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Coconut oil attenuates intestinal injury and inflammation by regulating necroptosis signalling pathway in lipopolysaccharide-challenged piglets

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 December 2025

Dan Wang Open the ORCID record for Dan Wang [Opens in a new window] ,
Ding Wang ,
Wensheng He ,
Xiaojuan Zhang ,
Jiamin Cheng ,
Aiguo Liao ,
Huiling Zhu  and
Yulan Liu
Dan Wang
Affiliation:
Hubei Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, People’s Republic of China
Ding Wang
Affiliation:
Hubei Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, People’s Republic of China
Wensheng He
Affiliation:
Hubei Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, People’s Republic of China
Xiaojuan Zhang
Affiliation:
Hubei Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, People’s Republic of China
Jiamin Cheng
Affiliation:
Hubei Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, People’s Republic of China
Aiguo Liao
Affiliation:
Hubei Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, People’s Republic of China
Huiling Zhu
Affiliation:
Hubei Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, People’s Republic of China
Yulan Liu*
Affiliation:
Hubei Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, People’s Republic of China
*
Corresponding author: Yulan Liu; Email: yulanflower@126.com
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Abstract

Coconut oil, extracted from coconut kernels, is a rich source of medium-chain fatty acids, including lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid. This experiment aimed to investigate the protective effect of coconut oil against intestinal injury induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge in piglets. A total of twenty-four piglets were used in a 2 × 2 factorial experiment with dietary treatment (3 % soybean oil v. 3 % coconut oil) and LPS challenge (saline v. LPS). After 28 d of the experiment, piglets were injected intraperitoneally with LPS (100 μg/kg body weight (BW)) or saline. Piglets were slaughtered and sampled for testing. Pigs fed coconut oil had higher average daily gain and BW during the entire study. Supplementation with coconut oil improved intestinal morphology and barrier function, indicated by increased jejunal villus height, as well as enhanced protein expression of ZO-1 and Occludin. Furthermore, coconut oil supplementation improved plasma antioxidant capacity, indicated by enhanced GSH peroxidase activity and decreased malondialdehyde concentration. Moreover, coconut oil ameliorated the LPS-induced release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, as indicated by decreased IL-1β expression in the jejunum. Coconut oil also alleviated the up-regulation of the expression of necroptosis protein receptor-interacting protein kinase 3 and mixed lineage kinase-like protein in the jejunum of piglets stimulated by LPS. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of coconut oil can improve the growth performance of piglets and alleviate LPS-induced intestinal injury and inflammation by inhibiting necroptosis signalling pathway.

Keywords

AntioxidantCoconut oilIntestinal barrierMedium-chain fatty acidsNecroptosisPiglets

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , First View , pp. 1 - 9
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Nutrition Society

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Footnotes

Dan Wang and Ding Wang share co-first authorship

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