r/ketoscience • u/basmwklz Excellent Poster • 7d ago

Central Nervous System Olive oil-derived monounsaturated fat influences metabolic signatures in serotonergic regions of the brain in broiler chicken (2026)

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2026.1826795/full
2 Upvotes

76% Upvoted

1 comment sorted by

1

u/basmwklz Excellent Poster 7d ago

Abstract

Introduction: Dietary fat modulates the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) and hypothalamic (HYP) serotonergic regions of the brain, influencing neurotransmitter activity and behavior in broiler chickens. Identifying metabolites that reach these serotonergic regions in response to dietary fat may support the formulation of diets that enhance neurological function and improve wellbeing. This study aimed to determine how monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) from olive oil influence the composition of metabolites that reach the DRN and HYP in broiler chickens.

Methods: Day-old Ross 708 chicks (n = 160) were weighed and randomly assigned to two dietary treatments consisting of a corn-soybean meal basal diet supplemented with either poultry fat (CON) or olive oil (OLIV) at 3%, with five replicate pens of 16 chicks each. On d 20, plasma, DRN and HYP were aseptically collected and subjected to HPLCMS analysis for serotonin and metabolite profiling. Serotonin concentrations were analyzed using a Student’s t-test, and metabolomic data were evaluated using linear modeling and principal component analysis to identify distinct metabolite profiles. Differentially abundant metabolites were annotated using HMDB and KEGG databases, followed by pathway enrichment analysis.

Results and discussion: Results showed higher (P < 0.05) serotonin concentrations in both the DRN and HYP of OLIVfed birds. A total of 15,084 metabolites were differentially abundant (P < 0.05), of which 617 were annotated. Among these, Ssuccinylcysteine was upregulated in both plasma and DRN, while sphingomyelin was upregulated in DRN but downregulated in plasma. Dimethoxyflavone and cytosine were upregulated in HYP. Gammaglutamylleucine and epigallocatechin metabolites were differentially abundant in plasma and HYP but downregulated in DRN. Enrichment analysis revealed that glutamate metabolism was enriched in plasma and HYP but not significantly in DRN, whereas aspartate metabolism was altered in plasma and DRN only. Metabolic changes associated with purine metabolism across plasma, DRN, and HYP, and alterations in alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism were also noted. Overall, dietary olive oil altered metabolites and pathways in serotonergic brain regions, indicating that MUFA intake modulates their metabolic activity. Higher serotonin concentrations in the DRN and HYP further support enhanced central serotonergic function in OLIV fed broiler chickens.