Quercetin alleviates intestinal oxidative stress in Jilin White geese

AbstractOxidative stress can occur during all stages of geese breeding, frequently damaging the intestinal tract and various tissues and organs. Quercetin is a flavonoid that exerts potential therapeutic effects against oxidative stress-induced cell damage and mitochondrial dysfunction. Herein, we investigated the alleviating effects of quercetin against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced intestinal inflammation and oxidative stress in Jilin White geese. We selected 120 healthy male 7-d-old geese of similar BW and randomly divided them into six treatment groups, with five replicates each and four geese in each replicate. The groups were as follows: C (fed basal diet, i.p. injection of 0.5 mg/kg normal saline); L (fed basal diet, i.p. injection of 0.5 mg/kg LPS); Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4 (diet + 150, 300, 450, or 600 mg/kg quercetin, respectively, i.p. injection of 0.5 mg/kg LPS). Samples were collected after experimental d 21. Our results showed that adding 300 mg/kg quercetin to the diet significantly improved growth performance after oxidative stress and reduced serum low-density lipoprotein and glutathione aminotransferase activities. Adding 450 mg/kg quercetin significantly increased the intestinal expression of downstream genes of the nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 pathway, heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1), reduced coenzyme/quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1), and glutathione oxidase (GSTP) in Jilin White geese. Considering production, adding 300 mg/kg quercetin to the diet could alleviate LPS-induced oxidative stress and reduce costs. These findings provide a reference hypothesis for the oxidative stress damage during geese production, which may help reduce the economic loss owing to geese mortality.