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1. This study investigated the effects of dietary betaine supplementation on growth performance, meat quality, muscle fatty acid composition and antioxidant ability in slow-growing broiler chickens. 2. In total, 400, one-day-old female Xueshan broiler chicks were randomly divided into five groups with eight replicates of ten chickens each for 102 days. Broilers were fed a basal diet supplemented with 0, 125, 250, 500 or 1,000 mg/kg betaine. 3. Broilers fed betaine had better feed conversion efficiency and weight gain (P

To investigate the effects of dietary betaine supplementation on the growth performance, digestive function, intestinal integrity, immunity, and antioxidant capacity of yellow-feathered broilers, a total of 400 one-day-old female yellow-feathered broilers were randomly allocated into 5 dietary treatments with 8 replicates of 10 chicks each, and fed a basal diet supplemented with 0 (control group), 125, 250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg betaine for 74 days, respectively. During the 1–37 days and 1–74 days, betaine linearly increased (p

BACKGROUND To investigate the effect of dietary betaine supplementation on growth performance, meat quality, muscle anaerobic glycolysis and antioxidant capacity of transported broilers, 1-day-old partridge-shank-broiler-chickens (n = 192) were randomly divided into three groups for a 50-day feeding trial. The broilers in the control group were fed a basal diet, and experienced 0.75-h transport before slaughter. The broilers in the other three groups were fed a basal diet supplemented with 0, 500 or 1000 mg kg-1 betaine, respectively, and experienced 3-h transport before slaughter (T, T + BET500 or T + BET1000 groups). RESULTS Dietary betaine supplementation increased (P

Background Dietary structure in ruminants is closely connected with the composition of gastrointestinal microbiota. Merging study has shown that dietary induced SARA causes the alteration of microbial community in the cecum leading to the local inflammation. However, the mechanisms of cecum inflammation elicited by the shift of microbial flora in ruminants are largely unknown, and whether the development of this inflammation is modified by epigenetic modifications. Results Ten multiparous lactating goats were randomly seperated into two groups and received either a low concentrate diet (LC, 40% concentrate, n = 5) or a high concentrate diet (HC, 60% concentrate) to induce subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA). Compared with LC, HC-induced SARA altered the predominant phyla and genera, thereby increasing the concentration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and short chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Meanwhile, HC-induced SARA enhanced the mRNA expression of cytokines and chemokines and the expression of mRNA and protein of GPR41, GPR43, p38 and ERK1/2, while HC-induced SARA had no effect on TLR4 and p65. Furthermore, HC-induced SARA decreased the percentage of chromatin compaction and DNA methylation at the area of the promoters of GPR41 and GPR43. Conclusion This study indicated that HC diet induced SARA resulted in the alteration in the composition of cecal microbiota. This alteration increased the concentration of LPS, but failing to activate TLR4 signaling pathway due to the tolerance effect of intestinal epithelial cell to certain level of LPS, as well as elevated the concentration of SCFAs, thereby activating GPR41 and GPR43 signaling pathway to produce cytokines and chemokins and cause the cecal inflammation. And epigenetic mechanisms contributed to the development of this inflammation in the lactating goats suffering from SARA. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12917-019-2031-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The effects of dietary palygorskite (Pal) supplementation on growth performance, oxidative status, and intestinal barrier function in ducks were investigated. In total, 720 one-day-old Cherry Valley ducks were categorized into 4 treatments comprising 6 replicates with 30 ducks each. Ducks were fed a basal diet supplemented with 0, 5, 10, or 20 g/kg Pal for 42 days. Twenty-four ducks (1 male/replicate) were slaughtered at 14 and 42 days and samples were collected for analysis. Pal supplementation quadratically increased weight gain and linearly and quadratically increased feed intake (P

