Ginsenoside Rg3 Ameliorates Stress of Broiler Chicks Induced by Escherichia coli Lipopolysaccharide

Abstract

In broiler chicks<i>, Escherichia coli</i> lipopolysaccharide is a prominent cause for inflammatory damage and loss of immune homeostasis in broiler chicks. Ginsenosides have been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. However, it has not been demonstrated that ginsenosides protect broiler chicks against stress induced by <i>Escherichia coli</i> lipopolysaccharide challenge. The aim of this is to investigate the protective effect of ginsenosides Rg1, Re, and Rg3 on <i>Escherichia coli</i> lipopolysaccharide-induced stress. Our results showed that Rg3 ameliorated growth inhibition and fever, as well as decreased the production of stress-related hormones in broilers with stress. The protective effect of Rg3 on the stressed chicks may be largely mediated by regulating inflammatory response and oxidative damage. Moreover, real-time quantitative-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) results demonstrated that Rg3 upregulated mRNA expression of <i>mTOR, HO-1</i>, and <i>SOD-1</i>. These results suggested that ginsenoside Rg3 and ginsenoside products contains Rg3 deserve further study for the control of immunological stress and inflammation in broiler chicks.