Curcumin Attenuates Escherichia coli-Induced Enteritis and Macrophage Inflammation in Broilers
1
School of Food & Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Guangzhou College of Technology and Business, Guangzhou 510850, China
2
Heyuan Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Heyuan 517000, China
3
Fujian Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fuzhou 350013, China
4
Heyuan Customs Comprehensive Technical Service Center, Heyuan 517000, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Animals 2026, 16(18), 2942; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16182942 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 19 July 2026
/
Revised: 2 September 2026
/
Accepted: 17 September 2026
/
Published: 19 September 2026
(This article belongs to the Section Poultry)
Simple Summary
Escherichia coli infection can damage the intestine of broiler chickens, trigger excessive inflammation, and reduce growth performance. This study examined whether dietary curcumin could protect broilers against this intestinal injury. Curcumin supplementation improved body weight, feed intake, and weight gain, reduced intestinal inflammatory signals, and helped maintain the structure and protective function of the intestinal lining. It also restored mucus-producing goblet cells and improved the balance and inflammatory activity of intestinal macrophages, which are immune cells involved in controlling infection and tissue damage. Cell experiments further showed that curcumin reduced inflammation by suppressing a cellular signaling pathway known as p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase. These findings indicate that curcumin may be a useful natural feed additive for reducing intestinal inflammation and improving gut health in broiler production, thereby supporting animal health and sustainable poultry farming.
Abstract
Escherichia coli (E. coli)-induced enteritis impairs intestinal barrier function, immune homeostasis, and growth performance in broilers. This study investigated whether dietary curcumin alleviates E. coli-induced intestinal injury by modulating macrophage-mediated inflammatory responses through the p38 MAPK signaling pathway. Broilers were fed either a basal or curcumin-supplemented diet and challenged with E. coli. Growth performance, intestinal inflammatory cytokines, morphology, barrier-related gene expression, goblet cell density, and ileal macrophage responses were evaluated. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated HD11 cells were used to examine the underlying mechanism. Curcumin supplementation increased body weight, average daily feed intake, and average daily gain in E. coli-challenged broilers, without significantly affecting the feed conversion ratio. Curcumin also reduced jejunal and ileal IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α levels; improved villus morphology and the villus height-to-crypt depth ratio; and upregulated CLDN1, OCLN, ZO-1, and MUC2 expression. In addition, curcumin restored goblet cell density and ileal macrophage abundance while suppressing macrophage-derived pro-inflammatory cytokine expression. In HD11 cells, curcumin inhibited LPS-induced inflammatory cytokine expression and secretion and reduced p38 MAPK phosphorylation, whereas pharmacological activation of p38 partially reversed these effects. In conclusion, dietary curcumin alleviated E. coli-induced enteritis in broilers by suppressing intestinal inflammation, preserving intestinal barrier function, and modulating macrophage-mediated immune responses. In vitro findings further suggest that inhibition of p38 MAPK signaling may contribute to the anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin on chicken macrophages.
Keywords:
curcumin; Escherichia coli; macrophage; gut inflammation; p38 MAPK
