Flammulina velutipes stem regulates oxidative damage and synthesis of yolk precursors in aging laying hens by regulating the liver-blood-ovary axis.

Egg production levels in late laying hens are negatively correlated with increasing age. Decreased liver and ovarian function in aging laying hens is accompanied by decreased antioxidant capacity, reproductive hormone levels, and follicular development, resulting in decreased synthesis of yolk precursors. The golden needle mushroom (Flammulina velutipes) has been reported to exhibit anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and hypolipidemic properties. We aimed to reveal the therapeutic effects of F. velutipes stem (FVS) on liver-blood-ovary axis and investigate the underlying mechanisms. A total of 360 sixty-seven-wk-old laying hens were randomized into 4 treatment groups: 1) basal maize-soybean meal diet (CON); 2) basal maize + 20 g/kg FVS (2% FVS); 3) basal maize + 40 g/kg FVS (4% FVS); and 4) basal maize + 60 g/kg FVS (6% FVS). FVS groups demonstrated significantly increased egg production and ovarian development compared with the CON group. The addition of FVS increased the levels of antioxidant enzymes (GSH-Px, T-SOD, and T-AOC) in the liver, serum, and ovaries and decreased malondialdehyde levels by regulating the expression of proteins related to the Keap1-Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway. Additionally, FVS significantly decreased ovarian apoptosis by regulating Bax, Bcl-2, and caspase3 mRNA and protein expression levels. FVS significantly increased the expression levels of estradiol, progesterone, luteinizing hormone, and follicle stimulating hormone and their respective receptors. With increased levels of estradiol transported to the liver through the bloodstream, targeted binding to estrogen receptor (ER)-α and ER-ß led to significant increases in ApoVLDL II, ApoB, and VTG II mRNA expression associated with yolk precursor synthesis. FVS decreased the levels of triglyceride and total cholesterol and significantly increased the expression of lipid metabolism, and transport-related mRNAs (FAS, PPAR-a/γ, and MTTP) in the liver. Therefore, the dietary supplementation of FVS can maintain the productive performance of aging laying hens by alleviating the degree of oxidative stress and regulating the transport of functional substances along the liver-blood-ovary axis, thereby improving the synthesis of yolk precursors.

Feed Supplemented with Aronia melanocarpa (AM) Relieves the Oxidative Stress Caused by Ovulation in Peak Laying Hens and Increases the Content of Yolk Precursors.

The continuous ovulation of laying hens during the peak period is likely to cause oxidative stress, resulting in a reduction in the laying cycle over time. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant effects of Aronia melanocarpa (AM) in the diet and its effect on the yolk precursor content caused by ovulation in laying hens during the peak period. A total of 300 25-week-old Roman brown laying hens were randomly divided into five groups with six replicates in each group, 10 in each replicate. The control group was fed a basal diet, the positive control group was fed a Vitamin C (VC) plus basal diet, and the experimental group was fed 1%, 4%, and 7% doses of AM plus diet according to the principle of energy and nitrogen requirements, which lasted eight weeks. At the end of the study, the egg quality, biochemical, and antioxidant markers, as well as mRNA and protein expressions, were evaluated to determine the potential signaling pathways involved. Results showed that the addition of AM to the feed increased the weight of laying hens at the peak of egg production and improved egg quality. The biochemical markers, as well as the antioxidant parameters in the serum, liver, and ovarian tissues, were ameliorated. The gene and protein expression of recombinant kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) in the liver and ovarian tissues was decreased, while nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression was increased. The feed supplemented with AM also increased the estrogen contents and lipid parameters, as well as the gene and protein expressions related to the yolk precursor. Feed supplemented with AM could improve the egg quality and the oxidative stress caused by the ovulation process of laying hens during the peak egg production period by activating the Keap1/Nrf2 signaling pathway. These results suggest that the feed supplemented with 1% AM and 4% AM can improve egg production in peak laying hens.

Catalytic Conversion of Glycerol to Lactic Acid Over Hydroxyapatite-Supported Metallic Ni0 Nanoparticles.

Catalytic conversion of low-priced biomass glycerol to value-added lactic acid is an alternative route to the conventional fermentation process using sugar as the starting material. Nanosized hydroxyapatite-supported metallic Ni0 nanoparticles (Nix/HAP) prepared by the wetness chemical reduction method effectively catalyzed the conversion of high-concentrated glycerol (1.5-3 mol L-1) to lactic acid in a NaOH aqueous solution. The Nix/HAP catalysts exhibited higher catalytic activity for glycerol conversion to lactic acid than the sole metallic Ni0 nanoparticles. When the reaction was carried out over the Ni0.2/HAP catalyst with the initial glycerol and NaOH concentrations of 2.0 and 2.2 mol L-1 at 200 °C for 2 h, the selectivity of lactic acid reached 94.7% at the glycerol conversion of 92.1%.

Conversion of Glycerol to Lactic Acid Catalyzed by Different-Sized Cu2O Nanoparticles in NaOH Aqueous Solution.

Different-sized Cu2O nanoparticles with the average particle sizes ranging from 115 to 423 nm were prepared starting from CuSO4 using ascorbic acid as the reductant at room temperature. When Cu2O nanoparticles were used as the catalysts for hydrothermal conversion of glycerol at 230 °C in a NaOH aqueous solution, Cu2O nanoparticles effectively catalyzed the hydrothermal conversion of glycerol to lactic acid as compared to the conventional hydrothermal conversion of glycerol in a "pure" NaOH aqueous solution. Small-sized Cu2O nanoparticles showed higher catalytic activity than the large-sized ones. In a wide glycerol concentration range of 1­2.5 mol/L and a low mole ratio of Cu2O nanoparticle to glycerol of 2.5:100, the glycerol conversion and lactic acid selectivity were more than 86.2% and 87.2%, respectively, after reacting at 230 °C for 2 h.

Catalytic Conversion of Glycerol to Lactic Acid Over Metallic Copper Nanoparticles and Reaction Kinetics.

Different-sized metallic Cu° nanoparticles were prepared by the wet chemical reduction method with organic modifiers. The small-sized Cu° nanoparticles (Cu(PEG)) prepared by using polyethylene glycol as the organic modifier exhibited high catalytic activity for the hydrothermal conversion of glycerol to lactic acid. When the reaction was carried out with the initial glycerol and NaOH concentrations of 1.0 and 1.1 mol L⁻¹ at 230 °C for 4 h, the lactic acid selectivity reached 91.9% at the glycerol conversion of 98.0%. Over CuPEG (36.9 nm) and Cublank (118.3 nm) catalysts, the reaction activation energies were 76.3 and 86.5 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively.