This study investigated the effects of dietary supplementation with Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) or Bacillus licheniformis (B. licheniformis) on growth performance, immunity, antioxidant capacity, ...short chain fatty acid (SCFA) production, and the cecal microflora in broiler chickens. In total, 360 male, 1-day-old Cobb 500 birds were randomly divided into 3 groups: the control group was fed a basal diet; the B. subtilis group was fed a basal diet supplemented with 1.5 × 109 CFU/kg B. subtilis; the B. licheniformis group was fed a basal diet supplemented with 1.5 × 109 CFU/kg B. licheniformis. Results showed that chickens supplemented with either B. subtilis or B. licheniformis had comparatively higher (P < 0.05) body weight and average daily gain, whereas no difference (P > 0.05) was observed in feed efficiency. Concentrations of serum IgA, IgY, and IgM, as well as anti-inflammatory IL-10 were significantly increased (P < 0.05), and proinflammatory IL-1β and IL-6 were significantly decreased (P < 0.05) by B. subtilis or B. licheniformis supplementation. Moreover, chickens fed with diets supplemented by either B. subtilis or B. licheniformis had greater antioxidant capacity, indicated by the notable increases (P < 0.05) in glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase, along with decrease (P < 0.05) in malondialdehyde. Compared to the control group, levels of SCFA, excluding acetic and propionic acid, in cecal content had improved (P < 0.05) by adding B. licheniformis, and significant increase (P < 0.05) in acetic and butyric acid was observed with B. subtilis supplementation. Microbial analysis showed that both B. subtilis or B. licheniformis supplementation could increase butyrate-producing bacteria such as Alistipes and Butyricicoccus, and decrease pathogenic bacteria such as the Synergistetes and Gammaproteobacteria. In summary, dietary supplemented with B. subtilis or B. licheniformis improved growth performance, immune status, and antioxidant capacity, increased SCFA production, and modulated cecal microbiota in chickens. Moreover, B. licheniformis was more effective than B. subtilis with the same supplemental amount.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effect of rosmarinic acid (RA) in a premature ovarian failure (POF) mouse model and the potential mechanisms. The POF model was induced by a ...single intraperitoneal injection of 120 mg/kg cyclophosphamide (CP). Additionally, 40 mg/kg RA was administered for 7 days before CP injection. The concentration of sex hormones was determined by fluorescence immunohistochemistry. Histological analysis was performed after ovarian tissue sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The expression of the NLRP3 inflammasome was examined by western blot analysis and polymerase chain reaction. The expression of apoptosis markers of cytochrome c and caspase‐3 was also detected by western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry. The results showed that RA not only decreased the ovarian index in POF mice but also improved the abnormal secretion of reproductive hormones associated with POF. Treatment with RA suppressed the ovarian expression of the NLRP3 inflammasome and regulated the ovarian expression of apoptosis‐related proteins. The results suggested that RA exhibited a protective effect against CP‐induced POF potentially by suppressing apoptosis and the NLRP3 inflammasome.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Chitosan nanoparticles (CNP) have demonstrated anticancer activity in vitro and in vivo by a few recent researches. However,
the mechanisms involved in their potential anticancer activity remain to ...be elucidated. In this study, the effects of CNP
on tumor growth were investigated using a model of nude mice xenografted with human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (BEL-7402)
cells. The results demonstrated that the treatment of these nude mice with CNP significantly inhibited tumor growth and induced
tumor necrosis. Furthermore, microvessel density (MVD) determination by counting immunohistologically stained tumor microvessels
suggested that CNP dose-dependent tumor suppression was correlated with the inhibition of tumor angiogenesis. Mechanistically,
immunohistochemical and quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase reaction assays provided evidence that CNP-mediated
inhibition of tumor angiogenesis was linked to impaired levels of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2).
Due to their low or non-toxicity, CNP and their derivatives may represent a novel class of anti-cancer drug.
Lauric acid (LA) is a crucial medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA) that has many beneficial effects on humans and animals. This study aimed to investigate the effects of LA on the intestinal barrier, ...immune functions, serum metabolism, and gut microbiota of broilers under lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge. A total of 384 one-day-old broilers were randomly divided into four groups, and fed with a basal diet, or a basal diet supplemented with 75 mg/kg antibiotic (ANT), or a basal diet supplemented with 1000 mg/kg LA. After 42 days of feeding, three groups were intraperitoneally injected with 0.5 mg/kg
- derived LPS (LPS, ANT+LPS and LA+LPS groups) for three consecutive days, and the control (CON) group was injected with the same volume of saline. Then, the birds were sacrificed. Results showed that LA pretreatment significantly alleviated the weight loss and intestinal mucosal injuries caused by LPS challenge. LA enhanced immune functions and inhibited inflammatory responses by upregulating the concentrations of immunoglobulins (IgA, IgM, and IgY), decreasing IL-6 and increasing IL-4 and IL-10. Metabolomics analysis revealed a significant difference of serum metabolites by LA pretreatment. Twenty-seven serum metabolic biomarkers were identified and mostly belong to lipids. LA also markedly modulated the pathway for sphingolipid metabolism, suggesting its ability to regulate lipid metabolism. Moreover,16S rRNA analysis showed that LA inhibited LPS-induced gut dysbiosis by altering cecal microbial composition (reducing
,
and
, and increasing
and
), and modulating the production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs). Pearson's correlation assays showed that alterations in serum metabolism and gut microbiota were strongly correlated to the immune factors; there were also strong correlations between serum metabolites and microbiota composition. The results highlight the potential of LA as a dietary supplement to combat bacterial LPS challenge in animal production and to promote food safety.
