Dietary bile acids alleviate corticosterone-induced fatty liver and hepatic glucocorticoid receptor suppression in broiler chickens

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the alleviating effects and mechanisms of bile acids (BA) on corticosterone-induced fatty liver in broiler chickens. Male Arbor Acres chickens were randomly divided into three groups: control group (CON), stress model group (CORT), and BA-treated group (CORT-BA). The CORT-BA group received a diet with 250 mg/kg BA from 21 days of age. From day 36 to 43, both the CORT and CORT-BA groups received subcutaneous injections of corticosterone to simulate chronic stress. The results indicated that BA significantly mitigated the body weight loss, liver enlargement, and hepatic lipid deposition caused by corticosterone (P < 0.05). Liver RNA-seq analysis showed that BA alleviated corticosterone-induced fatty liver by inhibiting lipid metabolism pathways, including fatty acid biosynthesis, triglyceride biosynthesis, and fatty acid transport. Additionally, BA improved corticosterone-induced downregulation of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) expression (P < 0.05). Molecular docking and cellular thermal shift assays revealed that hyodeoxycholic acid (HDCA), a major component of compound bile acids, could bind to GR and enhance its stability. In conclusion, BA alleviated corticosterone-induced fatty liver in broilers by inhibiting lipid synthesis pathways and mitigating the suppression of hepatic GR expression.