Dietary 3,4-Dihydroxybenzalacetone alleviates LPS-induced intestinal injury in Leizhou black ducks by improving mitochondrial function and suppressing apoptosis.

Intestinal inflammation is a major health concern in poultry, highlighting the importance of developing effective alternatives to conventional antibiotics. 3,4-Dihydroxybenzalacetone (DBL), a polyphenolic compound extracted from Inonotus obliquus, exhibits anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. However, its specific effects on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced intestinal inflammatory injury and the underlying mechanisms in ducks remain unknown. In this study, 42 healthy 7-day-old Leizhou black ducks were randomly divided into six groups (control, LPS, LPS+resveratrol (RES), LPS+DBL-1, LPS+DBL-2, and DBL). After 7 days of dietary supplementation, a 3-day intraperitoneal LPS injection was performed. DBL administration at dietary concentrations of 0.01% (LPS+DBL-1) and 0.04% (LPS+DBL-2) significantly alleviated LPS-induced intestinal injury in a dose-dependent manner. These protective effects included improved survival rate and body weight gain, reduced intestinal mucosal damage, and restored expression of tight junction proteins (Zonula Occludens-1 (ZO-1), Claudin-1, and Occludin). Furthermore, DBL not only attenuated LPS-induced mitochondrial membrane potential depolarization and reduced intestinal cell apoptosis but also ameliorated inflammation and oxidative stress. In addition, network pharmacology analysis combined with experimental validation indicated that the protective effect of DBL is closely associated with the inhibition of the cGAS-STING-mediated mitochondrial stress signaling pathway, the restoration of impaired mitophagy, and the suppression of apoptosis. Together, these findings demonstrate that dietary DBL alleviates LPS-induced intestinal injury in Leizhou black ducks through a multitarget mechanism, positioning it as a promising alternative to antibiotics for managing intestinal inflammation in poultry.