Abstract: Oxidative stress in livestock and poultry is defined as an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species and the elimination of protective mechanisms, which can lead to oxidative damage in tissues and eventually induce inflammatory diseases. Oxidative stress activates a variety of transcription factors, resulting in the differential expression of genes associated with inflammatory pathway. Inflammation induced by oxidative stress is the cause of many chronic diseases. Polyphenols are secondary plant metabolites which have been considered to be effective adjuvants for adjuvant therapy and shown to exert potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in humans and animals. Polyphenols are also considered to be a promising feed additive for livestock and poultry. In this paper, the relationship and mechanism between oxidative stress and inflammation in livestock and poultry, as well as the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of polyphenols in livestock and poultry and their underlying mechanisms are reviewed, in hoping to provide references for application of antioxidant therapy of animal diseases and development of new anti-inflammatory drugs.

Key words: polyphenols, livestock and poultry, oxidative stress, inflammation