Ellagic Acid Eases Paraquat-Induced Oxidative Stress in Piglet Muscle

Piglets were divided into three groups: an untreated control, a group receiving a paraquat challenge, and a group that received both paraquat and a diet supplemented with 0.01 percent ellagic acid.

The first question the researchers asked was whether the challenge affected growth. It did not: final body weight and average daily gain were not significantly different between the paraquat-challenged animals and the controls. The damage appeared instead at the biochemical level, in the form of a compromised antioxidant defense system.

That compromise was visible in several measures. Serum total antioxidant capacity fell, as did glutathione peroxidase activity in serum. Within the longissimus dorsi muscle itself, superoxide dismutase and glutathione levels dropped. These four indices together indicated that the challenged piglets were under genuine oxidative stress, even though their growth records looked normal.

Ellagic acid supplementation changed this picture. Compared with piglets that received paraquat alone, the supplemented animals showed significantly higher values on all four antioxidant measures: serum total antioxidant capacity, serum glutathione peroxidase activity, and muscle superoxide dismutase and glutathione levels. In other words, the supplement appeared to restore much of the antioxidant capacity that the challenge had depleted.

The study also looked at genes involved in muscle development. Paraquat reduced the expression of several of them, including MYOD, MYOG, DESMIN, and CAV3. Ellagic acid significantly increased CAV3 expression relative to the challenged group, and also raised FOXO1, P21, and MCP-1 expression, but it did not significantly alter MYOD, MYOG, or DESMIN. The authors report these as gene expression changes in muscle tissue, not as direct evidence of altered muscle growth, which is consistent with the unchanged body weight findings.

Amino acid metabolism showed a similar pattern of disturbance and partial restoration. The paraquat challenge markedly altered the amino acid profile of the longissimus dorsi and reduced expression of amino acid transporters, including SLC1A1 and SLC6A6. When ellagic acid was added to the diet, muscle concentrations of taurine, glutamate, isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine, and proline rose relative to the challenged group, SLC1A1 and SLC6A6 expression increased, and the expression of PRODH, OAT, and ODC, genes involved in amino acid metabolism, decreased.

Fatty acid handling followed the same theme. The challenge disrupted the long-chain fatty acid profile of the muscle and suppressed genes involved in fatty acid handling. Supplementation with ellagic acid increased the expression of FABP3, CD36, and PLIN3, and raised the levels of two specific fatty acids, C18:3N-3 and C22:1N-9, compared with the challenged animals.

Taken together, the findings suggest that ellagic acid may alleviate selected paraquat-associated biochemical and metabolic disturbances in piglet muscle by improving antioxidant status and modulating amino acid and lipid metabolism.

As with any controlled animal trial, the results come with boundaries. The study used a specific paraquat challenge model in piglets, a single supplementation level of 0.01 percent, and a defined set of measured indices; the effects on body weight and average daily gain were not significant, and the gene expression findings are limited to the markers examined. The authors note that all claims in the article are their own and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations or the publisher.

Subject of Research: Effects of dietary ellagic acid on paraquat-induced oxidative stress and muscle metabolism in piglets

Article Title: Ellagic acid alleviates paraquat-induced oxidative stress and metabolic disturbances in the muscle of piglets

Article References: Deng, Y., Wang, N., Xiao, Y., Wang, J., & Bao, X. (2026). Ellagic acid alleviates paraquat-induced oxidative stress and metabolic disturbances in the muscle of piglets. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 13, Article 1998356. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2026.1998356

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2026.1998356

Keywords: ellagic acid, paraquat, oxidative stress, piglets, muscle metabolism, amino acids, fatty acids, animal nutrition, longissimus dorsi, antioxidants, Ellagic, acid