Search

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of the methionine-to-lysine ratio (MLR) in a low-protein (17%) starter on the growth, blood, digestive traits, and carcass traits of goat kids. Forty-five goat kids were assigned to one of three different starter groups (MLR): A (0.29), B (0.31), or C (0.33). During the six-week trial, growth and blood parameters were evaluated every 2 weeks, and digestive traits were evaluated from 0 to 14 days during the treatment. At the end of the treatment period, five goat kids from each group were slaughtered to measure their carcass traits. Results showed no significant growth differences among the groups. Blood parameters were in a normal range and without significant differences. There were no significant differences in digestive traits among the three groups. For carcass traits, group C had significantly higher carcass and heart weights (P < 0.05). In conclusion, adjusting the MLR from 0.29–0.33 in 17% crude protein starter had no negative effect on goat kids. This approach may not only decrease feed costs and reduce nitrogen emission to achieve environmental benefits, but also increase feeding efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chick (CE) or duck embryo eggs are known for nutritional supplement foods in traditional East countries for physical fitness enhancement and postpartum conditioning for many years. In this study, we evaluated the effects of different parts of the 10-day CE (embryo: CEr, yolk: CEw, and chorioallantoic membrane: CEp) on the antifatigue and antiaging activities in a D-galactose- (D-gal) induced aging mice model. The results showed CEp obviously increased the muscle weight and the liver and muscle glycogen content and enhanced exercise performance. In the antiaging assay, CEp significantly increased the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and Glutathione Peroxidase (GPx). Moreover, the immunohistochemistry results of NRF-2 and HO-1 were also detected in the livers of mice in the D-gal/CEp group. The only partially potential such as CEr might improve OFT function with TG level, and CEw had strange grip strength. Therefore, we suggest that CEp has a potent antifatigue ability and could minimize the occurrence of age-associated disorders, more than other parts of the 10 days chicken embryo egg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Kunming Medical University / Kunming Yike Daxue Xuebao is the property of Kunming Medical Journal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Gastrodin (GAS) has been proven to play a therapeutic role in a variety of neurological diseases by affecting activated astrocytes, however, the underlying mechanisms have not been fully illustrated. This study aimed to investigate if GAS exerts the neuroprotective effect through regulating the Notch signaling pathway involved in reactive astrocytes., Methods: Astrocyte cell lines (TNC1 cells) were cultured in vitro . The hypoxic-ischemic cell model was prepared using the oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) method, GAS's pretreatment concentration was 0.34 mM, intervention for 1 hour. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, Transwell migration assay, immunofluorescent staining (double staining), and Western blotting were used to observe the effects of OGD or GAS interference on the function of astrocytes, and the changes of key protein expressions in the Notch signaling pathway were analyzed., Results: GAS had no obvious toxic effect on TNC1 astrocytes under physiological conditions. Following OGD, GAS can not only improve cell viability and migration, but also regulate the production of inflammatory mediators. We also found that OGD significantly increased the expression of key proteins related to the Notch signaling pathway, Notch-1, intracellular Notch receptor domain (NICD), recombining binding protein suppressor of hairless (RBP-JK), transcription factor hairy and enhancer of split-1 (Hes-1) in TNC1 astrocytes, which was significantly inhibited by GAS. In addition, GAS inhibited the OGD-induced expression of TNC1 astrocyte tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin 1β (IL-1β), and enhanced the expression of nutrient factors, including brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). The Notch signaling pathway specific inhibitor, N-[N-(3,5-Difluorophenacetyl)-1-alany1]-S-phenyglycine t-butylester (DAPT), could significantly enhance the effect of GAS on TNC1 astrocytes after OGD, such as the inhibition of inflammatory factors and the up-regulation of neurotrophic factors., Conclusions: GAS exerts dual effects on astrocytes via regulation of the Notch signaling pathway. We found that it could inhibit the pro-inflammatory factors mediated by astrocytes, and also promote the secretion of neurotrophic factors by astrocytes. These results provide a new biological mechanism for the treatment of neuroinflammatory diseases by GAS., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://dx.doi.org/10.21037/atm-21-5787). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2021 Annals of Translational Medicine. All rights reserved.)

Cerebral ischemia affects many especially with the ageing population. The ensuing ischemic reactions include oxidative stress, inflammation, and excitotoxicity among others. In the search for effective therapeutic strategies for cerebral ischemia, activated microglia which are the key player in neuroinflammation are now recognized as a potential therapeutic target. Microglia possess both neurotoxic and neuroprotective roles. They are protective by continuously surveilling the microenvironment, phagocytosing dead cells, secreting trophic factors and sculpting the neuronal connections by removing axons and pruning excess synapses. On the other hand, hyperactivated microglia may impair cerebral oxidative metabolism, and produce excessive proinflammatory mediators that may exacerbate the brain damage. In view of this, suppression of microglial activation has been considered a therapeutic strategy to mitigate microglia-based neuroinflammation in cerebral ischemia. However, balancing the neuroprotective and neurotoxic roles of activated microglia remains a challenging issue. Many traditional Chinese herbal agents have been used in clinic for treatment of cerebral ischemia. Here, we provide an overview of five common Chinese herbs targeting specifically microglia-mediated neuroinflammation in cerebral ischemia. It is hoped that a common parallel may be drawn from their beneficial effects especially in the latter pathological conditions for their better and effective use in the future.

Neuroinflammation plays an important role in different brain diseases including acute brain injuries such as cerebral ischemic stroke and chronic neurodegenerative diseases e.g. Alzheimer's disease etc. The central player in this is the activated microglia, which produce substantial amounts of proinflammatory mediators that may exacerbate the disease. Associated with microglia activation is astrogliosis characterized by hypertrophic astrocytes with increased expression of proinflammatory cytokines, neurotrophic factors, stem cell, neuronal and proliferation markers, all these are crucial for reconstruction of damaged tissue and ultimate restoration of neurological functions. Here, we review the roles of activated microglia and reactive astrocytes in brain diseases with special reference to cerebral ischemia, and the effects of scutellarin, a Chinese herbal extract on both glial cells. We first reviewed the close spatial relation between activated microglia and reactive astrocytes as it suggests that both glial cells work in concert for tissue reconstruction and repair. Secondly, we have identified scutellarin as a putative therapeutic agent as it has been found to not only suppress microglial activation thus ameliorating neuroinflammation, but also enhance astrocytic reaction. In the latter, scutellarin amplified the astrocytic reaction by upregulating the expression of neurotrophic factors among others thus indicating its neuroprotective role. Remarkably, the effects of scutellarin on reactive astrocytes were mediated by activated microglia supporting a functional "cross-talk" between the two glial types. This review highlights some of our recent findings taking into consideration of others demonstrating the beneficial effects of scutellarin on both glial cell types in cerebral ischemia as manifested by improvement of neurological functions., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.)