Protective Effects of Resveratrol on Heat Stress-Induced Liver Dysfunction in Broilers Through Modulating Autophagy...

This study aims to explore the effects of resveratrol on the NLRP3 inflammasome and its regulatory mechanism in the liver of heat-stressed broilers. Broilers were randomly divided into three groups: (1) Control (23°C ± 2°C), (2) Heat stress (HS, 35°C ± 2°C, 8 h/day), and (3) Resveratrol (HS + resveratrol) group. Resveratrol supplementation (400 mg/kg diet) commenced 48 h prior to HS and continued throughout the experimental period. The results showed that resveratrol improved growth performance with a higher average daily gain (ADG) and lower feed conversion ratio (FCR), and increased liver weight and index along with reduced inflammatory cell infiltration in broilers. In addition, resveratrol upregulated the autophagy-related genes and protein levels in the liver. Moreover, resveratrol obviously down-regulated the protein and mRNA levels of the NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome. In conclusion, resveratrol mitigated heat stress-induced liver injury by modulating autophagy and down-regulating NLRP3 inflammasome activation.