Duration of the Flaxseed Supplementation Affects Antioxidant Defence Mechanisms and the Oxidative Stress of Fattening Pigs.

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of the duration of a flaxseed diet on fattening pigs' antioxidant defence mechanism in blood and tissues. Eighteen 20-week-old Landrace breed fattening pigs (BW 76.61 ± 2.30 kg) were divided into three groups of six animals. The control group was fed a basal diet. The FS3 group was fed the basal diet supplemented with 10% flaxseed for 3 weeks. The FS6 group received the same basal diet with flaxseed for 6 weeks. The total antioxidant capacity of the blood, measured as the total antioxidant status (TAS), total plasma antioxidant capacity (FRAP), reactive oxygen metabolites (dROMs) and total antioxidant capacity (PAT), was not affected by the flaxseed diet. The superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione reductase (GR) activities were significantly decreased in the FS3 pigs in the heart (p < 0.05). However, in the FS3 group, the glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity significantly increased compared to the control, but in the FS6 group, the activity was inhibited (p < 0.05). In the muscle, the CAT and GST activity was significantly decreased in the FS3 group (p < 0.05). The thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) content was significantly reduced in the brain, muscle and heart in the FS3 group(p < 0.05). In FS6, the TBARS content significantly increased in the heart and brain (p < 0.05). Our results showed that the health effect of a flaxseed diet is significantly conditioned by the length of the flaxseed addition.

Silybin Showed Higher Cytotoxic, Antiproliferative, and Anti-Inflammatory Activities in the CaCo Cancer Cell Line while Retaining Viability and Proliferation in Normal Intestinal IPEC-1 Cells.

The anticancer potential of silymarin is well known, including its anti-inflammatory as well as antiproliferative effect mediated by influencing the cell cycle, suppression of apoptosis, and inhibition of cell-survival kinases. However, less is known about silybin, the main component of the silymarin complex, where studies indicate its dual effect on the proliferation and immune response of various cell types in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, there is a lack of studies comparing the effect of silybin on the same type of healthy and tumor cells, especially intestinal ones. Therefore, our study aimed to investigate the concentration-dependent effect of silybin on the normal intestinal porcine epithelial cell line-1 (IPEC-1) and the human epithelial colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line (CaCo-2). The metabolic viability, cell cycle, mitochondrial membrane potential, apoptosis, and the relative gene expression for pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines were monitored in cells treated with silybin. Silybin stimulates metabolic viability as well as proliferation in IPEC-1 cells, protects the mitochondrial membrane, and thus exerts a cytoprotective effect, and has only a minimal effect on the gene expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines but significantly increases the expression of anti-inflammatory TGF-ß. In contrast, it inhibits metabolic viability in tumor intestinal CaCo-2 cells, has an antiproliferative effect accompanied by increased apoptosis, and significantly reduces the expression of genes for pro-inflammatory interleukins as well as TGF-ß. The antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory effect of silybin on tumor intestinal cells without a negative effect on healthy cells is a prerequisite for its potential use in the adjuvant therapy of colon cancer; however, further studies are necessary.

The Effect of Enterococcus faecium AL41 on the Acute Phase Proteins and Selected Mucosal Immune Molecules in Broiler Chickens.

Probiotic bacteria, including the Enterococcus faecium strain, can improve intestinal mucosal health by several mechanisms, including modulation of the immune response, as well as by improving the protective function of the epithelial barrier. In this study, we tested the effect of Enterococcus faecium AL41 on the acute phase proteins response (blood), gene expression of selected molecules of mucosal immunity (immunoglobulin A, mucin-2, insulin-like growth factor 2) and mucus production (all parts of the small intestine) in broilers. Eighty broiler chicks were divided into two groups: a control and E. faecium AL41 (birds were inoculated with AL41 for 7 days) group. The whole experiment lasted 11 days. Our results revealed that the administration of E. faecium AL41 had no substantial effect on the concentrations of acute phase proteins, but we recorded a significant increase in ß- and γ-globulin fractions at the end of the experiment, which may indicate an improvement in the immune status. A significant prolonged stimulatory effect of E. faecium AL41 on the relative expression of molecules (immunoglobulin A, mucin-2) as well as on the dynamic of mucus production in the chicken intestine was observed. In addition, AL41 significantly reduced the total number of enterococci in the cecum and faeces.

