Effects of ferulic acid on growth performance and intestinal oxidation indexes of Jilin white geese under lipopolysaccharide-induced oxidative stress.

In geese breeding, due to the frequent influence of drugs and environmental and other factors, geese are extremely prone to oxidative stress, which adversely affects growth and development, geese meat quality, down production, and severely affects the development of the geese industry. Ferulic acid from plant extracts can be used as a feed additive, which is safe and non-toxic, and it can exert certain therapeutic effects on oxidative stress in geese. This experiment investigated the effect of ferulic acid on the growth performance, organs indices, and intestinal oxidative indices of Jilin white geese under lipopolysaccharide-induced oxidative stress. Geese were randomly divided into six groups: C (blank control), L (lipopolysaccharide control), F1 (60 mg/kg ferulic acid), F2 (120 mg/kg ferulic acid), F3 (180 mg/kg ferulic acid), and F4 (240 mg/kg ferulic acid). Groups L and F1-F4 were injected intraperitoneally with 0.5 mg/kg lipopolysaccharide and group C with an equivalent volume of normal saline on days 14,17 and 20, and 10 animals from each group were randomly selected for slaughter on day 21. The results showed that: 1) On day 14, the final body weight and average daily feed intake were significantly higher in group F3 than in group L, and on day 21, the final body weight was significantly higher in group F3 than in group L. 2) The thymus index was significantly higher in group F4 than in group L. 4) In the duodenum, MDA activity was reduced in group C compared with that in group L. 5) In the jejunum and ileum, MDA was significantly lower in group F3 than in group L. These results show that the addition of 180 mg/kg of ferulic acid to the diet can promote the growth of geese and alleviate the damage caused by oxidative stress in all intestinal segments.

Deep learning-assisted identification and quantification of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage in non-contrast CT scans: Development and external validation of Hybrid 2D/3D UNet.

Accurate stroke assessment and consequent favorable clinical outcomes rely on the early identification and quantification of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) in non-contrast computed tomography (NCCT) images. However, hemorrhagic lesions can be complex and difficult to distinguish manually. To solve these problems, here we propose a novel Hybrid 2D/3D UNet deep-learning framework for automatic aSAH identification and quantification in NCCT images. We evaluated 1824 consecutive patients admitted with aSAH to four hospitals in China between June 2018 and May 2022. Accuracy and precision, Dice scores and intersection over union (IoU), and interclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated to assess model performance, segmentation performance, and correlations between automatic and manual segmentation, respectively. A total of 1355 patients with aSAH were enrolled: 931, 101, 179, and 144 in four datasets, of whom 326 were scanned with Siemens, 640 with Philips, and 389 with GE Medical Systems scanners. Our proposed deep-learning method accurately identified (accuracies 0.993-0.999) and segmented (Dice scores 0.550-0.897) hemorrhage in both the internal and external datasets, even combinations of hemorrhage subtypes. We further developed a convenient AI-assisted platform based on our algorithm to assist clinical workflows, whose performance was comparable to manual measurements by experienced neurosurgeons (ICCs 0.815-0.957) but with greater efficiency and reduced cost. While this tool has not yet been prospectively tested in clinical practice, our innovative hybrid network algorithm and platform can accurately identify and quantify aSAH, paving the way for fast and cheap NCCT interpretation and a reliable AI-based approach to expedite clinical decision-making for aSAH patients.

Growth performance, jejunal morphology, disaccharidase activities, and sugar transporter gene expression in Langde geese as affected by the in ovo injection of maltose plus sucrose.

Introduction: The vigorous metabolic activity of an embryo increases the risk of low energy supply during incubation. The lack of energy during this critical period will lead to the death of an embryo. To avoid this risk, the in ovo injection technique in ovo allows for the injection of energy substances into an embryo. Methods: This study investigated the effects of in ovo injection of maltose and sucrose (MS) in ovo on post-hatching growth performance, jejunal morphology and disaccharidase activities, and sugar transporter gene expression in Langde geese. A total of 300 fertilized eggs (115.75 ± 1.25 g) obtained from 3-year-old Langde geese were used in this study. The eggs were randomly assigned to two groups, and the difference between the two groups was whether 25g/L maltose and 25g/L sucrose (MS) dissolved in 7.5g/L NaCl were injected into the amnion on embryonic day 24. Each group had six replicates, which each replicate containing 25 eggs. The goslings were raised till day 28. Results and discussion: The results showed that the in ovo injection of MS increased final body weight, average daily gain (ADG), and feed efficiency. Additionally, MS injection improved post-hatching jejunal morphology, disaccharidase activities, and sugar transporter gene expression at an early stage. Therefore, we considered that the in ovo injection of MS had positive effects on the nutrient absorption capacity of goslings, thus contributing to the improvement in their growth performance.

