Serum Antioxidant Capacity Research Articles

Effects of dietary essential oil supplementation on growth performance, carcass yield, meat quality, and intestinal tight junctions of broilers with or without Eimeria challenge

The effects of dietary supplementation of essential oil on growth performance, carcass yield, meat quality, serum antioxidant capacity, and intestinal tight junctions of broilers with or without Eimeria challenge were investigated. A total of 576 one-day-old male broilers were randomly separated into 8 treatments (6 replication floor-pens per treatment, 12 broilers per pen) in a 4×2 factorial design. The 4 diets consisted of 1) a corn and soybean meal basal diet, 2) an anticoccidial diet (60 g nicarbazin and 60 g narasin per ton of feed), 3) an oregano oil diet (500 ppm oregano oil), and 4) a clove oil diet (500 ppm clove oil). On d 10, half chicks were challenged with 1×104 sporulated oocysts of E. tenella, E. acervulina, and E. maxima per chick, whereas the others were inoculated with an equal amount of dilution (0.5 mL). The Eimeria challenge induced a higher fecal oocyst output on d 18, a lower duodenum Occludin expression level on d 28, a lower serum catalase level, and a higher cook loss and protein loss in thigh muscle on d 42. The anticoccidial diet lowered fecal Eimeria output and increased d 1 to 42 BW gain as compared to the control diet. The clove oil treatment enhanced duodenum ZO-1 expression level in nonchallenged birds, increased BW gain from d 1 to 14 and breast yield on d 42. The oregano oil treatment enhanced ZO-1 expression of challenged birds, reduced feed intake from 15 to 28 d, and helped broilers gain more tender meat. For those Eimeria-challenged broilers, both clove and oregano oil treatments recovered drip loss in breast muscle. Our results suggested that Eimeria challenge in broiler early age could interrupt later serum antioxidant capacity and damage meat quality. The dietary supplementation of clove or oregano essential oils could improve broiler growth performance and partially relieve the coccidial damage in gut integrity and meat quality.

The mouse model of chronic asthma: Airway remodelling and disease exacerbation by somatic antigen of Echinococcus granulosus.

There is now sufficient evidence to support an inverse association between helminth infection and secreted products with allergic/autoimmune disorders. Accordingly, several experimental studies have shown that Echinococcus granulosus infection and hydatid cyst compounds are able to suppress immune responses in allergic airway inflammation. This is the first study on effects of somatic antigens of E. granulosus on chronic allergic airway inflammation in BALB/c mice. Mice in OVA group were intraperitoneally (IP) sensitized with OVA/Alum. Subsequently, were challenged by nebulizing of OVA 1%. The treatment groups received somatic antigens of protoscoleces on the specified days. Mice in PBS group were received PBS in both sensitization and challenge. The effects of somatic products on development of chronic allergic airway inflammation were evaluated by examining histopathological changes, the recruitment of inflammatory cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage, cytokines production in the homogenized lung tissue, and total antioxidant capacity in serum. Our findings show that the co-administration of somatic antigens of protoscoleces simultaneously with the development of asthma intensifies allergic airway inflammation. The identification of effective components involved in exacerbation of allergic airway inflammation manifestations will be a crucial approach to understanding the mechanism of these interactions.

Dietary Supplementation with Rutin Alters Meat Quality, Fatty Acid Profile, Antioxidant Capacity, and Expression Levels of Genes Associated with Lipid Metabolism in Breast Muscle of Qingyuan Partridge Chickens.

