Dihydromyricetin (DHM), a flavonoid compound present in various plants, exhibits multiple physiological activities including scavenging oxygen free radicals, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory capabilities. Excessive production of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) by Gram-negative bacteria causes economic losses in the poultry industry by inducing various tissues damage such as liver and spleen. Therefore, we elucidated the protective activities of DHM on LPS-induced liver and spleen injury in chickens by investigating its impacts on growth and immune performance. Results demonstrated that dietary supplementation with 0.025, 0.05, 0.1, and 0.2% DHM increased body weight and average daily gain while enhancing serum biochemical parameters. DHM elevated antioxidant enzymes levels, thereby boosting antioxidant capacity. Regarding immune performance, DHM supplementation improved organ indices of the thymus, bursa of Fabricius, and spleen, along with increased IL-2, IFN-γ, and IgG levels. Furthermore, DHM intervention effectively alleviated LPS-induced liver and spleen injury by regulating inflammatory cytokines expression. Histopathological examination and transmission electron microscopy observations corroborated these protective effects. In summary, dietary supplementation with DHM enhances growth performance and immune function in poultry, thereby alleviating the severity of liver and spleen injury.

To Cite This Article: Liu F, Chen W, Guan M, Li Y, Ji Z, Jiang X, Wang S, Ren Y, Li R, Li C and Chang Y, 2026. Dietary dihydromyricetin alleviates lipopolysaccharide-induced liver and spleen injury in chickens by enhancing growth performance and immune function. Pak Vet J, 46(3): 710-718. http://dx.doi.org/10.29261/pakvetj/2026.060