The impact of dietary supplementation of polysaccharide derived from Polygonatum sibiricum on growth, antioxidant capacity, meat quality, digestive physiology, and gut microbiota in broiler chickens.

Polygonatum sibiricum polysaccharide (PSP) has demonstrated diverse medicinal properties, extensively researched for human applications. Nonetheless, there is a lack of studies investigating the potential advantages of PSP in poultry farming. The present study investigated the impact of incorporating PSP into broiler diets on their growth performance, meat quality, blood metabolites, antioxidative status, and ileal histomorphology. Two hundred and forty-one-day-old male Ross-308 broiler chicks (44.98 ± 0.79 g) were randomly assigned to 3 experimental groups, with 8 replicates of 10 birds each. The birds were fed diets supplemented with PSP at 0, 400, and 800 mg/kg (control, PSP400, and PSP800, respectively). The results revealed a linear (P > 0.05) improvement in body weight gain, European production efficiency index, and feed conversion ratio during the grower (22-35 d) and overall periods (1-35 d). The pH levels in the ingluvies, ileum, and cecum exhibited a linear reduction (P > 0.05) in the PSP800 group at d 21 and d 35, respectively. Villus height and crypt depth were increased in the PSP400 and PSP800 groups compared to the control group. PSP400 and PSP800 groups exhibited decreased hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) levels and increased total antioxidant capacity (TAC) at 21 d, while at 35 d, TAC and sulfhydryl concentrations were elevated, and H2O2 was reduced only in the PSP800 group compared to the untreated one. No significant variations between the groups at the phylum and genus levels were observed, with Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes being the dominant phyla. However, PSP supplementation notably augmented Firmicutes and Verrucomicrobiota while reducing Euryarchaeota and Proteobacteria. At the genus level, there was an increase in Akkermansia, Alistipes, CHKCI001, Erysipelatoclostridium, and a decrease in Methanobrevibacter. Conclusively, incorporating PSP into broiler diets, particularly at a dosage of 800 mg/kg, improved growth performance, antioxidant capacity, and intestinal architecture and resulted in alterations in cecal microbiota without discernible impacts on digestive function and meat quality criteria.

Growth performance, digestive function, thyroid activity, and immunity of growing rabbits fed olive cake with or without Saccharomyces cerevisiae or citric acid.

The present study investigated the impact of dietary inclusion of olive cakes (OC) with or without Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SC) and citric acid (CA) on growth, digestive function, thyroid activity, antioxidant status, immunity, and intestinal architecture of growing rabbits. One hundred forty 35-day-old male New Zealand white rabbits were randomly assigned into seven experimental groups with five replicates each, as follows: control (CN), fed the basal diet; OC20 and OC25, fed diets with 20 and 25% OC; OS20 and OS25, fed diets containing 20 and 25% OC with S. cerevisiae at 5 g/kg diet; OA20 and OA25, fed diets supplemented with 20 and 25% OC with 1.0% citric acid. No differences in live body weight, feed intake, feed conversion ratio, and carcass traits were noticed among experimental groups, while body weight gain and carcass (%) were increased (P < 0.05) in OS20 compared to the control. Digestibility coefficients of all nutrients and activities of amylase, cellulose, and trypsin did not differ in treated groups compared to the control except for OS20, which recorded enhancement in nutrient digestibility. Plasma triiodothyronine and thyroxine were elevated (P < 0.05), while triglycerides and cholesterol were reduced (P < 0.05) in OS20 compared to CN. Plasma concentrations of immunoglobulin M and G and superoxide dismutase were increased in treated groups compared to the control. Dietary inclusion of SC and CA improved rabbits' intestinal health, as the cecal Lactobacillus count was increased, E. coli count was decreased, and villus height was elevated in SC- and CA-treated groups. In conclusion, dietary incorporation of SC or CA enhanced the nutritional value of OC and improved growth performance, nutrient digestibility, thyroid activity, antioxidative status, and gut health of growing rabbits.

Selenium and vitamin E ameliorate lead acetate-induced hepatotoxicity in rats via suppression of oxidative stress, mRNA of heat shock proteins, and NF-kB production.

BACKGROUND: Lead exposure results in a terrible rise in heat shock protein levels. OBJECTIVE: This research was conducted to look at the effects of lead poisoning on heat shock response, oxidative stress, and inflammatory markers in albino rats, as well as the power of selenium and vitamin E to resist lead toxic effects. METHODS: Eight groups of albino rats are used. Each group contained six rats where the first group represented the negative control, and the other groups were treated with olive oil, vitamin E, selenium, lead, (vitamin E + lead), (selenium + lead), and (vitamin E + selenium + lead). All the treatments lasted for 28 days. Then, the mRNA expression of interested heat shock proteins (HSP90, HSP70, and HSP60) was assessed. For oxidative stress disruption, we investigated nitric oxide (NO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants activity respectively in rat livers. RESULTS: our results revealed the synergetic protective effect of the combination of two antioxidants (vitamin E and selenium) against lead poising. This was clear in regulating HSPs expression, inflammatory markers, glucose, lipid profile, liver functions, and antioxidant enzymes more than the treatment with one antioxidant. CONCLUSION: Pb is a toxic material that can induce HSPs and inflammatory markers expression. Selenium and vitamin E can give excellent effects in ameliorating Pb toxicity when used together.

Selenium Nanoparticles Modulate Steroidogenesis-Related Genes and Improve Ovarian Functions via Regulating Androgen Receptors Expression in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Rat Model.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) occurs during the reproductive period in women and is characterized by reproductive, endocrine, and metabolic disorders. Androgen plays a decisive role in its pathogenesis due to the interaction between hyperandrogenism and insulin resistance, which might be improved by selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs). The present study aimed to clarify the effect of SeNPs on androgen synthesis and action in the PCOS model and the resulting effect on ovarian function. Fifty-five 7-week-old female albino rats (90-105 g) were divided equally into five groups: control (C), fed a standard diet for 11 weeks; high-fat diet (HFD) group, fed HFD for 11 weeks; HFD and letrozole (L) (HFD + L), fed HFD for 11 weeks and administrated orally with L, at a daily dose of 1 mg/kg BW, for three weeks from the 7th to 9th week of the trial; HFD + L + 0.1SeNPs and HFD + L + 0.2SeNPs groups, treated the same as HFD + L group and orally gavaged SeNPs at daily doses of 0.1 and 0.2 mg/kg BW, respectively, during the last 14 day of the experiment. Daily determination of estrous cycle was performed, and at the end of the experimental period, BMI, serum glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, lipid profile, sex hormones, TNF-α, IL6, oxidative stress biomarkers, ovarian mRNA expression of different proteins and enzymes involved in steroidogenesis, pathological examination, and immunohistochemical staining for androgen receptor (AR) were evaluated. Treatment of SeNPs restored estrous cyclicity, decreased BMI, and insulin resistance, improved dyslipidemia, reduced serum testosterone, and improved ovarian histopathology in PCOS rats. Furthermore, the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant impacts of SeNPs were remarkably noticed. Administration of SeNPs decreased androgen synthesis and expression of ovarian AR protein by decreasing the mRNA expression of STAR, Cyp11A1, Cyp17A1, and HSD17B3 and increasing the expression of Cyp19α1. Conclusively, SeNPs decreased androgen synthesis and blocked the vicious circle initiated by excessive androgen secretion via decreased AR expression. Thus, it may effectively treat PCOS cases by eliminating its reproductive, endocrine, and metabolic dysfunctions.

Effects of chronic hypoxia on the gene expression profile in the embryonic heart in three Chinese indigenous chicken breeds (Gallus gallus).

Hypoxia exposure (HE) has adverse impacts on the embryonic development of chicken, whereas the mechanism underlying the response of the heart to HE during embryo development in birds is still unclear. Therefore, our study was designed to reveal the hub genes and the signaling pathways linked to chronic hypoxia stress. Thus, the gene expression microarray GSE12675, downloaded from the GEO database, included 12 embryonic heart samples in hypoxia and normoxia of three Chinese indigenous chicken breeds [Shouguang (SG), Tibetan (TB), and Dwarf Recessive White (DRW) chickens]. A total of 653 to 714 breed-specific differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected in each pairwise comparison. Gene ontology (GO) showed that the DEGs were mainly involved in biological processes, including vasoconstriction, cell differentiation, and the positive regulation of vasoconstriction. KEGG enrichment revealed that the DEGs were mainly enriched in MAPK, PPAR, insulin, adrenergic signaling in cardiomyocytes, etc. Moreover, 48 genes (e.g., SGCD, DHRS9, HELQ, MCMDC2, and ESCO2) might contribute to the response of the heart to HE. Taken together, the current study provides important clues for understanding the molecular mechanism of the heart's response to HE during the embryonic period of chicken.