Consumer demand for tasty and quality meat has been quickly increasing. This study investigated how dietary supplemented rutin affects meat quality, muscle fatty acid profile, and antioxidant capacity in the Chinese indigenous Qingyuan partridge chicken. A cohort of 180 healthy 119-day-old chickens was subjected to a randomized assignment into three groups, identified as the control, R200, and R400 groups, with respective supplementation of 0, 200, and 400 mg/kg of rutin. The results revealed insignificance in growth performance, namely, average daily gain, average daily feed intake, and feed-to-gain ratio, across the various treatment groups (p > 0.05). Nevertheless, dietary rutin supplementation increased (p < 0.05) breast muscle yield and intramuscular fat content in breast muscle and decreased (p < 0.05) drip loss in breast muscle. Rutin supplementation increased (p < 0.05) the content of high-density lipoprotein but decreased (p < 0.05) the contents of glucose, triglyceride, and total cholesterol in serum. Rutin supplementation increased (p < 0.05) the levels of DHA (C22:6n-3), total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), n-3 PUFAs, decanoic acid (C10:0), the activity of Δ5 + Δ6 (22:6 (n - 3)/18:3 (n - 3)), and the ratio of PUFA/SFA in breast muscle but decreased (p < 0.05) the level of palmitoleic acid (C16:1n-7), the ratio of n-6/n-3 PUFAs, and the activity of Δ9 (16:1 (n - 7)/16:0). Rutin treatment also reduced (p < 0.05) the contents of malondialdehyde in serum and breast muscle, and increased (p < 0.05) the catalase activity and total antioxidant capacity in serum and breast muscle and the activity of total superoxide dismutase in serum. Additionally, rutin supplementation downregulated the expression of AMPKα and upregulated the expression of PPARG, FADS1, FAS, ELOVL7, NRF2, and CAT in breast muscle (p < 0.05). Convincingly, the results revealed that rutin supplementation improved meat quality, fatty acid profiles, especially n-3 PUFAs, and the antioxidant capacity of Qingyuan partridge chickens.

The Anti-inflammatory Effect of Ginger Extract on the Animal Model of Multiple Sclerosis.

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), as an autoimmune disease in the central nervous system (CNS), is an animal model for multiple sclerosis (MS) mediated by T lymphocytes. To investigate ginger extract's effect on reducing inflammation and improving the symptoms in the EAE model. The EAE was induced by injecting MOG35-55 and pertussis toxin into eight-week-old female C57BL6 mice. The mice were treated with an intraperitoneal injection of 300 mg/kg/day of hydroalcoholic extract of ginger for 21 days. The disease severity and weight changes were measured daily. Then, the mice spleens were removed; the gene expressions of interleukin (IL)-17, transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) were analyzed by Real-time PCR and the percentage of regulatory T lymphocytes (Treg cells) was determined by flow cytometry. Serum nitric oxide and antioxidant capacity were measured, and brain tissue sections were prepared to investigate the leukocyte infiltration and plaque formation. The severity of symptoms in the intervention group was lower than in the control. The gene expression levels of inflammatory cytokines, including IL-17 (P=0.04) and IFN-γ (P=0.01), were reduced. The Treg cells increased significantly, and the serum nitric oxide level was lower in the ginger-treated group. There was no significant difference in lymphocyte infiltration in the brain between the two groups. The present study indicated that ginger extract could effectively reduce inflammatory mediators and modulate immune responses in EAE.

Effects of Stocking Density on the Growth Performance, Physiological Parameters, Antioxidant Status and Lipid Metabolism of Pelteobagrus fulvidraco in the Integrated Rice-Fish Farming System.

Pelteobagrus fulvidraco is a freshwater fish commonly raised in rice fields, yet the optimal stocking density for this species remains unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the appropriate stocking density of P. fulvidraco in integrated rice-fish farming systems. Three different stocking densities--low density (LD, 125 g/m2), middle density (MD, 187.5 g/m2), and high density (HD, 250 g/m2)--were set up to evaluate P. fulvidraco's growth performance, stress indices, immune function, antioxidant status, and lipid metabolism after 90 days of farming. The results indicated that HD treatment had a detrimental effect on P. fulvidraco's growth parameters. HD treatment led to an increase in cortisol (Cor) and lactate (La) levels, but a decrease in glucose (Glu) content in serum. After 90 days of farming, an immune response accompanied by the increase of complement 3 (C3), C4, and immunoglobulin M (IgM) was observed in the HD group. Meanwhile, HD treatment induced oxidative stress and altered antioxidative status evidenced by the levels of catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (Gpx), glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) in serum or liver. Additionally, the lipid metabolism-related genes including lipoprotein lipase (lpl), peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor (pparα), carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 (cpt-1), and sterol regulatory element binding protein-1 (srebp-1) were markedly downregulated in the HD and/or MD group after 90 days of farming. In conclusion, this study contributes to a better understanding of P. fulvidraco's response to different stocking densities in integrated rice-fish farming systems. We suggest that the appropriate stocking density for P. fulvidraco in these farming systems should be below 250 g/m2, considering both fish growth and physiological responses.

