Effects of dietary quillaja saponin and curcumin on the performance and immune status of weaned piglets.

The objective of this study was to determine whether dietary quillaja saponin and curcumin (extract of turmeric) can modify piglet immune status and performance immediately after weaning. Piglets (n = 192) were weaned at 29 +/- 0.1 d and allocated to treatment (six replicates of eight pig per treatment) accounting for weight, litter, and gender, using a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement. Factors were diets with or without (as-fed basis) quillaja saponin (750 mg/kg during wk 1, 300 mg/kg during wk 2 to 3) and with or without dietary curcumin (200 mg/kg). Diets were fed ad libitum for 20 d after weaning. Feed intake was measured daily. Piglets were weighed at weaning, d 7, 14, and 20 after weaning. On each of d 6 and 20 after weaning, eight pigs per treatment were sacrificed for blood and tissue collection. Treatment had no effect on piglet growth. The ADFI and G:F were similar for all treatments between d 0 and 14 of the trial. Between d 15 and 20, ADFI and G:F were lower in quillaja-supplemented piglets (ADFI = 621 vs. 572 g/d; G:F = 0.75 vs. 0.85; P < 0.05). Serum immunoglobulin (Ig) G, IgA, interferon-gamma, and C-reactive protein (CRP) did not differ among treatments on d 6 after weaning. On d 20, IgG and CRP were greater (P < 0.05) in saponin-supplemented pigs (IgG = 17.5 vs. 11.4 mg/mL; CRP = 26.98 vs. 12.5 mg/mL). Small intestine villus and crypt measurements did not differ among treatments on either d 6 or 20. Saponin supplementation during the postweaning period seemed to potentiate an immune response in the weaned piglet but had a detrimental effect on the utilization of feed. Dietary curcumin had no influence on any measured aspect of pig performance or immune status.

Hormonal requirements of baby hamster kidney cells in culture.

Baby hamster kidney cells (BHK) were able to proliferate in the complete absence of serum in synthetic medium supplemented with insulin, transferrin, fibroblast growth factor and epidermal growth factor on cell culture dishes coated with fibronectin. Although the addition of individual supplements had little or no effect on cell growth, the combination of the supplements resulted in a significant synergistic effect. The defined medium was also capable of supporting the clonal growth of BHK cells in the absence of serum. Studies on the effect of hormonal supplementation in the presence of low concentrations of fetal calf serum suggest that the function of serum is to supply hormones and growth factors for cell growth.

An endothelial cell growth factor from bovine hypothalamus: identification and partial characterization.

Extracts of bovine hypothalamus were found to contain a significant level of mitogenic activity when tested in a Swiss 3T3 cell [3H]dThd incorporation assay and in a human umbilical vein endothelial cell growth assay. The mitogenic activity responsible for 3T3 cell activity was purified and characterized as a fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-like mitogen. Neither the biologically active FGF-like mitogen purified from the hypothalamus extracts nor FGF purified from bovine pituitary glands was mitogenic when added to human endothelial cells in vitro, suggesting the presence of more than one mitogen in the hypothalamic extracts. The 3T3 and endothelial cell biological activities of hypothalamic extracts were both found to be inactivated by trypsin, subtilisin, and heat treatment, but were stable to dialysis. The endothelial cell growth factor activity could be efficiently separated from the FGF activity by gel exclusion chromatography. The endothelial cell mitogen possessed a molecular weight of approximately 75,000, whereas that of FGF was approximately 15,000. The endothelial cell growth factor activity was found to be inactivated with reducing agents whereas the 3T3 cell mitogenic activity was stable after incubation with 2-mercaptoethanol. Significant levels of endothelial cell mitogenic activity were also found in extracts of bovine brain and pituitary glands.