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of betaine on growth performance, carcass characteristics, myogenic gene expression, and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) signaling pathway in partridge shank broiler chickens. A total of 192 one-day-old partridge shank broiler chickens were randomly divided into 4 groups with 6 replicates of 8 chickens for a 52-d feeding trial. Broilers were fed a basal diet supplemented with 0 (control), 250 (B250), 500 (B500), or 1,000 (B1000) mg/kg betaine. Compared with the control group, the B500 and B1000 groups had higher (P < 0.05) body weight gain (BWG), and the B500 group had a lower (P < 0.05) feed/gain ratio (F:G) during the whole trial period. Moreover, the B1000 group increased (P < 0.05) the breast muscle yield and decreased (P < 0.05) relative abdominal fat weight. The mRNA expression of myocyte enhancer factor 2B (MEF2B) and mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) and mTOR phosporylation were higher (P < 0.05) in both breast and thigh muscles in the B500 and B1000 groups than those in the control group. The higher (P < 0.05) concentration and mRNA expression of IGF-1 were also observed in breast muscle in the B500 and B1000 groups. Additionally, the B1000 group up-regulated (P < 0.05) the mRNA level of myogenic differentiation factor 1 (MyoD1) in breast muscle and myogenin (MyoG) in thigh muscle. In conclusion, diets supplemented with 500 or 1,000 mg/kg betaine improved the growth performance of partridge shank broiler chickens during the whole trial period, and the B1000 group significantly improved the breast muscle growth. These improvements might result from increased mRNA expression of MyoD1 and MEF2B in breast muscle and MyoG and MEF2B in thigh muscle, and through alterations in IGF-1/mTOR signaling pathway.

To investigate the effect of processing techniques on the nutrient digestibility of diets containing whole brewer’s yeast products, i.e., directly dried (BDY); thermal-induced autolyzed (AYC); and fine-ground yeast (GDY) prepared from the same yeast filter mud, 3 diets, each contains one of the 3 products with similar energy and protein concentration, were formulated, respectively. Six growing pigs (bodyweight = 25.1 ± 2.0 kg) fitted with T-cannula at terminal ileum were allotted to a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square with 3 diets and 3 periods. The ileal digesta and feces were collected in each period and the digestibility coefficients were calculated using the concentration of nutrients and marker (Cr2O3) in tested diet, ileal digesta and feces. The results indicated that the processing methods significantly affect the digestion of most of diet nutrients especially in the foregut of pigs. Compared with BDY diet, the digestion of DM, CP, energy, Ca, total non-starch polysaccharides (TNSP), insoluble non-starch polysaccharides (INSP), total and insoluble mannose, insoluble glucose, and total and 12 individual amino acids was significantly increased in GDY diet in the foregut of pigs (P

Schisandrin B (Sch B), a dibenzocyclooctadiene lignan isolated from Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill, has been shown to have anti-inflammatory effect. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of Sch B on LPS-induced inflammation in microglia and to investigate the molecular targets of Sch B. BV2 cells were stimulated by LPS in the presence or absence of Sch B. The results showed that the levels of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, and PGE2 upregulated by LPS were significantly suppressed by Sch B. LPS-induced NF-κB activation was also inhibited by Sch B. Furthermore, Sch B was found to upregulate the expression of PPAR-γ in a concentration-dependent manner. In addition, the inhibition of Sch B on TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, and PGE2 production were reversed by PPAR-γ antagonist GW9662. In conclusion, these results suggested that Sch B inhibited LPS-induced inflammatory response by activating PPAR-γ.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of betaine supplementation on growth performance, muscle amino acid contents, meat quality and antioxidant capacity in finishing pigs. A total of 144 crossbred barrows (Duroc×Landrace×Yorkshire) weighing about 69 kg were divided into three groups with six replicates of eight pigs each for a 60-day feeding trial. Pigs were fed a maize-soybean meal basal diet supplemented with 0 (control), 1 or 1.5 g/kg betaine, respectively. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA using SPSS software, and the differences among treatments were examined by Tukey’s test, which were considered to be significant at P < 0.05. The results showed that the feed conversion ratio tended to be improved (P = 0.081) by betaine supplementation. Compared with the control, 1.5 g/kg betaine supplementation significantly increased (P < 0.05) the contents of methionine, glutamate and total non-essential amino acid in thigh muscle, but the amino acid contents in loin muscle were not affected by betaine supplementation. The 24-h and 48-h drip loss of thigh muscle and the content of malondialdehyde in loin muscle were decreased (P < 0.05) by 1 g/kg betaine inclusion, and the 24-h redness values of loin and thigh muscles were increased (P < 0.05) by 1.5 g/kg betaine inclusion. Moreover, both levels of betaine significantly increased (P < 0.05) 24-h pH value and the activity of total superoxide dismutase of loin and thigh muscles. Overall, this study indicated that 1.5 g/kg betaine supplementation could increase the contents of methionine, glutamate and total non-essential amino acid in thigh muscle rather than loin muscle, and betaine supplementation was beneficial to improve meat quality and antioxidant capacity in finishing pigs. 1SEM, total standard error of means (n = 6)

