Dietary catechu powder enhances intestinal resilience against lipopolysaccharide stimulation in broilers

Poultry farming increasingly seek effective antibiotic alternatives to maintain intestinal health and prevent inflammation, making the identification of safe and functional plant-derived additives of great importance. This study investigated the potential of catechu powder (CP), a polyphenol-rich plant extract, as an antibiotic alternative to modulate intestinal inflammation, barrier function and antioxidant capacity in broiler chickens. One hundred one-day-old Ross 308 broilers were randomly assigned to either a control or CP supplemented group (1,000 mg/kg), with five replicates of 10 birds each. After the feeding trial reached day 27, growth performance was assessed as scheduled. On day 29, two birds per replicate were injected with lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 1 mg/kg BW), while two others received saline. Samples were collected 3 h post-injection for further analyses. The experimental setup was a 2 × 2 factorial arrangements and the interactions between CP and LPS challenge were evaluated, and significant interactions were separated using Tukey's test. The results demonstrated significant interactions (P < 0.05) between dietary CP treatment and LPS challenge with respect to inflammatory response, oxidative stress status, jejunal histomorphology and jejunal barrier functions. Specifically, under LPS challenge, broiler chickens fed a CP-supplemented diet attenuated LPS-induced inflammatory by downregulating gene expressions of duodenal interferon-γ (IFN-γ) by 37% and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) by 31%, jejunal IFN-γ by 24%, and serum interleukin-8 (IL-8) by 70% and TNF-α by 78% (P < 0.05). Additionally, under LPS challenge, broiler chickens fed a CP-supplemented diet mitigated LPS-induced oxidative stress by reducing concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) by 53% and malondialdehyde (MDA) by 30% in the serum, duodenal H2O2 by 54%, and jejunal MDA by 39% (P < 0.05). Furthermore, under LPS challenge, broiler chickens fed a CP-supplemented diet restored intestinal barrier integrity by increasing jejunal villus height by 24% and upregulating gene expressions of jejunal Claudin1 by 52% and Mucin2 by 123% (P < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary CP effectively alleviated LPS-induced immunological stress and intestinal injury in broiler chickens by suppressing inflammatory responses and oxidative damage, thereby supporting its potential as a functional feed additive and a potential candidate for antibiotic replacement.