Effects of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase inhibition and vitamin E supplementation on ferroptosis-related processes and post-mortem meat quality in broiler chickens.

作者：T. Nakanishi, Saki Nemoto, L. Erickson, S. Kawahara · 发表于：Animal bioscience · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.5713/ab.250847 · 研究领域：Medicine

Objective This study investigated the role of ferroptosis, an iron-dependent form of regulated cell death, in meat quality by comparing the effects of pre-slaughter administration of teriflunomide, an inhibitor of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH), which can induce ferroptosis, and dietary vitamin E, an antioxidant that can suppress ferroptosis, on the post-mortem biochemical properties of broiler chicken muscle. Methods Broiler chickens were randomly assigned to three groups: control, teriflunomide-treated, and vitamin E-supplemented. Teriflunomide was administered subcutaneously before slaughter, and vitamin E was provided in the diet. Post-mortem thigh muscles were analyzed for oxidative status such as lipid peroxide levels and the ratio of reduced to oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG); the expression of ferroptosis-related genes such as glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) and acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 4 (ACSL4); and meat quality traits such as pH, color, and water-holding capacity. Results Teriflunomide significantly decreased the GSH/GSSG ratio (p<0.001) and increased ACSL4 expression compared with the control and vitamin E groups (p<0.05), indicating elevated oxidative stress. Vitamin E significantly increased GPX4 expression compared with teriflunomide (p<0.05). Lipid peroxidation was numerically lower in the vitamin E group than in the other groups, although the differences were not statistically significant (p=0.062). Teriflunomide slowed post-mort...