The effects of dietary betaine supplementation on growth performance, carcass characteristics, muscle amino acid contents, meat quality, antioxidant capacity, myogenic gene expression and mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signalling pathway in Cherry Valley ducks were evaluated. A total of 720 1-day-old Cherry Valley ducks were randomly distributed into four groups with six replicates of 30 birds for a 42-day feeding trial. Ducks were fed a basal diet supplemented with 0 (control), 250, 500 or 1,000 mg/kg betaine, respectively. Growth performance was not affected by betaine. Incremental levels of betaine linearly (p < 0.05) increased the breast muscle yield and linearly (p < 0.05) decreased the subcutaneous fat thickness and the abdominal fat yield. The contents of methionine, serine, glycine, glutamate and total non-essential amino acid in breast muscle were linearly (p < 0.05) increased by betaine supplementation. With increasing betaine levels, the drip loss and the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) were linearly (p < 0.05) decreased, and the redness of meat (linear p < 0.05), the activities of catalase (CAT) (linear p < 0.05) and total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) (linear p < 0.05, quadratic p < 0.05) were increased. Moreover, the myogenic differentiation factor 1 (MyoD1) mRNA expression and the mTOR mRNA expression and protein phosporylation were linearly (p < 0.05) up-regulated, and the myostatin (MSTN) mRNA expression was linearly (p < 0.05) down-regulated by betaine supplementation. Overall, this study indicated that betaine supplementation did not affect the growth performance of Cherry Valley ducks, but could linearly increase some amino acid contents in breast muscle, especially glycine, and increase muscle antioxidant activity to improve meat quality. Moreover, betaine supplementation could improve the breast muscle yield by increasing MyoD1 mRNA expression, decreasing MSTN mRNA expression and regulating mTOR signalling pathway.

A study was conducted to investigate effects of zinc-bearing zeolite clinoptilolite (ZnCP), as an alternative for zinc sulfate (ZnSO4), on laying performance, tissue Zn accumulation and Zn transporter genes expression in laying hens. Hy-Line Brown laying hens were allocated to three treatments, each of which had six replicates with 15 hens per replicate, receiving basal diet supplemented with ZnSO4 (control, 80 mg Zn/kg diet), 0.23% ZnCP (40.25 mg Zn/kg diet) and 0.46% ZnCP (80.50 mg Zn/kg diet) for 8 weeks, respectively. Compared with control, hens fed diet containing 0.23% ZnCP had similar Zn content in measured tissues (P > 0.05). A higher ZnCP inclusion (0.46%) enhanced Zn accumulation in liver (P

The aim of this study was to analyze the response of dry goat liver to sub-acute ruminal acidosis induced by a highly concentrated diet. Non-pregnant, non-lactating female Poll-goats (N = 12) were randomly assigned to either a high-concentrate (HG) or a low-concentrate (LG) diet. Low rumen pH was successfully induced with HG (more than 3 h with rumen pH < 5.8). The plasma lipopolysaccharide concentration was significantly decreased in the HG compared with LG group (P < 0.05). Proteomic analysis showed that aldehyde dehydrogenases and microsomal glutathione S-transferase was downregulated in the HG group, whereas aldo-keto reductase was upregulated compared in the LG group. The abundance of mRNA for these proteins were also correspondingly increased (aldehyde dehydrogenases and microsomal glutathione-S-transferase) or decreased (aldo-keto reductase) in the HG group. Malondialdehyde content in the liver was decreased in the HG group compared to the LG group. These data indicate that the expression of hepatic proteins alters the regulation of endogenous lipopolysaccharide during low rumen pH in dry dairy goats. In particular, the protective effect of the liver may occur through inhibition of aldehyde and/or peroxide formation.

The deposition of amyloid β-protein (Aβ) has been involved in neurodegeneration of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Besides Aβ plaques and neuronal loss, microglia activation is also common in AD patient brains, suggesting its important role in the pathogenesis of AD. Although activation of microglia by Aβ plaques has been demonstrated, the mechanism underlying it is still largely unclear. Here, we found that TRPC6 has a crucial role in microglia activation by Aβ. Aβ up-regulates the level of TRPC6 via NF-κB in BV-2 microglia and increases the expression of pro-inflammatory factors and oxidative enzyme, COX-2. Knock-down of TRPC6 reduces the Aβ-induced expression of pro-inflammatory factors and COX-2 and the damage of hippocampus neurons. Furthermore, inhibition of COX-2 also protects hippocampus neurons from Aβ-induced inflammatory damage. Collectively, our studies suggest that Aβ increase the expression of TRPC6 via NF-κB in BV-2 microglia and promotes the production of COX-2, which induces hippocampus neuron damage.

