The effects of plant extracts on lipid metabolism of chickens — A review

Abstract

The fat deposition is an important factor affecting chicken meat quality, which is closely related to lipid metabolism of chickens. Therefore, it is important to regulate the lipid metabolism of chickens to improve the chicken meat quality. Plant extracts have special regulatory effects on animal's growth and health, and have been widely used in chicken breeding. Some plant extracts have been reported to have functions of changing the fatty acid composition, reducing abdominal fat percentage and enhancing the intramuscular fat content of chickens by improving the antioxidant capacity, regulating the expression of genes, enzymes, and signaling pathways related to lipid metabolism, modulating intestinal microbiota, affecting hormones level, and regulating DNA methylation. This paper reviewed the application and mechanism of plant extracts on regulating lipid metabolism of chickens to provide a reference for the further application of plant extracts in chicken breeding.

STC2 Inhibits Hepatic Lipid Synthesis and Correlates with Intramuscular Fatty Acid Composition, Body Weight and Carcass Traits in Chickens

“…The intramuscular fat (IMF) content was determined using the Soxhlet (2014) extraction method [35]. For the high groups (G43wHM) and low IMF groups (G43wLM) of the Gushi chicken, refer to the description of Wang et al (2023) [36]. The non-targeted lipidomic data and transcriptome data of pectoral muscles from 43-week-old Gushi hens with high IMF (n = 8) and low IMF (n = 8) content were obtained from our previously reported information [37].…”

“…After synthesis, lipids are assembled into lipoproteins and transported via the bloodstream to target tissues, where they undergo hydrolysis and release fatty acids for utilization or storage [4][5][6]. The level of lipogenesis in chicken liver and fat deposition in the muscle are crucial factors that significantly affect chicken meat quality, thereby determining the overall quality and nutritional value of the meat [7,8]. Meanwhile, chicken hepatic steatosis is a prevalent manifestation of fatty liver, accompanied by an imbalance in hepatic lipid accumulation, transportation and metabolism [9][10][11], which has a detrimental effect on the health and productivity of laying hens, resulting in economic losses to the poultry industry.…”