal diet with 1,000 mg/kg FAP). The trial lasted 21 days. On experimental days 17, 19, and 21, the LPS and LPS+FAP groups were intraperitoneally administered LPS (1 mg/kg BW), and the control group received an equal volume of physiological saline via intraperitoneal injection. Results showed that LPS injection induced inflammatory response, resulted in liver damage, and destroyed intestinal morphology and mucosal barrier. However, dietary FAP supplementation alleviated LPS-induced adverse effects on liver and small intestine by decreasing inflammatory response and suppressing cell death. In conclusion, supplementation of 1000 mg/kg FAP mitigated LPS-induced inflammatory injury in gut-liver axis in broilers.