Different effects of lamb and pork consumption on thyroid hormone levels and energy metabolism of rats were investigated. Three diets, a lamb meat diet (LD), a pork meat diet (PD) and control casein diet (CD) were isocaloric (15.5 kJ/g dry matters). Rats in the PD group had higher serum selenium concentrations ( P P P P P P P P P P P P

As storage temperature had no influence on the acylated homoserine lactones (AHLs) production, the main AHLs (C8-HSL and C6-HSL) were used as reference standards. We proposed to describe the relationship between AHLs and β-galactosidase of AHL biosensor with an equation. The equation could fit the β-galactosidase data well with a high determination coefficient (0.994) and low root mean squared error (0.016). In all experiment, there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) between the observed and calculated AHL values in chicken meat, when different type of AHLs was used. Hence, based on the equation the AHLs similar to Pseudomonas aeruginosa production can be calculated. This approach simplified the calculation of the AHL production in chicken meat and broth. Based on this method, we found that during bacterial growth, the AHLs accumulate in the exponential phase, but decreased in the stationary phase. The highest AHLs were determined during late exponential and early stationary phase. Practical Application In present study, we propose to simplify the calculation of the AHL produced by P. aeruginosa in chicken meat and broth based on the microplate bioassay. We developed a nonlinear model to describe the relationship between the β-galactosidase expression of Agrobacterium tumefaeiens KYC55 and AHLs addition. The model can be applied to quantify the AHLs-extraction concentration in the range 0–6 ug/mL.

Purpose The mechanism underlying the decline in milk quality during periods of feeding high-concentrate diets to dairy ruminants is not well documented. The aim of this study was to investigate the metabolic changes in the liver that contribute to the input of substrate precursors to the mammary gland after feeding a high-concentrate diet to lactating goats for a long period. Experimental Design Eight mid-lactating goats with rumen cannulas were randomly assigned to two groups. For 9 weeks, the treatment group was fed a high-concentrate diet (60% concentrate of dry matter, HC) and the control group was fed a low-concentrate diet (40% concentrate of dry matter, LC). Ruminal fluid, plasma, and liver tissues were sampled, microarray techniques and real-time polymerase chain reaction were used to evaluate metabolic parameters and gene expression in liver. Results Feeding a 60%-concentrate diet for 9 weeks resulted in a significant decrease in rumen pH. Changes in fat and protein content also occurred, which negatively affected milk quality. Plasma levels of leptin (p = 0.058), non-esterified fatty acid (p = 0.071), and glucose (p = 0.014) increased markedly in HC group. Plasma cortisol concentration was significantly elevated in the treatment group (p

The two diets, a duck meat diet (DMD) and a control casein diet (CD) were isocaloric (15.9 kJ/g dry matters), and contained 18.3% protein, 7.4% fat, 60.0% carbohydrate. The selenium contents in casein, duck meat powder, CD and DMD were 0.061, 0.549, 0.123 and 0.225 mg/kg. Rats in the DMD group had higher serum selenium concentrations (p

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether carnitine was responsible for the increased energy metabolism observed in Sprague-Dawley rats following inclusion of lamb meat in their diet. This was tested by feeding one of the following three diets: a control diet (control) based on a standard formulation (AIN-93G), a carnitine-supplemented control diet (CD) and a lamb meat diet (LD). All diets were isocaloric (15.46 kJ/g DM) and contained 18.3% protein, 7.1% fat and 58.3% carbohydrate. The carnitine concentrations in the control diet, CD and LD were 29, 984 and 953 mg/kg, respectively. The expression of carnitine palmitoyltransferase-I(CPT-I)α and CTP-Iβ genes, Na,K-ATPase activities and the contents of fat, ATP and creatine phosphate (Cr.P) in liver and skeletal muscle tissues were measured on Days 7 and 14. Bodyweights, bodyweight gains and oxygen consumption rates (OCR) of rats were also measured. The rats fed the LD had higher OCR, ATP and Cr.P concentrations, expressions of CPT-I gene, Na,K-ATPase activities, and lower fat contents, bodyweights and bodyweight gains (P < 0.05) than did the control-group rats. However, rats fed the CD were not significantly different from those fed the control diet, except for the higher CPT-Iα expression, ATP concentrations and lower fat contents in liver (P < 0.05). We conclude that carnitine intake from lamb was not the main factor accounting for the significant effects of lamb consumption on energy metabolism. However, it is likely that carnitine intake by consumption of lamb meat in the LD partly contributed to lowering fat contents in liver, compared with the CD and the control diet groups.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of a sheep meat-based diet on the thyroid hormone concentrations and energy expenditure of Sprague–Dawley rats. The diets, a sheep meat diet (SMD) or a casein control diet (CD), each based on a standard formulation (AIN-93G), contained 18.3% protein, 7.4% fat and 60.0% carbohydrate, and were isocaloric (15.9kJ/g dry matter). Serum tri-iodothryonine (T3), thyroxine (T4), free tri-iodothyronine (FT3) and free thyroxine (FT4) concentrations, oxygen consumption rate (OCR), bodyweight, bodyweight gain and activities of liver sodium–potassium-adenosinetriphosphatase (Na,K-ATPase) and Ca2+-dependent adenosine triphosphatase (Ca-ATPase) were measured. Compared with the CD, the SMD increased the serum FT3 concentration on Day 7 (P = 0.004) and Day 14 (P < 0.001). Serum albumin concentrations, which may influence the amount of thyroid hormones bound, were significantly lower in the SMD group on Day 7 (P < 0.001) and Day 14 (P = 0.02) than those in the CD group. Both liver Na,K-ATPase and Ca-ATPase activities were significantly higher in rats consuming the SMD on Day 7 (P < 0.001, P = 0.001) and Day 14 (P < 0.001, P < 0.001) respectively. OCRs were significantly higher in rats consuming the SMD on Day 6 (P = 0.023) and Day 13 (P = 0.014). Both bodyweight and bodyweight gains were significantly lower in the SMD group. We concluded that sheep meat consumption decreased the serum albumin concentrations, which increased the serum FT3 concentrations. This lead to FT3 promoting the OCRs and the activities of Na,K-ATPase and Ca-ATPase, resulting in reduced bodyweight and bodyweight gain, presumably through greater energy expenditure. Thus, energy expenditure appears to have been enhanced in rats fed the SMD.