Egg quality, hatchability, gosling quality, and amino acid profile in albumen and newly-hatched goslings' serum as affected by egg storage.

In modern poultry husbandry, storing fertilized eggs is a common measure to cope with the variable demands of the market and the maximum hatching capacity of the hatchery. However, this measure is harmful to the hatchability of eggs and the quality of newly hatched birds. Knowledge about the effects of storing fertilized eggs on the performance of goslings is still limited. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of storing fertilized eggs on egg quality, hatchability, gosling quality, hatching weight, post-hatching growth performance, and amino acid profile in albumen and newly hatched goslings' serum. A total of 1,080 fertilized goose eggs (Jilin White goose) with a similar egg weight (126.56 ± 0.66 g) were used in this study. All eggs were distributed into 3 groups with 24 replicates per group and 15 eggs per replicate. The differences between groups were the storage duration of eggs (0, 7, or 14 d). We found that the Haugh unit, yolk weight, and eggshell weight decreased linearly, whereas the albumen pH increased linearly, with storage duration. Prolonging storage duration had negative effects on hatchability, hatching weight, post-hatching growth performance parameters, and gosling quality in a time-dependent manner. The analysis of the amino acid profile in albumen and newly-hatched goslings' serum showed that the amino acid content increased linearly with storage duration. Additionally, eggs stored for 14 d had the worst performance for all measured parameters. Therefore, we concluded that the storage of fertilized eggs negatively affects egg quality and post-hatching gosling quality. To produce high-quality goslings, it is necessary to shorten the storage duration for fertilized eggs.

Development of small intestine and sugar absorptive capacity in goslings during pre- and post-hatching periods.

This study was conducted to investigate the development patterns of small intestine, intestinal morphology, disaccharidase activities, and sugar transporter gene expression in goslings during pre- and post-hatching periods. Small intestine was sampled on embryonic d 23 and 27, day of hatch, and d 1, 4, and 7 post-hatching. A total of 18 eggs with the breed of Jilin White geese were selected at each sampling timepoint for measuring relevant parameters. Three eggs were considered as a group, with 6 groups in each sampling timepoint. Rapid development of small intestine was observed around the hatching, of which jejunum and ileum had relatively higher development rates. Villus surface area from three intestinal segments started to increase on embryonic d 27, and kept relatively stable during day of hatch to d 1 post-hatching, and following increased till d 7 post-hatching. A high priority of villi enrichment was observed in duodenum and jejunum. The activity of disaccharidase increased before hatching and kept relatively high-level post-hatching, of which the activity of disaccharidase was highest in jejunum. The expression of sugar transporter gene increased prior to hatching and then decreased post-hatching, of which jejunum and duodenum were sites with high sugar transporter gene expression. Rapid development in intestinal morphology, disaccharidase activities, and sugar transporter gene expression around the hatching indicated that goslings have high potential to digest and/or assimilate carbohydrates during its early-life, which provided a preparation for further digestion of exogenous feed. This study provided a profile of development patterns for intestinal morphology, disaccharidase activities, and sugar transporter gene expression in goslings, which was beneficial to understanding the characteristics of nutrient absorption during the early-life of goslings.

Development of breast muscle parameters, glycogen reserves, and myogenic gene expression in goslings during pre- and post-hatching periods.

