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β-carotene is one of the most abundant carotenoids, has potential anti-inflammatory effect, it has been reported that β-carotene could suppress LPS-induced inflammatory responses by inhibiting nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) translocation, but the more detailed molecular mechanisms underlying the anti-inflammatory action of β-carotene remain to be fully understood. In this study, we investigated the influence of β-carotene on the activation of JAK2/STAT3, MAPK, and NF-κB signaling pathway induced by LPS in RAW264.7 cells and peritoneal macrophages. Cells were treated with different concentrations of β-carotene for 3 hr after LPS treatment for 24 hr. The mRNA expression and the release of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α were evaluated by RT-PCR and ELISA, and the level of signaling proteins of JAK2/STAT3, MAPK, and NF-κB signaling pathway were detected by Western blot. The results showed that β-carotene significantly suppressed (p < 0.05) LPS-induced release of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α and their mRNA expression. LPS-induced JAK2/STAT3, IκB/NF-κB p65, JNK/p38 MAPK signal activation were significantly attenuated (p < 0.05) by β-carotene in a dose-dependent manner. In conclusion, β-carotene could attenuate LPS-induced inflammation via inhibition of the NF-κB, JAK2/STAT3, and JNK/p38 MAPK signaling pathways in macrophages.

The mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) generally exists in cereals and affects human and animal health. The aim of this study is to analyze the impacts of DON in naturally contaminated feed on piglet growth performance and intestinal hormone secretion in the short term. We randomly divided 5-week-old piglets into four groups: Control, DON 1,000, DON 2,000 and DON 3,000 groups. Piglets received a feed naturally contaminated with DON (approximately 400, 1,000, 2,000 or 3,000 μg/kg) for 21 days. Body weight showed no significant difference following exposure to DON. The balance of anti-oxidation and oxidation was disrupted by DON after 21 days. The concentration of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and cyclooxgenase-2 (COX-2) significantly increased (p

β-carotene is a robust modulator of mucosal barriers, and it can amplify the immunoglobulin A (IgA) response via the retinoic acid (RA)-mediated pathway. We investigated the influence of β-carotene on intestinal barriers in layer-type cockerels. In this study, β-carotene has a positive influence on growth performance and intestinal morphology. β-carotene remarkably enhanced serum secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) levels, jejunal mucosal sIgA, and IgA concentrations. β-Carotene significantly enhanced mRNA expression levels of IgA, CC chemokine receptor-9 (CCR9), polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (pIgR), and retinoic acid receptor α (RARα) in the ileal tissues and pIgR in the jejunal tissues. β-Carotene improves mRNA expression of intestinal barrier-related proteins including: mucin-2 (MUC-2), zonula occludens-2 (ZO-2), occludins (OCLN), and zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) in the ileal tissues. Moreover, β-carotene decreased the levels of Escherichia coli and elevates the levels of Lactobacillus. The results indicate that β-carotene can promote growth performance and contribute to the gradual development of intestinal barriers in Hyline Brown chicks. This study enriches our knowledge about the effects of β-carotene on intestinal barrier and highlights a theoretical basis of β-carotene application in the poultry industry.