White button mushrooms increase microbial diversity and accelerate the resolution of Citrobacter rodentium infection in mice.

The effect of feeding C57BL/6 mice white button (WB) mushrooms or control (CTRL) diets for 6 wk was determined on the bacterial microflora, urinary metabolome, and resistance to a gastrointestinal (GI) pathogen. Feeding mice a diet containing 1 g WB mushrooms/100 g diet resulted in changes in the microflora that were evident at 2 wk and stabilized after 4 wk of WB feeding. Compared with CTRL-fed mice, WB feeding (1 g/100 g diet) increased the diversity of the microflora and reduced potentially pathogenic (e.g., Clostridia) bacteria in the GI tract. Bacteria from the Bacteroidetes phylum increased and the Firmicutes phylum decreased in mushroom-fed mice compared with CTRL. The changes in the microflora were also reflected in the urinary metabolome that showed a metabolic shift in the WB-fed compared with the CTRL-fed mice. The WB feeding and changes in the microbiome were associated with fewer inflammatory cells and decreased colitis severity in the GI mucosa following Citrobacter rodentium infection compared with CTRL. Paradoxically, the clearance of C. rodentium infection did not differ even though Ifn-γ and Il-17 were higher in the colons of the WB-fed mice compared with CTRL. Adding modest amounts of WB mushrooms (1 g/100 g diet) to the diet changed the composition of the normal flora and the urinary metabolome of mice and these changes resulted in better control of inflammation and resolution of infection with C. rodentium.

Anthelmintic activity of Cocos nucifera L. on intestinal nematodes of mice.

In this study, we evaluated the anthelmintic activity of the liquid extracted from the bark of the green coconut (LBGC), as well as butanol extract obtained from LBGC, on mouse intestinal nematodes. Thirty-six naturally infected mice were distributed into six groups receiving the following treatments: Group I: 1000 mg/kg of LBGC; Group II: 2000 mg/kg of LBGC; Group III: 500 mg/kg of butanol extract; Group IV: 1000 mg/kg of butanol extract; Group V: 0.56 mg/kg febendazole; and Group VI: 3% dimethylsulfoxide. The chemical composition of the LBGC and its butanol extract was determined by phytochemical tests. A dose of 1000 mg/kg of butanol extract had 90.70% efficacy in reducing the mouse worm burden (p<0.05). Phytochemical tests revealed the presence of triterpens, saponnins and condensed tannins in the LBGC and butanol extracts. These results suggest that Cocos nucifera extracts may be useful in the control of intestinal nematodes.

Clostridial enteropathy in lactating outbred swiss-derived (ICR) mice.

Reports of severe enteric disease of unknown etiology affecting lactating mice have appeared in the literature. Clostridial disease similar to that seen in cattle and sheep on high-carbohydrate rations and caused by Clostridium perfringens has been suspected in these mouse outbreaks but has not been isolated from affected mice. The present report describes a severe, necrotizing enterocolitis associated with overgrowth of C. perfringens type A in lactating Swiss-derived (ND4) mice. Mice nursing large litters of pups in the second week of life were the most severely affected. The organism isolated from dead or moribund mice was positive by polymerase chain reaction assay for the gene for the C. perfringens a toxin, but actual toxin production was not determined. The disease in this mouse colony was ameliorated by increasing the fat and calorie content of the diet of lactating dams, which each received 1 g peanut butter every 48 h.

The early effects of dietary restriction on the pathogenesis of chronic renal disease in Sprague-Dawley rats at 12 months.

This study evaluated the effects of different diets and dietary regimens on the pathogenesis of chronic renal disease (CRD) in Sprague-Dawley rats at 52 wk and correlated these data with survival at 106 wk. A commercial diet (5002) was compared to a modified diet (5002-9) with less protein, fat, and energy and more fiber. Both diets were fed by ad libitum (AL) or dietary restriction (DR) regimens. The glomerular area (GA), glomerular sclerotic index (GSI), tubulo-interstitial index (TII), and tubular labeling index (tubular LI) were measured. The 5002-9 diet fed AL did not decrease the severity of CRD or increase survival, nor did the 5002 diet fed 6.5 hr/day. Both diets fed by DR did improve CRD and survival. Both AL groups had higher indices, and the 5002 AL males had the highest GA and GSI. These data indicate that the initial events in CRD occur as glomerular hypertrophy. Because the TII and tubular LI were only increased with advanced CRD, tubulo-interstitial damage did not occur until the glomerular changes were established. The 52-wk glomerular indices correlated with survival at 106 wk. Increased GA at 52 wk predicted low survival rates at 106 wk. These findings support a hypothesis that glomerular sclerosis and tubulo-interstitial damage occur secondary to early initial glomerular hypertrophy that is mitigated by caloric restriction.

Differential effects of riboflavin and RRR-alpha-tocopheryl acetate on the survival of newborn RCS rats with inheritable retinal degeneration.

The dystrophic RCS rat is one of the most important animal models available for investigating retinal degeneration. In addition to the characteristic progressive loss of neural retina the strain is hampered by a high rate of mortality during the first week of life. Death rate during this period is greatly influenced by diet. A 69% reduction in mortality was achieved by supplementing a purified diet with double the amount of AIN-76 vitamin mix. The objective of this study was to identify vitamin(s) in the AIN-76 mix responsible for the enhanced survival. The experiment determined the effect on survival of independently doubling the concentration of each vitamin present in the AIN-76 vitamin mix. This was done by single addition of individual vitamins to a complete purified diet. Survival was determined in litters whose mothers and grandmothers had been provided the supplemented diets as their sole source of food. Supplementation with riboflavin increased mortality by 19%, whereas RRR-alpha-tocopheryl acetate supplementation reduced the mortality by 73%. The effect of RRR-alpha-tocopheryl acetate was equivalent to that achieved by supplementation with complete vitamin mix. First-week survival of pups (born alive) rose from 72.3% +/- 11.0 to 92.5% +/- 3.8 when the level of vitamin E was increased from 50 to 100 IU/kg diet.