Ginger oil boosts sini decoction's protective effects on lung injury caused by acute cold stress through reshaping...

Acute cold stress (ACS) is a widespread concern in poultry farming. It not only severely reduces the growth performance of broilers but also affects the function of respiratory system, especially the lungs. Sini Decoction (SND) is a classic herbal formula for warming yang and dispelling cold. The oil-enriched Sini Decoction (SNDO) which is characterized by high concentration of 6-gingerol is an experimental formulation modified from SND via technological modification. A total of 96 one-day-old, white-feathered broilers were randomly assigned to four groups: control (CON) group, ACS group, SND group, and SNDO group. The protective effects and molecular mechanisms of SND and SNDO were evaluated by assessing growth performance, histopathological analysis, TUNEL staining, lung wet/dry weight ratio, inflammatory factor levels, antioxidant capacity, relative expression of pulmonary barrier‑related genes, and lung microbiota composition. Compared with the ACS group, the SND group exhibited significantly higher ADG, while the SNDO group exhibited significantly higher ADG and lower FCR (P < 0.05). The SND and SNDO groups alleviated the histopathological alterations and pulmonary cell apoptosis in the lung tissue. The SNDO group also significantly decreased the lung wet/dry weight ratio, the levels of IL-1β and IL-6, increased the level of IL-10, and upregulated the mRNA expression of tight junction proteins (occludin, ZO-1, and claudin-1) in the lung tissue (P < 0.05). SNDO significantly reduced the content of MDA and enhanced the activity of SOD (P < 0.05). Furthermore, SND and SNDO improved the α and β diversity of the lung microbiota, increased the abundances of Firmicutes, Faecalibacterium, and Lactobacillus, and decreased the abundances of Proteobacteria and Cupriavidus. Additionally, the enhanced effects of SNDO treatment were more significant in regulating growth performance, pulmonary apparent indices and lung microbiota. In conclusion, SND and SNDO alleviated ACS-induced lung injury, with SNDO exhibiting enhanced efficacy.