Inflammatory diseases in poultry incurs huge economic losses and irrational use of synthetic inflammatory drugs increases the incidence of residues in poultry products. To overcome this, herbal anti-inflammatory remedies are the preferred choice as feed additives. Withania somnifera also called as Asgand Nagori (AGN), Ashwagandha and Indian Winter Cherry is used for its medicinal properties. AGN exhibits phenotypic similarities to Korean Red Ginseng Extract (KRGE) as well as comparable pharmacological effects. Nevertheless, they diverge in terms of their geographical origins, chemical makeup, and production costs. Therefore, the current study was designed to compare the anti-inflammatory activities of KRGE and AGN on chicken macrophages. Chicken peritoneal macrophages were isolated and assigned to seven treatment groups for the study: RPMI-1640 (G1), lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (G2), 0.2 µg/mL dexamethasone + LPS (G3), 100-1000 µg/mL KRGE + LPS (G4-G5), and 100-1000 µg/mL AGN + LPS (G6-G7). Anti-inflammatory properties were evaluated using adherent macrophage phagocytic activity, nitric oxide (NO) production assay, MTTassay, Real Time-PCR for pro-inflammatory mediators and cytokines, Nuclear Factor Kappa B (NF-κB) and Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) pathways. Based on the results, AGN and KRGE extracts displayed potent anti-inflammatory activities as evidenced by increasing phagocytic activity, reduced NO production and decreased expressions of pro-inflammatory mediators and cytokines by downregulating the NF-κB and MAPK pathways (p < 0.001 compared with the LPS). Overall, both extracts were found to be efficacious in combating inflammation in avian macrophages.
Keywords: Asgand Nagori; Chicken macrophages; Korean red ginseng extract; MAPK; NF-κB; Phagocytosis.
© 2025. The Author(s).