Total flavonoids of Abrus cantoniensis inhibit CD14/TLR4/NF-κB/MAPK pathway expression and improve gut microbiota disorders to reduce lipopolysaccharide-induced mastitis in mice.

Established a model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced mastitis in mice, pathological sections and myeloperoxidase were used to detect the degree of tissue damage, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to detect the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, meanwhile fluorescence quantitative PCR experiments were performed to detect the mRNA expression of CD14/TLR4/NF-κB/MAPK signalling pathway, and the faeces of mice were collected for 16S measurement of flora. The results showed that Abrus cantoniensis total flavonoids (ATF) could significantly reduce the damage of LPS on mammary tissue in mice and inhibit the secretion of inflammatory factors such as TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6. At the mRNA level, ATF inhibited the expression of CD14/TLR4/NF-κB/MAPK pathway and enhanced the expression of tight junction proteins in the blood-milk barrier. In the results of the intestinal flora assay, ATF were found to be able to regulate the relative abundance of the dominant flora from the phylum level to the genus level, restoring LPS-induced gut microbial dysbiosis. In summary, ATF attenuated the inflammatory response of LPS on mouse mammary gland by inhibiting the expression of CD14/TLR4/NF-κB/MAPK pathway, enhancing the expression of tight junction proteins and restoring LPS-induced gut microbial dysbiosis. This suggests that ATF could be a potential herbal remedy for mastitis.

Current understanding of genomic DNA of porcine circovirus type 2.

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is the primary causative agent of porcine circovirus-associated diseases in swine and is also described as the modulator of host immunity that exacerbates the clinical outcome of many bacterial and viral infections. To date, it has caused increasingly larger losses in the pig industry worldwide. The genomic DNA of PCV2 is predicted to contain 11 open reading frames (ORFs) and at least seven potential ORFs-encoding proteins larger than 5 kDa. Currently, however, only five virally encoded proteins (Rep, Rep', Cap, ORF3, and ORF4 protein) have been identified in PCV2 replication. In the present review, we strive to discuss the current understanding of the genomic DNA of PCV2 with the purpose of providing insight into the scientific basis of the pathogenesis of PCV2 and the prevention of its infection.