{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T16:14:14Z","timestamp":1785428054415,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,3]],"date-time":"2026-06-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1780444800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100007620","name":"Liaoning Provincial Education Department","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["JYTQN2023299"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["JYTQN2023299"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100007620","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["JYTQN2023299"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["JYTQN2023299"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/0022v2454","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001809","name":"National Natural Science Foundation of China","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["32002334"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["32002334"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001809","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["32002334"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["32002334"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01h0zpd94","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Veterinary Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), a common contaminant in broiler feed, impairs hepatic function and poses a significant threat to the poultry industry by disrupting cellular autophagy. Ferulic acid (FA) is a naturally occurring phenolic compound with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and autophagy-modulating properties. However, whether FA alleviates AFB1-induced autophagy impairment in broiler liver remains unclear. In this study, an AFB1-induced liver injury model was established. A series of experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of AFB1 and FA on autophagy-related processes. The results showed that AFB1 exposure was associated with reduced expression of autophagy-related markers, including ULK1, ATG14, ATG5, and LC3-II\/LC3-I ratio, suggesting alterations in autophagy-related processes associated with autophagosome formation and maturation. FA supplementation partially reversed these changes and alleviated ultrastructural liver damage induced by AFB1. Transcriptomic and western blot analyses further demonstrated that AFB1 exposure increased p53 expression, dysregulated the BRAF\/ERK1\/ERK2\/mTOR signaling pathway, increased p70S6K expression, and decreased 4E-BP1 expression. FA supplementation alleviated these changes. These results showed that FA may alleviate AFB1-induced alterations in autophagy-related biomarkers in broiler liver, accompanied by changes in the BRAF\/ERK1\/ERK2\/mTOR signaling pathway, suppression of p70S6K expression, and restoration of 4E-BP1 expression, which may contribute to its protective effects against AFB1-induced liver toxicity in broilers.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/vetsci13060549","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,3]],"date-time":"2026-06-03T07:58:38Z","timestamp":1780473518000},"page":"549","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Ferulic Acid Prevents the Hepatotoxicity of AFB1 on Broilers via Regulating Autophagy"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Bo","family":"Zhang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lijia","family":"Jiang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yuanyuan","family":"Zuo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hong","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Petsmate Shennong Hefeng Animal Hospital, Shenyang 110065, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xinghe","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China"},{"name":"Petsmate Shennong Hefeng Animal Hospital, Shenyang 110065, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Changde","family":"Wu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China"},{"name":"Petsmate Shennong Hefeng Animal Hospital, Shenyang 110065, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,3]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"566","DOI":"10.3390\/toxins3060566","article-title":"Aflatoxin B1 in Affecting Broiler\u2019s Performance, Immunity, and Gastrointestinal Tract: A Review of History and Contemporary Issues","volume":"3","author":"Yunus","year":"2011","journal-title":"Toxins"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"107252","DOI":"10.1016\/j.toxicon.2023.107252","article-title":"Screening of the phytochemical constituents of Teucrium polium extract and evaluation of their prophylactic role against the oxidative damage and cytotoxicity of Aflatoxin B1 in rats","volume":"233","author":"Boutefaha","year":"2023","journal-title":"Toxicon"},{"key":"ref_3","first-page":"107252","article-title":"Dietary fucoidan supplementation ameliorates heat stress-induced liver injury in broilers via modulating peroxidation, lipid metabolism, and ferroptosis","volume":"233","author":"Liang","year":"2026","journal-title":"Poult. 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