The reactions of nitroguanidine (NG) with urotropine or formaldehyde have been studied. The following compounds are synthesized from NG: (a) 6-nitroimino-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazacyclohexane [2] and a number of itsderivatives; (b) bis(nitroguanidino)methane [9], a valuable intermediate for preparing some high explosives; (c) 1,5-dinitro-2,4-dinitroimino-1,3,5triazacyclohexane [10] and some of its derivatives via intramolecular cyclization of [9]; (d) 2-nitroimino-1,3-diaza-5-oxacyclohexane [15], 1-(nitroguanidinomethyl)-2-nitroimino-1,3-diaza-5-oxacyclohexyl [14], and bis(2-nitroimino-1,3-diaza-5-oxacyclohexyl)methane [16] by reactions of [9] with formaldehyde. Some detonation data of the above compounds are reported. Campounds [2] and [10] are powerful explosives but very unstable thermally and easily hydrolized. However, compounds [14], [15], and [16] possess a better stability than triazacyclic polynitrocompounds containing nitroimino groups, such as [2] and [10].

BACKGROUND: The effects of feeding a high-grain (HG) diet on lipopolysaccharide (LPS) clearance and innate immune defence responses in the liver remain unclear. Therefore, we conducted the present study in which twelve female goats were randomly assigned to either a treatment group fed a HG diet (60% grain, n = 6) or a control group fed a low grain diet (LG; 40% grain, n = 6) for 6 weeks. Catheters were installed in the mesenteric, portal and hepatic veins, as well as one femoral artery of the goats, for determining blood flow and net clearance rate of LPS in the liver. Plasma and tissue samples were collected in the week 6 for analyzing pro-inflammatory cytokines, acute phase protein and biochemical parameters, as well as expression of genes involved in immune response. RESULT: HG diet feeding increased blood flow and LPS concentration in the portal vein, hepatic vein and artery. Hepatic net LPS clearance showed that HG diet feeding elevated the rate of hepatic LPS clearance, but decreased the percentage of removed LPS accounting for the total entry of LPS into the liver. Our results demonstrated that the feeding of HG diet increased plasma concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines and acute phase proteins and triggered a systemic inflammatory response. In addition, peripheral blood plasma concentrations of alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase and total bilirubin were increased in the HG group compared to the LG group. This indicated that the impairment of hepatocytes occurred after 6 weeks of HG diet feeding. The expression of genes involved in immune response and Toll-like receptor (TLR)4 protein in the liver was up-regulated in the HG group compared to the LG group, indicating that increased entry of LPS enhanced hepatic immune defence responses and contributed to hepatic inflammatory responses. CONCLUSION: These results provide insight into the capacity of the liver to clear LPS. The increased entry of LPS into liver enhanced hepatic immune defence responses, thereby elevated the rate of LPS clearance. However, the reduction of the percentage of hepatic LPS clearance could be due to the formation of hepatocyte lesion during HG diet feeding.