Milk yield, composition and immune status of dairy goats and respective goat kids fed diets with selenium and vitamin E supplementation

This study was carried out to examine the effects of including selenium (Se) and vitamin E (vitE) in diets for goats and their kids on milk yield and composition, and immune status. Twenty-one 1/2 Saanen x Pardo Alpine goat kids (average body weight of 3.70 ± 0.64 kg) were born from fifteen female Saanen goats (non-lactating and primiparous) with an average age of six years and an average initial live weight of 70 ± 10 kg, which had previously been synchronized with the OvSynch protocol. Animals were allocated at random to the treatments in a completely randomized experimental design, with five replicates per diet for goats and seven replicates, for goat kids. Animals were randomly assigned into three groups in the following diets: CON: control basal diet; Se: inclusion of 3.2 mg of Se/kg DM; SevitE: inclusion of 3.2 mg Se / kg DM and 1145 IU / day vitE/kg DM. Milk yield and composition of goats were evaluated only considering the average production of the period, whereas Se in serum, milk and total plasma antioxidant capacity and phagocytosis intensity data were evaluated by time repeated measures. Goats fed CON diet showed higher total dry extract levels in milk than those fed Se diet (P< 0.05). An interaction between diet and time was observed for serum Se concentration in goats (P < 0.01). The Se concentration in milk was higher for goats fed the Se and SevitE than animals fed the CON (P = 0.01). There was only a time effect (P = 0.04) for Se concentrations in milk, and vitE in serum (P < 0.01) and milk (P < 0.01) and TAS (P < 0.01). The concentrations of Se in the blood of goat kids fed the SevitE, and Se diets were higher than animals fed the CON diet (P < 0.01). Diets influenced the Se concentration and phagocytosis intensity, while a time effect was observed on phagocytosis intensity (P < 0.05). A week effect was observed for phagocytosis of E. coli in goats (P = 0.01). For goat kids, a diet effect was observed for phagocytosis of E. coli (P = 0.01) and only the percentage of polymorphonuclear leukocytes was not influenced by diets (P = 0.95). The inclusion of Se and vitE or their combination reduces oxidative stress without influencing oxidative stress in neonates fed with milk from goats supplemented with selenium and vitamin E in their diets.

Effects of Curcumin on Growth Performance, Ruminal Fermentation, Rumen Microbial Protein Synthesis, and Serum Antioxidant Capacity in Housed Growing Lambs.

This experiment was conducted to investigate growth performance, ruminal fermentation, rumen microbial protein synthesis, and serum antioxidant capacity with different doses of curcumin (CUR) included in the diet of housed growing lambs. Forty-eight four-month-old Dorper × Thin-tailed Han F1 crossbred male lambs (body weight = 20.89 ± 1.15 kg, age = 120 ± 10 days; mean ± SD) were randomly divided into four groups for a single-factor, completely randomized experiment. Treatments comprised the following: the basal diet supplemented with 0 (Control), 300 mg/kg (300 CUR), 600 mg/kg (600 CUR), or 900 mg/kg (900 CUR) CUR, respectively. The results showed that dietary CUR increased average daily gain (ADG), and the 300 CUR group evidenced the highest value. There were no significant effects on dry matter intake (DMI) and DMI/ADG. Lambs in the 300 CUR group showed higher totals of volatile fatty acids (VFA) and acetate than other groups, while decreased valerate was observed with supplementary CUR. The ruminal pH and ammonia N (NH3-N) concentration decreased with increasing CUR, with the greatest effect in the 300 CUR group. The quadratic effects were found in pectinase, carboxymethyl cellulose, and protease, with the greatest value in the 300 CUR group. The microbial populations of total bacteria and Ruminococcus albus also responded quadratically, and the methanogens, protozoan, and Fibrobacter succinogenes populations decreased linearly with increasing CUR. Lambs receiving additional CUR showed increased Prevotella ruminicola population. Microbial protein (MCP) synthesis was promoted by supplementary CUR. As supplementation with CUR increased, the serum activity of total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) was enhanced, with the greatest value in the 300 CUR group. In conclusion, dietary CUR improved ruminal fermentation, promoted rumen microbial protein (MCP) synthesis, and enhanced serum antioxidant activity, as well as promoting growth performance in housed growing lambs.