This study aimed to better understand the development patterns of breast muscle and glycogen reserves in goslings during pre- and post-hatching periods. The timepoints for sampling were embryonic days 23 and 27 of hatching and days 1, 4, and 7 post hatching. We found that the body weight of goslings increased with age. The small intestine developed with age and remained reasonably constant on day 4 post hatching. The breast muscle development decreased with age and stayed relatively stable on day 1 post hatching. The diameter of myofiber increased prior to hatching and then decreased while hatching. The development patterns of breast muscle glycogen reserves were similar to the diameter of myofiber. In contrast, the contents of liver glycogen began to decrease before hatching and then increased rapidly after hatching. Moreover, the expression of Myf-5 increased with age. The expression of MSTN was maintained at high levels prior to hatching, dropped immediately after hatching, and then gradually increased with age. Additionally, we also observed that the glycogen content in the breast muscle was positively correlated with the diameter of the myofiber. The liver glycogen content was positively correlated to the relative weight of the breast muscle, the diameter of the myofiber, and the breast muscle glycogen content. The development pattern of the myofiber was synchronized with the change in the MSTN/Myf-5 ratio. This study provided a profile to understand the development patterns of breast muscle, glycogen reserves, and myogenic gene expression in goslings, which was beneficial to understanding the characteristics of energy reserves during the early life of goslings.

Effects of in ovo feeding of methionine and/or disaccharide on post-hatching breast development, glycogen reserves, nutrients absorption parameters, and jejunum antioxidant indices in geese.

We investigated the effects of in ovo injection of methionine (Met) and/or disaccharide (DS) on breast muscle and small intestine development, and the aspect of the glycogen contents, digestive enzymes activities, and jejunal antioxidant parameters in geese after incubation. A total of 600 fertilized eggs were used in this study to be employed in a 2 × 2 factorial experiment. Eggs were randomly assigned to 4 groups, 6 replicates per group, and 25 eggs per replicate. Factors in four groups included non-injection, Met injection (5 g/L Met dissolved in 7.5 g/L NaCl), DS injection (25 g/L maltose and 25 g/L sucrose dissolved in 7.5 g/L NaCl), and DS plus Met injection (25 g/L maltose, 25 g/L sucrose, and 5 g/L Met dissolved in 7.5 g/L NaCl). As a result, birth weight, relative weight of breast muscle, diameter of myofiber, glycogen contents, jejunal villus and surface area, and jejunal digestive enzymes activities improved, while liver glucose-6-phosphatase activity decreased, by DS injection. Additionally, DS administration upregulated the expression of myogenic factor-5 (Myf-5) from breast muscle and sodium/glucose cotransporter protein-1 (SGLT-1) from jejunum. In ovo delivery of DS has long-term effects on the improvement of jejunal glucose transporter-2 (GLUT-2) and sucrase-isomaltase expression. In ovo feeding of Met improved the relative weight of breast muscle and small intestine, diameter of myofiber, length of small intestine, jejunal villus width, jejunal sucrase, Na+/K+ATPase and alkaline phosphatase activities, and jejunal glutathione (GSH) concentration, and decreased the jejunal glutathione disulfide (GSSH) and the ratio of GSSG to GSH, in early-life post-hatching. The breast muscle Myf-5 and myostatin expression, jejunal villus height and surface area, jejunal glutathione peroxidase concentration, and the expression of GLUT-2 in jejunum long-term improved by in ovo delivery of Met. Moreover, in ovo feeding of DS plus Met mixture synergistically improved the diameter of myofiber, jejunal villus height and width, jejunal sucrase, and alkaline phosphatase activities in early-life post-hatching, but long-term upregulated the expression of jejunal GLUT-2. Therefore, we concluded that in ovo injection of Met plus DS is an effective way to improve the development of gosling during post-hatching stages.

Effects of methionine and/or disaccharide injected in the amnion of geese on post-hatching pectoral muscle and small intestine development, glycogen reserves, jejunum morphology, and digestive enzymes activities.

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of in ovo injection of methionine (Met) and/or disaccharide (DS) on post-hatching pectoral muscle and small intestine development, glycogen reserves, jejunum morphology, and jejunum digestive enzymes activities. A total of 600 fertilized eggs containing live embryo from geese were randomly assigned into 4 groups with 6 replicates and 25 eggs per replicate in a completely randomized design employing a 2 × 2 factorial experiment. Factors in 4 groups included noninjection, Met injection (5 g/L Met + 7.5 g/L NaCl), DS injection (25 g/L maltose + 25 g/L sucrose + 7.5 g/L NaCl), or DS plus Met injection (25 g/L maltose + 25 g/L sucrose + 5 g/L Met + 7.5g/L NaCl), respectively. In ovo nutritional injections were performed at day 23 of incubation, and the experiment until d 21 post-hatching. We found that in ovo feeding of Met increased relative weight of pectoral muscle and small intestine, jejunum alkaline phosphatase activities, and jejunum villus height and surface area. DS injection improved the relative weight of pectoral muscle, pectoral and liver glycogen contents, jejunum villus height, width, and surface area, and jejunum sucrase, Na+/K+ATPase, and alkaline phosphatase activities. In addition, Met plus DS injection synergistically improved jejunum villus height and surface area. Therefore, Met plus DS injection is a suitable strategy for improving intestinal parameters in gosling during post-hatching periods.

Comfrey polysaccharides modulate the gut microbiota and its metabolites SCFAs and affect the production performance of laying hens.

Effects of dietary supplementation of comfrey polysaccharides (CPs) on production performance, egg quality, and microbial composition of cecum in laying hens were evaluated. A total of 240 laying hens were allocated into 4 groups with 6 replicates per group. The laying hens were fed diets containing CPs at levels of 0, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 %, respectively. The results showed that the egg production rate increased by 5.97 %, the egg mass improved by 6.71 %, and the feed conversion rate reduced by 5.43 % in the 1.0 % supplementation group of CPs compared with those in the control group. The digestibility of ash, crude fat, and phosphorus was notably improved by the addition of CPs at 1.0 % (P < 0.05). The relative abundances of Bacteroidetes at the phylum level, Bacteroidaceae, Rikenellaceae, and Prevotellaceae at the family level were increased by CPs (P < 0.05). The relative abundances of Bacteroides, Megamonas, Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group, [Ruminococcus]_torques_group, Methanobrevibacter, Desulfovibrio, Romboutsia, Alistipes, and Intestinimonas at the genus level were increased by CPs (P < 0.05). Dietary supplementation of CPs could enhance the production performance of laying hens, which might be related to the improvement of nutrient digestibility and microbial community modulations in the cecum. Therefore, CPs have potential application value as prebiotics in laying hens.

Effects of dietary fibre on intestinal microbiota in geese evaluated by 16SrRNA gene sequencing.

AIMS: The purpose of the research is to study the effects of different fibre types and sources on the intestinal flora of geese. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 48 geese (males: 35 days old) were divided into four groups, each of which included three replicates of four geese. Groups 1-4 were fed a diet containing 5% corn stover Crude fibre (CF, the LJ group), 8% corn stover CF (the HJ group), 5% alfalfa CF (the LM group) or 8% alfalfa CF (the HM group), respectively. After 42 days of feeding, the intestinal flora of each group was determined by 16SrRNA gene sequencing. In the duodenum, the diet supplemented with corn stover meal increased the relative abundance of Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Euryarchaeota, and with alfalfa as fibre source increased the relative abundance of Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Tenericutes and Chloroflexi. In the jejunum, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Planctomycetes, Acidobacteria, Tenericutes and Spirochetes were significantly more abundant in the corn stover group. There were no significant differences among the results for the other two fibre sources, which were fibre level in their influence where in ileum. Firmicutes, Deferribacteres and Euryarchaeota with corn stover as fibre source in the cecum were higher than the alfalfa group. CONCLUSIONS: Different fibre sources have significant effects on goose gut microbiota. The same flora has the same trend of change in different intestinal segments. The relative fibre source in the ileum makes the gut microbiota more sensitive to differences in fibre levels. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study proved that the dietary fibre affects the intestinal flora. At the same time, different groups of dietary fibre may be used to provide the possibility to study functional roles of specific bacteria in host physiology.

Effects of in ovo feeding of disaccharide and/or methionine on hatchability, growth performance, blood hematology, and serum antioxidant parameters in geese.

A completely randomized design employing a 2 × 2 factorial experiment was designed in this study to evaluate the effects of in ovo injection of disaccharide (DS) and/or methionine (Met) on hatchability, growth performance, blood hematology, and serum antioxidant parameters in geese. A total of 600 fertilized geese's eggs containing live embryo were randomly assigned into 4 groups with 6 replicates and 25 eggs per replicate. Factors in four groups comprised noninjection, DS injection (25 g/L maltose + 25 g/L sucrose + 7.5 g/L NaCl), Met injection (5 g/L Met + 7.5 g/L NaCl), or DS plus Met injection (25 g/L maltose + 25 g/L sucrose + 5 g/L Met + 7.5 g/L NaCl), respectively. We found that the administration of DS in embryo increased hatching time, yolk sac-free carcass weight, yolk sac-free carcass indexes and decreased assisted hatching ratio, yolk sac weight, yolk sac indexes, but did not affect hatchability and mortality. Moreover, higher body weight and serum glucose concentrations in DS injection group compared with noninjection group were observed on day of hatching. The body weight and average daily gain (ADG) of geese in DS injection group were higher than noninjection group after incubation. In ovo injection of Met increased hatching time and yolk sac-free carcass indexes, but decreased yolk sac indexes. In addition, the strategy of in ovo feeding of Met led to higher body weight, ADG, serum uric acid, glutathione (GSH), and glutathione peroxidase concentrations, as well as lower GSSG/GSH ratio, serum glutathione disulfide (GSSG), and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations than the noninjection group on day of hatching. The post-hatching body weight, ADG, serum total protein, albumin, and uric acid concentrations increased, whereas post-hatching serum GSSG and MDA concentrations and GSSG/GSH ratio decreased when injected with Met. In addition, synergistic effects of in ovo injection of DS plus Met on hatching time as well as post-hatching body weight and ADG were observed. Therefore, in ovo injection of DS plus Met was demonstrated to be a way to improve the development of geese during early incubation stages.

In modern poultry husbandry, hatchery treatments and/or transportation make hatched neonates subject to encounter a fasting period after incubation. This is a big problem to limit the growth and survivability of birds. Due to the fact that birds have a relatively high metabolic rate during the initial stage after incubation, the existence of fasting period makes poultry encounter a series of challenges related to inadequate energy supply and oxidative stress. To avoid the negative effects induced by the above-mentioned problems, we injected the disaccharide, methionine, or blended disaccharide + methionine using an in ovo technology to obtain a strategy to solve the problems of inadequate energy supply and oxidative stress during the initial stage after incubation. The result of this study indicated that the in ovo injection of disaccharide + methionine was a suitable strategy to improve the development of geese during the early incubation stages.

Inulin improves the egg production performance and affects the cecum microbiota of laying hens.

Egg production performance, egg quality, nutrient digestibility, and microbial composition as affected by dietary inulin supplementation were evaluated in laying hens. A total of 300 laying hens were divided into 5 groups and fed diets containing inulin at levels of 0 (control), 5, 10, 15 and 20 g/kg, respectively. The results showed that the 15 g/kg inulin supplementation level improved average egg weight by 2.54%, egg mass by 5.76%, and laying rate by 3.09%, and decreased the feed conversion ratio by 3.61% compared to those of the control during feeding weeks 1 to 8. Dietary inulin supplementation improved eggshell thickness, nutrient digestibility and cecum Bacteroidales_S24-7_ group abundance in the laying hens. In conclusion, dietary inulin supplementation, particularly at the level of 15 g/kg, improved the egg production performance and eggshell thickness of laying hens, mainly due to increased nutrient digestibility and selective modulations of the cecum microbial communities.

Effect of different forage-to-concentrate ratios on ruminal bacterial structure and real-time methane production in sheep.

Emission from ruminants has become one of the largest sources of anthropogenic methane emission in China. The structure of the rumen flora has a significant effect on methane production. To establish a more accurate prediction model for methane production, the rumen flora should be one of the most important parameters. The objective of the present study was to investigate the relationship among changes in rumen flora, nutrient levels, and methane production in sheep fed with the diets of different forage-to-concentration ratios, as well as to screen for significantly different dominant genera. Nine rumen-cannulated hybrid sheep were separated into three groups and fed three diets with forage-to-concentration ratios of 50:50, 70:30, and 90:10. Three proportions of the diets were fed according to a 3 × 3 incomplete Latin square, design during three periods of 15d each. The ruminal fluid was collected for real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR), high-throughput sequencing and in vitro rumen fermentation in a new real-time fermentation system wit. Twenty-two genera were screened, the abundance of which varied linearly with forage-to-concentration ratios and methane production. In addition, during the 12-hour in vitro fermentation, the appearance of peak concentration was delayed by 26-27min with the different structure of rumen bacteria. The fiber-degrading bacteria were positively correlated with this phenomenon, but starch-degrading and protein-degrading bacteria were negative correlated. These results would facilitate macro-control of rumen microorganisms and better management of diets for improved nutrition in ruminants. In addition, our findings would help in screening bacterial genera that are highly correlated with methane production.

Response of goose intestinal microflora to the source and level of dietary fiber.

Geese are capable of digesting and making use of a high-fiber diet, but the mechanism is not well understood and would be of great significance for the development and utilization of roughage resources. In this study, we investigated the effect of dietary fiber (source: corn stover and alfalfa, included at 5% or 8%) on microflora in goose intestines. We used 35-day-old Carlos geese in which we first studied the influence of fiber ingestion on diet digestibility and immune organ indices of geese and found that high dietary fiber (8% content) significantly increased feed intake, the digestibility of neutral and acid detergent fiber, and thymus, bursa, and spleen size. Subsequently, we investigated the effect of dietary fiber on the microbial flora in the various intestinal segments by high throughput sequencing. The bacterial diversity and relative abundance were significantly affected by the type and amount of dietary fiber fed, including that of cellulolytic bacteria such as Bacteroides, Ruminococcus, Clostridium, and Pseudomonas spp. Finally, we isolated and identified 8 strains with cellulolytic ability from goose intestine and then analyzed their activities in combination. The optimal combination for cellulase activity was Cerea bacillus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This study has laid a theoretical and practical foundation for knowledge of the efficient conversion and utilization of cellulose by geese.

Extraction condition optimization and effects of drying methods on physicochemical properties and antioxidant activities of polysaccharides from Astragalus cicer L.

Response surface methodology (RSM) including three variables was performed to optimize the extraction parameters of Astragalus cicer L. polysaccharides (ACPs). The influence of different drying techniques on the physicochemical properties and antioxidant abilities of ACPs were evaluated. The ACPs were dried with hot air (HD), vacuum (VD) and freeze drying (FD) methods. The optimal conditions for ACPs extraction were as follows: water to raw material ratio of 25 mL/g, extraction time of 61 min and temperature of 75 °C. Under these parameters, an ACPs yield of 10.97% was obtained. HPLC analysis showed that the monosaccharide compositions of the three ACPs dried with HD, VD or FD techniques were identical. The three ACPs exhibited antioxidant abilities in a concentration-dependent manner. ACPs dried with the FD method (FD-ACPs) had the best antioxidant activities, which might be related to their smaller molecular weight and higher uronic acid content. At the determined concentration of 1 mg/mL, the ferric reducing power, and DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging capacities of FD-ACPs were 0.762, 75.30% and 99.21%, respectively. Therefore, FD was a good choice for the drying of Astragalus cicer L. polysaccharides.

Extraction condition optimization and effects of drying methods on physicochemical properties and antioxidant activities of polysaccharides from comfrey (Symphytum officinale L.) root.

This study was designed to investigate the extraction conditions of polysaccharides from comfrey (Symphytum officinale L.) root (CRPs) using response surface methodology (RSM). The effects of three variables including liquid-solid ratio, extraction time and extraction temperature on the extraction yield of CRPs were taken into consideration. Moreover, the effects of drying methods including hot air drying (HD), vacuum drying (VD) and freeze drying (FD) on the physicochemical properties and antioxidant activities of CRPs were evaluated. The optimal conditions to extract the polysaccharides were as follows: liquid-solid ratio (15mL/g), extraction time (74min), and extraction temperature (95°C), allowed a maximum polysaccharides yield of 22.87%. Different drying methods had significant effects on the physicochemical properties of CRPs such as the chemical composition (contents of total polysaccharides and uronic acid), relative viscosity, solubility and molecular weight. CRPs drying with FD method showed stronger reducing power and radical scavenging capacities against DPPH and ABTS radicals compared with CRPs drying with HD and VD methods. Therefore, freeze drying served as a good method for keeping the antioxidant activities of polysaccharides from comfrey root.

