Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jun 21;49(4):234.
doi: 10.1007/s11259-025-10798-6.

Effects of central injection of liver-expressed antimicrobial peptide-2 (LEAP2) on feed intake in broiler chickens: interactions with opioidergic and serotonergic systems

Kowsar Saffar  1 , Morteza Zendehdel  2 , Bita Vazir  1 , Shahin Hassanpour  1 , Kimia Mahdavi  3
Affiliations

Effects of central injection of liver-expressed antimicrobial peptide-2 (LEAP2) on feed intake in broiler chickens: interactions with opioidergic and serotonergic systems

Kowsar Saffar et al. Vet Res Commun. .

Erratum in

Abstract

The liver-expressed antimicrobial peptide-2 (LEAP2) is recognized for its role in regulating meal consumption in mammals, but its function in avian species, especially broiler chickens, is not well understood. This study investigates the impact of central LEAP2 injection on food intake in broiler chickens, and explores its interactions with the opioidergic and serotonergic systems. Across eight trials, we examined the relationships between these systems and LEAP2 concerning meal intake in meat-type chickens. In Experiment 1, broilers received an intracerebroventricular (ICV) infusion of LEAP2 (0.75, 1.5, and 3 nmol) alongside a control solution. Subsequent experiments involved injecting birds with β-FNA (mu opioid receptor antagonist), LEAP2 (3 nmol), and β-FNA + LEAP2 (Experiment 2), with Experiments 3-8 following a similar design, substituting β-FNA with nor-BNI (kappa opioid receptor antagonist), NTI (delta opioid receptor antagonist), PCPA (serotonin synthesis inhibitor), fluoxetine (serotonin reuptake inhibitor), 8-OH-DPAT (5-HT1A receptor agonist), and SB242084 (5-HT2C receptor antagonist). Cumulative meal consumption was measured for 120 min post-infusion. Results indicated that LEAP2 injection (1.5 and 3 nmol) significantly reduced feed intake in broilers compared to the control treatment (P < 0.05). Co-infusion of β-FNA, PCPA, and SB242084 + LEAP2 attenuated LEAP2-induced hypophagia (P < 0.05), while co-infusion of fluoxetine + LEAP2 amplified LEAP2-induced hypophagia compared to the control treatment (P < 0.05). These findings suggest that LEAP2 induces hypophagic effects in broiler chickens, potentially mediated through the mu opioid and 5-HT2C receptors.

Keywords: Chicken; Food intake; Liver-expressed antimicrobial peptide-2; Opioidergic receptors; Serotonergic receptors.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval: The authors confirm that the ethical policies of the journal, as noted on the journal’s author guidelines page, have been adhered to. No ethical approval was required as this is a review article with no original research data. Consent for publication: Not applicable as the research did not involve humans or client-owned animals. Consent to participate: Not applicable, as the research did not involve humans or client-owned animals. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Alex KD, Yavanian GJ, McFarlane HG, Pluto CP, Pehek EA (2005) Modulation of dopamine release by striatal 5-HT2C receptors. Synapse 55(4):242–251. https://doi.org/10.1002/syn.20109 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Baghaeikia S, Fallah H, Khodadadi M, Yousefvand S, Mahdavi K, Zendehdel M, Rahmani B (2022) Opioid receptor µ, not δ and κ, modulate food intake induced by Ghrelin in laying chickens. Can J Physiol Pharmacol 100(10):983–992. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjpp-2022-0061 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Barszcz M, Tuśnio A, Taciak M (2024) Poultry nutrition. Phys Sci Rev 9(2):611–650. https://doi.org/10.1515/psr-2021-0122 - DOI
    1. Bist RB, Bist K, Poudel S, Subedi D, Yang X, Paneru B, Mani S, Wang D, Chai L (2024) Sustainable poultry farming practices: A critical review of current strategies and future prospects. Poult Sci 4:104295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2024.104295 - DOI
    1. Chu G, Peng H, Yu N, Zhang Y, Lin X, Lu Y (2022) Involvement of POMC neurons in LEAP2 regulation of food intake and body weight. Front Endocrinol 13:932761. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2022.932761 - DOI

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources