Alleviating the Adverse Effects of Lipopolysaccharide on Production Performance, Immune Function, and Intestinal...

In this study, we investigated how adding alkaline phosphatase (ALP) to the diet improves the growth performance and intestinal function of broiler chickens under lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stress. A total of 280 one-day-old broilers were randomly allocated into four groups, each consisting of five replicates with 14 birds per replicate, and reared for 42 days. The control group and the LPS group were fed a basal diet, whereas the LPS + 1000 U/kg ALP group and the LPS + 5000 U/kg ALP group were fed the basal diet supplemented with 1000 and 5000 U/kg of ALP, respectively. Except for the control group, the other three groups were intraperitoneally injected with LPS solution at a dose of 500 μg/kg body weight at ages of 15, 17, 19, 23, 25, and 27 days. After the data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), the results showed that LPS significantly inhibited growth, disrupted intestinal structure, upregulated inflammatory genes, and downregulated tight junction protein expression, whereas dietary supplementation with 1000 U/kg ALP significantly alleviated these adverse effects, restored intestinal structure, enhanced antioxidant capacity, and modulated related gene expression. In summary, dietary ALP supplementation alleviated LPS-induced growth inhibition and intestinal damage in broilers.