Dietary supplementation with perillartine ameliorates lipid metabolism disorder induced by a high-fat diet in broiler chickens

Lipid metabolism disorders affect the growth and jeopardize the health of poultry, thus, decreasing economic benefits. Perillartine, a sweetener derived from Perilla frutescens, has excellent potential in regulating lipid metabolism. In this study, we explored the effects of perillartine on lipid metabolism in broiler chickens by establishing a nonalcoholic fatty liver model induced by a high-fat diet. By using network pharmacology and molecular docking, we analyzed the potential molecular targets and pathways through which perillartine regulates lipid metabolism and alleviates fatty liver. Perillartine was found to regulate the expression of genes associated with lipogenesis, lipolysis, and lipid transport, including FASN, PPARα, CPT-1, ACCα, APOB, and APOA1 in the liver, and to decrease lipid accumulation in the liver and blood in broilers without affecting growth performance. In addition, we discovered 24 candidate targets of perillartine, including SRD5A2 and XDH, through network pharmacology analysis and successfully constructed a compound-target-pathway-disease network. Our results suggested that perillartine may be a promising, long-lasting therapeutic molecule for modulating lipid metabolism disorders in broilers.