Waste oyster shells (WOS) have the potential to serve as a construction material, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional fine aggregates in the production of WOS concrete. This can play a ...critical role in reducing environmental issues resulting from the overexploitation of river sand and the haphazard disposal of WOS. Although existing research has predominantly focused on understanding the static mechanical characteristics of concrete when WOS is employed, the dynamic mechanical properties have still received less attention. To understand the impact of WOS as a substitute for fine aggregates on the dynamic mechanical properties of concrete, a series of tests employing Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) were carried out. The findings demonstrate that the peak stress and elastic modulus increase as the WOS substitution ratio (Sr) increases from 0 to 20% but exhibit an exponential decline as Sr increases from 20 to 100%. This response can be explained by the joint effects of the pore-filling effect caused by WOS sand and the increasing air content caused by WOS sand. As Sr increases from 0 to 20%, the pore-filling mechanism becomes predominant as the water absorption rate decreases slightly from 4.31 to 3.83%. However, for Sr increasing from 20 to 100%, the negative influence of the air content becomes the primary contributing factor, where the water absorption rate increases from 3.83 to 14.68%. Furthermore, under the same impact pressure, the concrete with Sr = 20% absorbed the most energy, providing the best dynamic mechanical performance. These findings highlight the potential use of WOS in concrete for improving its dynamic characteristics, promoting both sustainable construction and enhancing the material properties in impact-resistant structures.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Solute carrier family 23 member 1 (SVCT1) and solute carrier family 23 member 2 (SVCT2), encoded by SLC23A1 and SLC23A2, may be associated with preeclampsia (PE). The purpose of this study was to ...investigate the association between polymorphisms of SLC23A1 and SLC23A2 and PE in Chinese Han population. The primers and double-labeled probes were designed according to the SNPs of rs10063949 in SLC23A1, rs6133175 and rs1279683 in SLC23A2. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood of 2,066 subjects (1,029 with PE and 1,037 without PE), and Taqman real-time PCR was used to detect the three SNPs. We observed a significant difference in genotypic frequency of the SLC23A2 rs6133175 polymorphism (χ2=8.08, p=0.02) between PE patients and controls, while no significant differences were found in the allelic frequencies (χ2=1.45, p=0.23). Then we fractionized these samples into the dominant model of the allele G (GG/AG+AA group) or the recessive model of the A allele (AA/AG+GG group), and observed a significant difference under the recessive model of the A allele (p=0.01, OR=0.71, 95% CI 0.55–0.92). Furthermore, there were no significant differences in the genotypic and allelic frequencies of rs10063949 and rs1279683 between PE patients and controls (for rs10063949, χ2=2.96, p=0.23 by genotype, χ2=2.11, p=0.15 by allele; for rs1279683, χ2=1.52, p=0.47 by genotype, χ2=0.64, p=0.44 by allele). We first found that SLC23A2 rs6133175 may be the certain genetic polymorphisms modulating their effects in the development of PE in a Chinese Han population and the AG or GG genotypes may be a risk factor for PE.
Rhamnolipid (RL) is a glycolipid biosurfactant and exhibits the following outstanding characteristics: strong antibacterial properties, low toxicity, and high biodegradability. The present research ...was conducted to explore the protective effects and mechanisms of rhamnolipids as an alternative to antibiotics in LPS (lipopolysaccharide)-challenged broilers. 16S rRNA gene sequencing and metabolomics were used for analyzing the cecal microbial composition and serum metabolites. Dietary antibiotics and RLS supplementation decreased the weight loss rate, enhanced serum immunoglobulin levels, reduced serum diamine oxidase and D-lactate acid concentration, and improved the symptoms of intestinal bleeding and villus height, when broilers were challenged with LPS. The addition of RLS in the diet enhanced serum interleukin-4 and interleukin-10 contents and reduced serum interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α levels in LPS-challenged broilers compared with the antibiotics group. Spearman's correlation analysis revealed that RLS may alleviate LPS-induced inflammatory responses through altering the 6-methoxymellein level in broilers. The genus
may contribute to the decreased weight loss rate
regulating the serum lysoPC 20:5(5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z,17Z) secretion. RLS alleviates LPS-induced intestinal injury, enhances the growth and immunity, ameliorates intestinal microflora, and improves serum metabolites in LPS-challenged broilers. RLS exhibited better protective effect than antibiotic supplementation in the diet of LPS-challenged broilers. These findings provide potential regulation strategies and novel insights for RLS enhancing its protective effect in LPS-challenged broilers.