The effects of sage extract feed supplementation on biochemical parameters, weight of internal organs and Salmonella counts in chickens.

We investigated the effects of dietary addition of sage extract on the biochemical parameters, weight of some body organs and changes in the counts of Salmonella Enteritidis PT4 (SE) in experimentally infected chickens. The following diets were used: basal diet, basal diet with addition of an extract of Salvia officinalis L. (S), basal diet and SE, and basal diet and S and SE (SSE). Compared to the SE group, sage extract in the SSE group decreased activities of ALP and ALT and concentrations of glucose and bilirubin on the 4th day post inoculation (p.i.). However, on the 18th day p.i., lower levels of bilirubin and ALT activity only were detected. Addition of sage extract to the diets decreased the counts of Salmonella in the liver, spleen and caecum at both sampling times, along with lower production of mucus in the chickens' intestines. Our results suggest that the addition of sage extract to the diet could be effective in protecting SE-infected chickens.

Leukocytic responses and intestinal mucin dynamics of broilers protected with Enterococcus faecium EF55 and challenged with Salmonella Enteritidis.

The protective effect of Enterococcus faecium EF55 in chickens challenged with Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis phage type 4 (SE PT4) was assessed. The antibacterial effect on the bacterial microflora in the small intestine in relation to white blood cell count, phenotyping of peripheral blood and intestinal lymphocytes, functional activity of lymphocytes and phagocytes and mucin quantitation were investigated. Day-old chicks (85) were randomly divided into four groups. The probiotic group (EF) and Salmonella+probiotic group (EFSE) received E. faecium EF55 (10(9) CFU - 3 g/group/day) for 21 days. The Salmonella group (SE) and EFSE group were infected with Salmonella Enteritidis (10(8) CFU in 0.2 ml PBS) in a single dose per os on day four of the experiment. The control group chicks (C) were fed a commercial diet without added bacteria. Supplementation of EF55 in the diet of the chickens in the EFSE group, challenged with S. Enteritidis, caused the density of the intestinal mucin layer to increase significantly in non-specific regions (duodenum and jejunum), but decrease significantly in target regions (caeca) for S. Enteritidis. Probiotic treatment also appeared to result in a significantly higher number of lymphocytes in peripheral blood and a tendency to increase CD3, CD4, CD8, and IgM positive cells 3 days post-infection with S. Enteritidis. The results demonstrated an antibacterial effect and suggested that EF55 had a moderating effect on intestinal mucin production and leukocytic response in the early phase of S. Enteritidis infection.

Effects of feeding diets contaminated with Fusarium mycotoxins on blood biochemical parameters of broiler chickens.

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEA) on some biochemical indices of broiler chickens. Twenty-four Ross 308 hybrid broiler chickens of both sexes were fed diets containing maize contaminated with Fusarium mycotoxins. The diets included a control diet (DON 0.60 mg/kg feed; ZEA 0.07 mg/kg feed), an experimental 1 diet (DON 3.4 mg kg⁻¹ feed; ZEA 3.4 mg kg⁻¹ feed), and an experimental 2 diet (DON 8.2 mg kg⁻¹ feed; ZEA 8.3 mg kg⁻¹ feed). Contaminated diets were fed from 14 days of age for 14 days. Blood samples were collected from 4-week-old birds. Chicks fed a diet containing a low level of contaminated maize (experimental 1) had decreased plasma potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, total protein, albumin, triglycerides, free glycerol concentrations and increased cholesterol and calcium levels as well as alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) enzyme activities as compared to the control. Feeding a diet contaminated with high levels of mycotoxins (experimental 2) resulted in decreased plasma potassium, magnesium, total protein, albumin, triglycerides, free glycerol concentrations and increased plasma ALP, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and AST enzyme activities. The effect of mycotoxin-contaminated diets on ALP activity was dose dependent. Chloride concentration was not affected by the diets. It can be concluded that feeding diets contaminated with both levels of Fusarium mycotoxins significantly affected protein, lipid and mineral metabolism as well as AST and ALP enzyme activities in broiler chickens.