Mechanism of Lysoforte in Improving Jejuna Morphology and Health in Broiler Chickens.

Lysoforte (LFT) plays a vital role in maintaining broilers' health and intestinal morphology. However, the mechanism behind the effects of LFT improving intestinal morphology and health is still unclear. Therefore, this study was implemented to explore the central genes linked to the regulatory effect of LFT. Seventy-five newly hatched Cobb 500 male broilers were randomly divided into three groups: control, LFT500, and LFT1000 groups, with 25 chicks per group. The control chicks were provided with the basal diet, and the birds in LFT500 and LFT1000 groups were offered the same basal diet with 500 g/ton and 1,000 g/ton LFT, respectively. GSE94622 dataset consisted of the control and two LFT-treated groups (LFT500 and LFT1000). Jejuna samples were obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Totally 106-344 DEGs were obtained by comparing LFT500 and LFT1000 vs. control and LFT1000 vs. LFT500. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment suggested that the DEGs are mainly related to the phosphatidylethanolamine biosynthetic process and neuron projection extension. KEGG analysis suggested the DEGs were enriched in AGE-RAGE, fatty acid elongation, ECM-receptor interaction (ECMRI), glycerophospholipid metabolism, focal adhesion, unsaturated fatty acids biosynthesis, and ABC transporters. Moreover, 29 genes, such as REG4, GJB1, KAT2A, APOA5, SERPINE2, ELOVL1, ABCC2, ANKRD9, CYP4V2, and PISD, might be closely related to promoting jejuna morphology in broilers. Taken together, our observation enhances the understanding of LFT in maintaining intestinal architecture and the general health of broiler chickens.

Effects of Lysophosphatidylcholine on Jejuna Morphology and Its Potential Mechanism.

Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) plays a vital role in promoting jejuna morphology in broilers. However, the potential mechanism behind LPC improving the chicken jejuna morphology is unclear. Therefore, the present study was designed to reveal the important genes associated with LPC regulation in birds' jejuna. Thus, GSE94622, the gene expression microarray, was obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). GSE94622 consists of 15 broiler jejuna samples from two LPC-treated (LPC500 and LPC1000) and the control groups. Totally 98 to 217 DEGs were identified by comparing LPC500 vs. control, LPC1000 vs. control, and LPC1000 vs. LPC500. Gene ontology (GO) analysis suggested that those DEGs were mainly involved in the one-carbon metabolic process, carbon dioxide transport, endodermal cell differentiation, the positive regulation of dipeptide transmembrane transport, cellular pH reduction, and synaptic transmission. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis indicated the DEGs were enriched in NOD-like receptor (NLR), RIG-I-like receptor (RILR), Toll-like receptor (TLR), and necroptosis signaling pathway. Moreover, many genes, such as RSAD2, OASL, EPSTI1, CMPK2, IFIH1, IFIT5, USP18, MX1, and STAT1 might be involved in promoting the jejuna morphology of broilers. In conclusion, this study enhances our understanding of LPC regulation in jejuna morphology.

Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of Spirulina platensis extracts and biogenic selenium nanoparticles against selected pathogenic bacteria and fungi.

