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A total of 140 weaning pigs were used to determine the effects of digestive enzyme supplementation to corn-soybean meal diets on growth performance, physiological changes of small intestine, microorganisms and pH in the gastrointestinal tract. Two kinds of enzyme complex (A, B) were used in this experiment. Pigs were allotted in a completely random design (CRD) to five replicates with four pigs per pen. Diets and water were provided for ad libitum consumption. Treatments included 1) Control: without enzyme supplementation, 2) Enzyme A 0.05%, 3) Enzyme A 0.10%, 4) Enzyme A 0.15%, 5) Enzyme B 0.05%, 6) Enzyme B 0.10%, 7) Enzyme B 0.15% in the diets. A total of 24 crossbred barrows 25.78′0.55 kg BW fitted with simple ileal T-cannulas were used to evaluate the effect the enzyme addition on the nutrient digstibility. Pigs were allotted 4 treatments (No enzyme, enzyme A 0.05%, enzyme A 0.1%, enzyme A 0.15%), 6 replicates according to a completely random design (CRD). Another digestibility trial was followed for enzyme complex B. Twenty pigs, average 31.92′0.37 kg BW, fitted with simple ileal T-cannulas for digestibility trial. Neither enzyme A nor enzyme B affected on fecal or ileal digestibility of dry matter, gross energy, crude protein, crude fat and crude ash (p>0.05). The apparent fecal digestibilities of all the nutrients were higher in total feces collection method than in indirect method. At the end of feeding trial, 21 pigs were slaughtered for examining the morphological changes of small intestine and the concentration of microorganisms in the ileum and the colon. Growth performance, intestinal morphology and pH of ileum and colon were not affected by the either enzyme complex supplementation (p>0.05). These results suggested that enzyme complex A and enzyme complex B were of no benefit to early-weaned pigs when corn-soybean meal based diet was provided.

The study was carried out to clarify the role of cecum in protein nutrition of the chicken. It was examined in this experiment whether the blocking of entry into the ceca of urine from the cloaca and of digesta escaped from the absorption at the upper intestine by cecectomy. The effects of cecectomy on nitrogen utilization and nitrogen excretion were compared between chickens fed a 5% protein diet and a 5% protein diet supplied with urea. When a 5% protein diet was fed, total nitrogen excretion and nitrogen balance were significantly decreased and increased by the cecectomy, respectively. Similar responses were obtained in chickens fed on a 5% protein diet supplied with urea. The cecectomy in both dietary groups significantly decreased uric acid excretion (P

Background/Aims: Dietary antioxidants exert a photoprotective effect against UV radiation. However, the mechanism underlying the beneficial effects on skin of orally administered antioxidant is not very clear. The present study aimed to investigate the UVB-induced total antioxidant capacity (TAC) perturbation both in skin and blood and to study the beneficial mechanism of action of dietary epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). Method: Female HWY/Slc hairless rats were exposed to UVB radiation for 4 weeks and skin and blood TAC were measured at weeks 0, 2, and 4. The correlation between skin and blood TAC was assessed using Pearson’s correlation analysis. To investigate the effect of dietary EGCG, female HWY/Slc hairless rats were fed EGCG and exposed to UVB radiation. At the end of the 8-week experimental period, transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and epidermal thickness were measured to assess skin damage, and TAC was analyzed in both skin and blood. Results: UVB radiation significantly decreased skin and blood TAC, and there was a significant correlation between skin and blood TAC. Dietary EGCG significantly prevented UVB-induced adverse effects on epidermal thickness and TEWL, and the UVB-induced decrease in TAC recovered in both skin and blood. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that there is a close relationship between skin and blood TAC and the beneficial effect of oral antioxidants on skin may possibly be mediated through significant enhancement of blood TAC.

Background/Aims: Excessive exposure to UV radiation causes acute adverse effects like sunburn and photosensitivity reactions and is involved in the induction and development of skin cancer. It has been reported that antioxidants have photoprotective effects against solar UV radiation. We investigated the effect of oral epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a powerful antioxidant in green tea, on the minimal erythema dose (MED) and UV-induced skin damage. Method: Female HWY/Slc hairless rats were fed the normal diet supplemented with 1,500 ppm EGCG for 8 weeks; then, the MED was determined and visual scores and transepidermal water loss were assessed to evaluate the severity of UV-induced skin damage. Results: At week 8 of the study, the use of dietary EGCG significantly increased MED. UV-radiation-induced sunburn severity and alterations in epidermal barrier function were also attenuated by the supplementation of EGCG. Conclusion: Regular intake of EGCG strengthens the skin’s tolerance by increasing MED and thus prevents UV-induced perturbation of epidermal barrier function and skin damage. These results suggest that EGCG is a potent candidate for systemic photoprotection.