We aimed to study the effects of dietary
(
) and
p
(
) on broilers challenged by
lipopolysaccharide (LPS). One-day-old Cobb 500 chicks (360) were divided randomly into three treatment groups for 47 ...days: no supplementation (control, CON),
supplementation (BC), and
supplementation (LA). Broilers were routinely fed for 42 days and intraperitoneally injected with 500 μg LPS per kg body weight at 43, 45, and 47 days of age, respectively. Samples were collected 3 h after the last injection. At 1-21 days of age, the ADG in the BC and LA groups was higher than that in the CON group, and the feed to gain ratio (F/G) in the BC group was significantly decreased (
< 0.05). Compared with that in CON birds, the ADG was increased and the F/G was decreased in the BC and LA birds at 22-42 and 1-42 days of age, respectively (
< 0.05). After LPS stimulation, the endotoxin (ET), diamine oxidase (DAO), and D-lactic acid (D-LA) levels in the BC group were lower than those in the CON group (
< 0.05). The IgY, IgA, and IgM contents in the BC group and the IgY and IgM contents in the LA group were higher than those in the CON group (
< 0.05). The pro-inflammatory factor and interferon-β (IFN-β) contents (
< 0.05) decreased, and the anti-inflammatory factor content in the serum (
< 0.05) increased in the BC and LA groups. Compared with the CON and LA treatments, the BC treatment increased the concentrations of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT), and decreased that of malondialdehyde (MDA) (
< 0.05). In contrast with the CON treatment, the BC and LA treatments increased the abundance of
and reduced that of
(
< 0.05). Moreover, BC increased the abundance of beneficial bacteria. Overall, supplementation with
and
promoted the growth of broilers, improved their immunity and antioxidant capacity, and alleviated the LPS-stimulated inflammatory response by regulating the intestinal flora.
Several
strains exert beneficial effects on the maintenance of intestinal homeostasis and host health. However, whether
(BA) can improve gut microbial dysbiosis and ameliorate colitis is unknown. ...Therefore, we conducted the present study to investigate the effects of BA administration on intestinal morphology, inflammatory response, and colonic microbial composition in a mouse model of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. Results showed that BA administration significantly ameliorated body weight loss, decreased disease activity index, and improved colonic tissue morphology in DSS-treated mice. In addition, levels of immunoglobulins, as well as pro-inflammatory cytokines, were decreased after BA administration. Importantly, colonic microbiota profiling indicated a significant (
< 0.05) difference in beta-diversity between BA-administrated and DSS-treated mice, according to weighted principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) results. The relative abundance of the
genus was increased, whereas that of
was decreased by BA administration. Furthermore, phylogenetic investigation of communities by reconstruction of unobserved states (PICRUSt) analysis showed that the most significantly changed pathways between the four groups of mice were carbohydrate, lipid, and amino acid metabolism. In conclusion, our results showed that BA administration has beneficial effects on DSS-induced colitis, suggesting that this strategy might be useful for the treatment of dysbiosis during ulcerative colitis. Further, the changes in metabolism, especially amino acid metabolism, might contribute to the beneficial effects of BA on the amelioration of DSS-induced colitis.
This research study aimed to investigate the effects of
(
) on growth performance, oxidation resistance, immunity, and cecal microbiota in broilers. This work classed three hundred and sixty ...1-day-old male broilers into three groups randomly, including a control group (CON, basal diet) and antibiotic (ANT, 75 mg kg
chlortetracycline added into basal diet) and probiotic groups (LP, 5 × 10
CFU kg
HJLP-1 contained within basal diet). Animals were then fed for 42 days, and each group comprised eight replicates with 15 broilers. Compared with CON,
supplementation significantly improved the average daily weight gain (AWDG) (
< 0.05) while reducing the feed-gain ratio over the entire supplemental period (
< 0.05). Birds fed
had markedly lower serum ammonia and xanthine oxidase levels (
< 0.05) than those in the ANT and CON groups. Significant improvements (
< 0.05) in superoxide dismutase, catalase, and serum IgM and IgY contents in broilers fed
were also observed when compared with those in the CON and ANT groups. Both
and antibiotics decreased pro-inflammatory factor IL-1β levels significantly (
< 0.05), while only
promoted anti-inflammatory factor IL-10 levels in the serum (
< 0.05) compared with CON.
(
< 0.05) increased acetic acid and butyric acid concentrations in cecal contents when compared to those in CON and ANT. Among the differences revealed via 16S rRNA analysis,
markedly improved the community richness of the cecal microbiota. At the genus level, the butyric acid-producing bacteria
and
were found in higher relative abundance in samples of
-treated birds. In conclusion, dietary
supplementation promoted the growth and health of broilers, likely by inducing a shift in broiler gut microbiota toward short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing bacteria. Therefore,
has potential as an alternative to antibiotics in poultry breeding.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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