In vitro and in vivo antioxidant activities of inulin.

This study was designed to investigate the in vitro and in vivo antioxidant activities of inulin. The in vitro assays demonstrated that the antioxidant activities of inulin, including the DPPH radical scavenging activity, ABTS scavenging activity and ferric reducing power, were weak and significantly lower than those of Vitamin C (P < 0.05). The influence of dietary supplementation with inulin on the antioxidant status of laying hens was evaluated with in vivo antioxidant assays. The results indicated that inulin supplementation quadratically improved the egg production rate of the laying hens (P < 0.01). The antioxidant enzyme activities in the serum, including SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px, and the total antioxidant capacity increased quadratically as inulin levels increased (P < 0.001). The levels of MDA in the serum decreased quadratically as inulin levels increased (P < 0.001). These findings suggest that inulin has the potential to improve the antioxidant status of laying hens.

Screening and identification of lignin-degrading bacteria in termite gut and the construction of LiP-expressing recombinant Lactococcus lactis.

Lignin, a common natural polymers, is abundant and complex, and termites can break down and utilize the lignin in their food. In this study an attempt was made to isolate and characterize the lignolytic bacteria from termite (Reticulitermes chinensis Snyder) gut. Two strains (PY12 and MX5) with high lignin peroxidase (LiP) activity were screened using the azure B method. By analyzing their 16S rRNA, the strain PY12 was classified as Enterobacter hormaechei; MX5, as Bacillus licheniformis. We then optimized the different conditions of liquid fermentation medium, and obtained LiP activities of 278 U/L and 256 U/L for PY12 and MX5, respectively. Subsequently, we confirmed the LiP activities of the strains by evaluating their decolorizing effects on various dyes. Finally, we cloned the LiP gene of strain PY12 and successfully transferred it to Lactococcus lactis. We believe that our results provide the theoretical and practical basis for the production of genetically engineered bacteria that produce LiP, thus allowing for the utilization of naturally available lignin as an energy resource.

Extraction optimization and influences of drying methods on antioxidant activities of polysaccharide from cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum L.).

Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to investigate the extraction condition of polysaccharide from cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum L.) (named CPP). Water to raw material ratio (10-30 mL/g), extraction time (40-80 min) and extraction temperature (60-100°C) were set as the 3 independent variables, and their effects on the extraction yield of CPP were measured. In addition, the effects of drying methods including hot air drying (HD), vacuum drying (VD) and freeze drying (FD) on the antioxidant activities of CPP were evaluated. The results showed that the optimal condition to extract CPP was: water to raw material ratio (15 mL/g), extraction time (61 min), and extraction temperature (97°C), a maximum CPP yield of 6.49% was obtained under this condition. CPP drying with FD method showed stronger reducing power (0.943 at 6 mg/mL) and radical scavenging capacities against DPPH radical (75.71% at 1.2 mg/mL) and ABTS radical (98.06 at 1.6 mg/mL) than CPP drying with HD and VD methods. Therefore, freeze drying served as a good method for keeping the antioxidant activities of polysaccharide from cup plant. The polysaccharide from cup plant has potential to use as a natural antioxidant.

Aquaporin-4 Is Downregulated in the Basolateral Membrane of Ileum Epithelial Cells during Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli-Induced Diarrhea in Mice.

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) are opportunistic pathogens that colonize the small intestine, produce enterotoxins and induce diarrhea. Some aquaporins (AQPs), such as AQP3 and AQP8, have been reported to participate in diarrhea by decreasing cellular influx in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. AQP4 is another important water channel in the GI tract, but its role in ETEC-induced diarrhea has not been reported. Here, we demonstrated the potential roles of AQP4 in ETEC-induced diarrhea. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blotting showed that AQP4 was expressed in the mouse ileum, but not in the duodenum or jejunum while immunohistochemical staining showed that AQP4 localized to the basolateral membrane of ileum epithelial cells. Using an ETEC-induced mice diarrhea model, we demonstrated that both AQP4 mRNA level and the AQP4 protein level in the ileum decreased gradually over a time course of 7 days. These results suggest that AQP4 plays a role in the pathogenesis of ETEC-induced diarrhea by mediating water transport.