77 / 2024-10-25 15:06:33

Cyberpharmacology Reveals a Mechanism by which Forsythia Alleviates Escherichia Coli Attack on Oviductitis in Laying Hens

This study aims to explore the potential application of Forsythia in alleviating oviductitis in laying hens, addressing the rising global challenge of extra-intestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) infections in the poultry industry. ExPEC infections cause oviductitis in laying hens, negatively impacting egg production and quality while also increasing the risk of antibiotic resistance transmission. Forsythia, a traditional herbal medicine with known antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, may provide a novel approach to controlling ExPEC spread and mitigating oviductal infections under the One Health concept. This study combines network pharmacology with in vitro and in vivo experiments to investigate Forsythia’s mechanisms of action. The main methods include: (i) active ingredient screening and target prediction, using network pharmacology tools to identify Forsythia’s primary components and their potential targets; (ii) pathway analysis, focusing on biological pathways related to anti-inflammatory, immune modulation, and antimicrobial functions; (iii) in vitro anti-inflammatory experiments, assessing Forsythia’s effect on inflammation markers in a RAW264.7 macrophage model; (iv) in vitro antimicrobial assays, testing Forsythia’s inhibitory effect on ExPEC using the paper diffusion method and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assays; and (v) in vivo experiments, establishing an ExPEC-induced oviductitis model in laying hens to observe Forsythia’s anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects at varying doses. Through these systematic approaches, this study reveals the underlying mechanisms of Forsythia in treating oviductitis in laying hens and assesses its potential as an alternative to antibiotics.