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Bovine colostrum (BC) is rich in nutrients, antimicrobial, and antioxidant factors; for these reasons, it has been used as supplement in animal nutrition. However, its possible effects on meat quality have not been studied yet. Thirty-nine New Zealand White rabbits (

The aim of this research was to evaluate the inflammatory and/or oxidative damage related to silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), which are responsible for negative effects on sperm physiology and metabolism. Thirty New Zealand White rabbit bucks were divided into 5 experimental groups (6 animals/group): Control, treated with 0.9% NaCl; AgNP, treated with a 5 mM AgNP solution; LPS, treated with 50 g/kg b.w. E. coli LPS; AgNPs + NSAID, treated with an anti-inflammatory drug at 0.2 mg/kg b.w. and 5 mM AgNPs; and AgNPs + Vit E, treated with 0.18 mg/kg b.w. vitamin E and 5 mM AgNPs. Sperm quality and oxidative and inflammatory status were assessed at different times (0-60 days). Two statistical models were built: the first evaluated the effects of AgNPs and LPS (vs. Control), whereas the second evaluated the protective effect of an NSAID and vitamin E against AgNP-induced damage. Three principal component analyses were performed: sperm traits (motility, volume), oxidative status (antioxidants, oxidative metabolites, and redox reactions), and cytokines (TNF-α, IL-8, and IL-6). A negative effect on reproductive traits resulted after NP administration. In particular, an inflammatory/oxidative response took place in the reproductive tract during the first 2-3 wks of AgNP administration (cytokine and oxidative metabolite generation); the inflammatory/oxidative thrust impaired the status of rabbit tissues (seminal plasma, sperm, and blood), inducing a response (increased antioxidant enzymes and redox reactions) at 4-7 wks; oxidative stress, if not totally counteracted, likely induced toxicity in the late phases of AgNP administration (8-9 wks). In conclusion, exposure to silver nanoparticles produced a similar but more persistent effect than that of LPS on rabbit reproductive tissues: AgNP administration triggered a proinflammatory response linked to oxidative thrust, worsening many sperm parameters. However, only anti-inflammatory treatment counteracted the negative effects of AgNPs, whereas vitamin E seemed to act as an adjuvant, attenuating the oxidative cascade.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the changes in some bacterial species of colonic microbiota, the clinical signs and the intestinal changes in mice with 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis. CD-1 male mice were randomly divided into three groups and inoculated intrarectally with saline, ethanol or TNBS solutions. Ethanol and TNBS treatments induced weight loss accompanied by mild and severe inflammation of the colon mucosa, respectively. However, TNBS-treated mice displayed significant differences compared to the saline group in terms of disease activity index and histological scoring. Both ethanol and TNBS groups showed an increased prevalence of Escherichia coli and Clostridium spp., a decrease in Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria counts, as well as changes in the relative proportions of bacteria in the colon. The results confirm the validity of TNBS treatment to study the mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis and progression of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) in CD-1 mice. Gut microbiota may become a diagnostic biomarker with therapeutic potential for IBD in the future.

In rabbits, the fasting-dependent reduction of LH secretion is likely mediated by leptin and estrogens via receptors in the brain. For the first time, using immunohistochemistry, the presence and regulation of receptors for leptin (Ob-R) and estradiol-17beta subtype alpha (ERalpha) were studied in the subcommissural organ (SCO) of rabbits, which were fed either ad libitum (control) or fasted for 48 h (treated) to verify whether this brain structure is a potential site of integration for metabolism and reproduction. In control rabbits, the cytoplasm of glial cells lining the SCO evidenced strong Ob-R immunoreactivity, whereas both ependymal and hypendymal cells of this glandular-like structure were negative. The Ob-R positive glial cells were identified as fibrous astrocytes using the phosphotungstic acid-hematoxylin histochemical (PTAH) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) immunohistochemical techniques. ERalpha immunoreactive nuclei were detectable exclusively in the specialized cells forming the SCO, whereas surrounding astrocytes and neurons were negative. Compared to controls, in fasted rabbits, the staining of Ob-R immunoreaction was reduced in the cytoplasm of positive astrocytes, but greatly enhanced in plasma membranes, whereas the number of ERalpha immunoreactive SCO cells was increased (13.2+/-2.7 vs. 5.2+/-2.0, P

The aim of this work was to evaluate the hemodynamic changes in the utero-placental arterial vessels in rabbits (Orictolagus cuniculus) throughout pregnancy as well as those in the umbilical cord, aorta, and caudal vena cava of fetuses to establish their normal reference ranges for systolic peak velocity (SPV), end diastolic velocity (EDV), pulsatility index (PI), and resistance index (RI). The blood flow waveforms were monitored every 4 d in 10 rabbits from Day 10 of pregnancy onward by means of color and pulsed wave Doppler ultrasonography using a 5.5-7.5 MHz microconvex transabdominal probe. The utero-placental blood flow was characterized by steep increases and decrease in the SPV with a slow diastolic wave and relatively high EDV, whereas that of the umbilical artery was discontinuous until Day 22 of pregnancy, when a diastolic waveform was also detectable. From Day 10 to 22 of pregnancy, the fetal aorta blood flow was discontinuous, but thereafter a diastolic peak was measurable. The blood flow of the fetal caudal vena cava was characterized by a systolic peak followed by a small diastolic peak. Throughout the gestation, the SPV and the EDV of maternal and fetal vessels increased (alpha0.05), whereas the PI and the RI decreased (alpha0.05), except for the utero-placental vessels. This work confirms that the rabbit could also be a valid experimental animal model to study, by Doppler ultrasonography, functional hemodynamic changes of the fetuses and placenta vessels in both normal and pathophysiologic conditions.