In our study, we investigated the dose-dependent effects Berberine has on the development, heart rate, body length, and blood glucose levels of a chicken embryo. With the growing popularity of GLP-1 medications and the increase in non-critical patients utilizing them (i.e., users purchasing cheaper non-prescribed alternatives of GLP-1s to lose weight, for example, Hims, Hers, Ro, etc.). The lack of research on these medications’ effect on patients, especially those who are or plan to be pregnant, is worrisome. Initially, we predicted that high levels of Berberine would slow the embryo heart rate, reduce embryo size, and lower blood glucose levels. The results showed that Berberine exposure reduced blood glucose levels and decreased embryo body length in a dose-dependent manner, with high-dose embryos exhibiting significantly lower glucose levels and both berberine groups showing shorter body lengths compared to controls. While the low-dose group exhibited a more modest decrease in blood glucose levels and body length, these changes were not statistically different from controls, indicating only mild developmental influence at lower exposure levels. The results support the prediction that higher berberine concentrations impair metabolic and morphological development. These findings suggest that although the low berberine dosage may pose limited developmental risk, higher concentrations can meaningfully disrupt embryonic growth. These outcomes have practical and clinical relevance, as they highlight the need for caution in berberine and maybe other GLP-1 supplement/medication use during early pregnancy and contributes theoretically to our understanding of how plant-derived compounds can shape embryonic metabolic and growth pathways. 

Another study reported that berberine exposure can disrupt embryonic development in mice (Huang et al., 2018). Their results showed that berberine decreased embryonic development (Huang et al., 2018). While our study mainly focused on blood glucose levels and body length these findings could explain the growth problems we observed. The study explained that berberine inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis in mouse blastocysts both in vitro and in vivo, impairing embryonic development (Huang et al., 2018). It acts through a ROS-dependent mitochondrial pathway that increases ROS levels, disrupts mitochondrial function, activates caspase-9 and caspase-3, and leads to cell death (Huang et al., 2018). Another study reported that morphological features of chicken intestinal L cells are like those of mammals but the mechanism underlying the secretion of GLP-1 from L cells and its physiological role in chickens differ from those in mammals (Hiramatsu, 2020). In mammals, GLP-1 acts primarily as an incretin hormone, binding to receptors on pancreatic B cells to stimulate insulin release and regulate blood glucose whereas chickens GLP-1 receptors are located on pancreatic D cells that secrete somatostatin (Hiramatsu, 2020). This suggests a distinct pathway for glucose regulation, which could explain why our glucose levels are not an accurate source for embryonic development. Furthermore, there are other studies that look at berberine diets in chickens. Berberine diet has been shown to improve gut lining, but higher dosages can decrease beneficial bacteria and promote undesirable bacteria (Dehau et al., 2023). Berberine can help fight common poultry diseases as it reduced parasite growth (Nguyen et al., 2025). This information is not consistent with the results that we gathered as embryos with berberine exposure had increased morphological abnormalities and a higher frequency of non-viable embryos. This shows that while berberine may be beneficial to chickens, it is not beneficial during embryonic development. 

This study's multi-dose experimental design allowed for an assessment of the effects of different berberine concentrations on blood glucose levels and embryonic development. A thorough understanding of berberine's possible impacts on development was also made possible by the combination of morphological and physiological measures. But there are a few restrictions to be aware of. This course only lasted one semester, which limits the amount of time available for incubation, data gathering, and maintaining a bigger population of viable embryos. As a result, the overall sample size was somewhat limited. The number of usable measures was further diminished by embryo mortality, which may have reduced statistical power, particularly in the high-dose group. The number of useful data is limited because some embryos did not develop enough blood to achieve accurate glucose tests, which results in missing body-length and glucose values. This problem was more prevalent in embryos exposed to higher doses of berberine, where physiological assessments were frequently impeded by developmental failure. To better understand the processes behind berberine's benefits, future research should use larger sample sizes, gather data over longer periods of time, and include other developmental markers like oxidative stress assays or apoptosis indicators. Clarifying dose-dependent patterns and addressing new issues brought up by our findings would require repeating the experiment across several semesters or cohorts and looking at a larger range of berberine concentrations.