{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,31]],"date-time":"2026-10-31T06:03:35Z","timestamp":1793426615144,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,3]],"date-time":"2026-02-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1770076800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Vet. Sci."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Chinese yam polysaccharide (CYP), a heteropolysaccharide composed of mannose, xylose, arabinose, glucose, and galactose, has been reported to exhibit immunomodulatory and antioxidant properties. However, its role in regulating intestinal development and mucosal barrier function remains incompletely understood. This study investigated the effects of dietary CYP supplementation on antioxidant status, jejunal morphology, digestive function, and mucosal immunity in weaned rats.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Thirty specific-pathogen-free male Sprague\u2013Dawley rats (initial body weight: 50.16 \u00b1 0.50 g) were randomly assigned to three dietary groups (n = 10 per group) for a 28-day feeding trial: a control group fed a basal diet and two treatment groups fed the basal diet supplemented with 0.1% or 0.5% CYP. At the end of the experiment, blood and jejunal tissues were collected for biochemical, histomorphological, and molecular analyses.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Compared with the control group, supplementation with 0.5% CYP significantly reduced plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations (\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      &amp;lt; 0.05) and increased total antioxidant capacity (\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      &amp;lt; 0.01), which was associated with activation of the MAPK ERK1\/2\u2013Nrf2 signaling pathway. Both 0.1% and 0.5% CYP supplementation significantly increased jejunal villus height and the villus height-to-crypt depth ratio (\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      &amp;lt; 0.05), while reducing intraepithelial lymphocyte numbers (\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      &amp;lt; 0.05). Moreover, rats receiving 0.5% CYP exhibited significantly higher activities of lactase, sucrase, and maltase, along with increased jejunal immunoglobulin A (IgA) and \u03b2-defensin levels (\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      &amp;lt; 0.05 or\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      &amp;lt; 0.01). Additionally, CYP supplementation at both inclusion levels markedly upregulated the expression of Claudin-1 and Mucin-1 (\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      &amp;lt; 0.01).\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Collectively, these findings demonstrate that dietary CYP enhances systemic antioxidant defense, promotes jejunal structural development, and strengthens intestinal mucosal barrier function in weaned rats.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fvets.2026.1721855","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,3]],"date-time":"2026-02-03T17:23:47Z","timestamp":1770139427000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Chinese yam polysaccharide promotes jejunal development, antioxidant defense, and mucosal immunity in weaned rats"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Chuanyan","family":"Che","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutritional Regulation and Health, College of Animal Science, Anhui Science and Technology University","place":["Chuzhou, China"]},{"name":"Anhui Engineering Technology Research Center of Pork Quality Control and Enhance, Anhui Science and Technology University","place":["Chuzhou, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ya","family":"Yang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutritional Regulation and Health, College of Animal Science, Anhui Science and Technology University","place":["Chuzhou, China"]},{"name":"Anhui Engineering Technology Research Center of Pork Quality Control and Enhance, Anhui Science and Technology University","place":["Chuzhou, 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of Animal Science, Anhui Science and Technology University","place":["Chuzhou, China"]},{"name":"Anhui Engineering Technology Research Center of Pork Quality Control and Enhance, Anhui Science and Technology University","place":["Chuzhou, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ahmed H.","family":"Ghonaim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Animal Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University","place":["Wuhan, China"]},{"name":"Desert Research Center","place":["Cairo, Egypt"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mai G.","family":"Hopo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Aquatic Animal Medicine, College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan","place":["Hubei, 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