Effects of ursolic acid on growth performance,nutrient apparent digestibility,and serum anti-inflammatory,antioxidant,and intestinal digestion in meat rabbits under lipopolysaccharide-induced

LIU Yanhua; CHEN Baojiang; WANG Yuanyuan; CHEN Saijuan; HU Man

doi:10.13557/j.cnki.issn1002-2813.2025.23.014

Abstract：This experiment aimed to investigate the effects of dietary ursolic acid(UA)supplementation on the growth performance,nutrient digestibility,serum anti-inflammatory,antioxidant,biochemical indexes,and intestinal digestive enzyme activities in meat rabbits under lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced.A total of 80 healthy weaned meat rabbits were randomly divided into four groups with 20 replicates per group and one rabbit per replicate.The control group(group CON)was fed a basal diet and injected with physiological saline four hours before slaughter.The group LPS was fed the basal diet and injected with 200 μg/kg LPS four hours before slaughter.The group UA was fed the basal diet supplemented with 50 mg/kg UA and injected with physiological saline four hours before slaughter.The group L-UA was fed the basal diet supplemented with 50 mg/kg UA and injected with 200 μg/kg LPS four hours before slaughter.The pre-trial period lasted for seven days,and the formal trial period lasted for 35 days.The results showed that compared with group CON,average daily gain was significantly increased in group UA(P<0.05),while there were no significant differences in average daily feed intake and feed-to-gain ratio(P>0.05).The apparent digestibility of dry matter and calcium were significantly increased in group UA(P<0.05).UA supplementation reversed the LPS-induced increase in serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),interferon-γ(IFN-γ),interleukin-1β(IL-1β),interleukin-6(IL-6)and the decrease in interleukin-10(IL-10)content.UA supplementation reversed the LPS-induced decrease in serum total antioxidant capacity(T-AOC)and the activities of glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px),superoxide dismutase(SOD),and catalase(CAT),as well as the increase in malondialdehyde(MDA)content.UA supplementation reversed the LPS-induced decrease in serum levels of total protein(TP),albumin(ALB),and albumin-to-globulin ratio(A/G),as well as the increase in uric acid(UA),triglycerides(TG),total cholesterol(TC),and glucose(GLU)levels.UA supplementation reversed the LPS-induced decrease in ileal trypsin and lipase activities.The study shows that dietary supplementation UA can improve the ADG and apparent digestibility of certain nutrients in meat rabbits,effectively alleviate LPS-induced inflammatory responses,and enhance antioxidant capacity and digestive enzyme activities.