This study investigated the antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of three Spirulina extracts (methanol, acetone, and hexane) and the biological selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) fabricated by Bacillus subtilis AL43. The results showed that Spirulina extracts exhibited antimicrobial activity against tested pathogens. Besides, Spirulina extracts significantly scavenged ABTS and DPPH radicals in a dose-dependent manner. The methanolic extract had higher total phenolic content, antimicrobial activity, and antioxidant activity than other extracts. The selenium nanoparticles were synthesized by Bacillus subtilis AL43 under aerobic conditions and were characterized as spherical, crystalline with a size of 65.23 nm and a net negative charge of -22.7. We evidenced that SeNPs possess considerable antimicrobial activity against three gram-positive, three gram-negative bacteria, and three strains from both Candida sp. and Aspergillus sp. Moreover, SeNPs were able to scavenge ABTS and DPPH radicals in a dose-dependent manner. An association was found between the total phenolic content of Spirulina and SeNPs and their biological activities. Our results indicate that Spirulina and SeNPs with significant antimicrobial and antioxidant activities seem to be successful candidates for safe and reliable medical applications.

Spirulina platensis and biosynthesized selenium nanoparticles improve performance, antioxidant status, humoral immunity and dietary and ileal microbial populations of heat-stressed broilers.

This study was conducted to assess the impact of dietary incorporation of Spirulina platensis and selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) individually or in combinations on growth performance, antioxidant status, humoral immune response, and microbial populations in diet and ileum of heat-stressed broilers. Ross-308 one-day chicks (n = 450) were fed one of 9 experimental diets with five replicate cages in 2 phases for 35 d. The experimental diets were a control basal diet without supplementation or with 0.1 mg SeNPs, 0.2 mg SeNPs, 5 g Spirulina, 10 g Spirulina, 0.1 mg SeNPs + 5 g Spirulina, 0.1 mg SeNPs + 10 g Spirulina, 0.2 mg SeNPs + 5 g Spirulina and 0.2 mg SeNPs + 10 g Spirulina per kg diet. Dietary supplementation with Spirulina and SeNPs significantly (P < 0.05) increased body weight gain and European production efficiency factor. Serum GPx and SOD were significantly (P < 0.05) increased with dietary Spirulina and SeNPs supplementation, while, TBARS was decreased (P < 0.05). Circulating immunoglobulin IgM, IgA and IgG were increased in treated birds compared to the control ones, while the antibody titers to IBD, AIV, and NDV were not significantly altered. The results showed that SeNPs and Spirulina exhibited dose-dependent antimicrobial activities against ileal counts of total bacterial, total molds and yeast, coliform, E. coli, Salmonella spp. and Enterococcus spp. However, ileal populations of Lactic acid bacteria were increased with dietary Spirulina and SeNPs in a dose-dependent manner. The microbial load in broilers' diets was reduced by dietary incorporation of S. platensis and SeNPs. These results indicate that Spirulina and SeNPs can be potentially used as growth promoters and antioxidant, immunostimulant, and antimicrobial agents in heat-stressed broilers.

Putative abrogation impacts of Ajwa seeds on oxidative damage, liver dysfunction and associated complications in rats exposed to carbon tetrachloride.

BACKGROUND: Industrial toxicants such as Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) are known to disrupt the oxidative-antioxidative balance, which generates excessive amounts of free radicals leading to chronic or acute liver damage. Natural antioxidants, including Ajwa, play an important role in protecting against hepatotoxicity. METHODS AND RESULTS: This study investigated the prophylactic impacts of ajwa seeds aqueous extract (ASE) against hepatic oxidative injury in rats induced by CCl4. Eighty male Wistar albino rats were equally assigned to eight groups: one group receive no treatment, four groups were received CCl4-olive oil mixture [1:1(v/v)] (0.2 ml/100 g body weight (bw), intraperitoneally) two times/week for 4 weeks/rat alone or with 200 mg Vit. C/kg bw or 5 ml ASE/rat or both, and three groups received olive oil, Vit. C, or ASE. Vitamin C and ASE were orally administrated two weeks before CCl4 injection and 4 weeks concomitant with CCl4. Lipid peroxidation, lipogenesis-related genes, hepatic histopathology, Bax immunostaining and DNA fragmentation were assessed. ASE protected hepatic damage by suppressing oxidative stress and elevating activities of antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase and catalase. ASE also regulated hepatic dyslipidemia, hepatic lipid accumulation and expression of SREBP-1 and FAS genes in CCl4-treated rats. ASE decreased apoptosis through inhibition of CCl4 induced Bax activation in hepatocytes. CONCLUSION: These observations provide evidence for the hepatoprotective potential of ASE via inhibiting hepatic lipogenesis and oxidative stress, suggesting being used as a natural product in attenuating CCl4 induced oxidative damage, hepatotoxicity and associated dysfunction.

