Abstract
This study examined how dietary apigenin supplementation influences growth performance, intestinal barrier integrity, and immune response in broilers affected by necrotic enteritis. A total of 144 one-day-old white-feathered broilers were divided into six groups. The NE model groups were inoculated with Eimeria maxima on day 14 and Clostridium perfringens (CP) on days 17-23. With the exception of the NE and NC groups, all other groups received dietary intervention with apigenin from day 24 to day 28. The results demonstrated that NE significantly reduced average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR), impaired antioxidant capacity, increased intestinal permeability, elevated anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-10) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α), and suppressed intestinal barrier-related gene expression (P < 0.05). Dietary supplementation with 500 mg/kg apigenin effectively mitigated NE-induced damage by enhancing antioxidant activity, modulating immune responses, restoring intestinal morphology, and alleviating inflammatory reactions.