Nutritional manipulation to combat heat stress in poultry - A comprehensive review.

Global warming and climate change adversely affect livestock and poultry production sectors under tropical and subtropical conditions. Heat stress is amongst the most significant stressors influencing poultry productivity in hot climate regions, causing substantial economic losses in poultry industry. These economic losses are speculated to increase in the coming years with the rise of global temperature. Moreover, modern poultry strains are more susceptible to high ambient temperature. Heat stress has negative effects on physiological response, growth performance and laying performance, which appeared in the form of reducing feed consumption, body weight gain, egg production, feed efficiency, meat quality, egg quality and immune response. Numerous practical procedures were used to ameliorate the negative impacts of increased temperature; among them the dietary manipulation, which gains a great concern in different regions around the world. These nutritional manipulations are feed additives (natural antioxidants, minerals, electrolytes, phytobiotics, probiotics, fat, and protein), feed restriction, feed form, drinking cold water and others. However, in the large scale of poultry industry, only a few of these strategies are commonly used. The current review article deliberates the different practical applications of useful nutritional manipulations to mitigate the heat load in poultry. The documented information will be useful to poultry producers to improve the general health status and productivity of heat-stressed birds via enhancing stress tolerance, oxidative status and immune response, and thereby provide recommendations to minimize production losses due to heat stress in particular under the growing global warming crisis.

Phytogenic Products and Phytochemicals as a Candidate Strategy to Improve Tolerance to Coronavirus.

Coronaviruses are the causative agents of many infectious diseases in human and animals. These included severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), avian infectious bronchitis (IBV) in poultry, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in humans. These results had considerable death burdens and negative influences on social-economic life. Since the appearance of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, continuous investigations have been carried out by researchers to find active compounds, mainly from plants, as natural sources, that could inhibit or stop the proliferation of the causative agent of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2). The most common symptoms caused by infections with COVID-19 can include cough, fever, and sore throat. Nevertheless, there is a shortage of active antiviral compounds for treating different strains of coronavirus. Herbal medicine is a class of medication that originates from nature and is aimed at decreasing the use of preservatives, excipients, or other additives and, consequently, lesser side effects. The rapid spread of COVID-19 infection besides the lack of knowledge about any treatments and the growing concern of the public from the virus directed us toward writing this review article in an aim to provide alternatives to the allopathic medicine use. There is a wealth of chemical diversity in the naturally existing compounds, including their antiviral activities, which may encourage their utilization as therapeutics against viral infections, including coronaviruses. The majority of publications on the herbal remedies of coronavirus, MERS, or SARS focused primarily on the use of polar compounds. These substances displayed encouraging inhibitory influences on coronavirus in humans. These include psoralidin, scutellarein, silvestrol, tryptanthrin, caffeic acid, quercetin, myricetin, saikosaponin B2, griffithsin (lectins), and isobavachalcone. Some other agents like lycorine may be useful, if the antiviral activity is obtained by concentrations below the toxic plasma levels. According to the available literatures, the most promising inhibitors of coronaviruses are polyphenolic compounds, which are small molecules with conjugated fused ring structures.

The role of polyphenols in poultry nutrition.

In the last two decades, poultry and animal industries became increasingly interested in using plant-based feed supplements, herbs and their derivatives to retain or enhance their health and productivity. These health benefits for the host mainly attributed to the secondary plant metabolites, namely polyphenols. Polyphenols are renowned for their antioxidant, immunomodulatory, anti-mutagenic and anti-inflammatory properties. However, despite these advantages of polyphenols, they have been characterized by poor absorption in the gut and low concentration in target cells that compromise their role as effective antioxidants. The low bioavailability of polyphenols necessitates the need for further investigations to harness their full potential in poultry farms. This review is existing evidence about the bioavailability of polyphenols and their antioxidant, immunomodulatory, antimicrobial, detoxification properties and their impacts on poultry performance.