Effects of rare earth as feed additive on production performance, egg quality, serum biochemical parameters, antioxidant capacity, intestinal morphology, and gut microbiota in late-phase laying hens

This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary rare earth (RE) supplementation on production performance, egg quality, serum biochemical parameters, antioxidant capacity, intestinal morphology, and gut microbiota in late-phase laying hens. A total of 960 Lohmann Pink laying hens (380 d old) were randomly assigned to 1 of 5 dietary treatments in a 21-day feeding trial. There were 6 replicates in each treatment, with 32 hens per replicate. The five experimental diets were supplemented with 0, 150, 300, 450, and 600 g/t RE in the basal diet. Compared with the control group, hens fed the 150 g/t RE diet had a greater average egg weight during the third week of the experimental period (p &amp;lt; 0.05). However, dietary 150, 300, or 600 g/t RE supplementation decreased the eggshell thickness of laying hens compared to that of the control group (p &amp;lt; 0.05). No differences were observed in the serum biochemical parameters of laying hens among treatments except for the HDL-C concentration, which was higher in the 300 or 450 g/t RE-supplemented group than in the control group (p &amp;lt; 0.05). However, GSH-Px activity increased when hens were fed the 600 vs. 0 g/t RE diet (p &amp;lt; 0.05). But dietary supplementation with 600 g/t RE increased the ileum’s crypt depth in laying hens compared to the control group (p &amp;lt; 0.05). There were significant differences in beta diversity of cecum microbiota in laying hens fed a 600 g/t RE diet in place of the other 4 experimental diets (p &amp;lt; 0.05). Compared with the control diet, dietary 600 g/t RE supplementation significantly decreased the relative abundance of Fusobacteriota (phylum) and Fusobacterium (genus) while markedly increasing the relative abundance of Ruminococcus (genus) and Subdoligranulum (genus) (p &amp;lt; 0.05). A high RE dosage negatively affects egg quality and intestinal morphology and alters gut microbiota diversity and composition. In contrast, a moderate RE dosage has beneficial effects on production performance in late-phase laying hens. Further research is warranted regarding eggshell thickness to investigate whether dietary calcium levels must be adjusted when 150 g/t RE is supplemented for late-phase laying hens.

Synergistic effect of silver nanoclusters and graphene oxide on visible light-driven oxidase-like activity: Construction of a sustainable nanozyme for total antioxidant capacity detection

The high cost and low reusability of natural enzymes greatly limit their application in biosensing. In this work, a sustainable nanozyme with light-driven oxidase-like activity was fabricated by integrating protein-capped silver nanoclusters (AgNCs) with graphene oxide (GO) through multiple non-covalent interactions. The prepared AgNCs/GO nanozyme could effectively catalyze the oxidation of various chromogenic substrates by activating dissolved O2 to reactive oxygen species under visible light irradiation. Moreover, the oxidase-like activity of AgNCs/GO could be well controlled by switching on and off the visible light source. Compared with natural peroxidase and most of other oxidase-mimicking nanozymes, AgNCs/GO possessed improved catalytic activity owing to the synergistic effect between AgNCs and GO. More importantly, AgNCs/GO showed outstanding stability against precipitation, pH (2.0–8.0), temperature (10–80 °C), and storage and could be reused at least 6 cycles without obvious loss in catalytic activity. On this basis, AgNCs/GO nanozyme was used to develop a colorimetric assay for the determination of total antioxidant capacity in human serum, which had the merits of high sensitivity, low cost, and good safety. This work holds a promising prospect in developing sustainable nanozymes for biosensing and clinical diagnosis.

N-Acetyl Cysteine Restores the Diminished Activity of the Antioxidant Enzymatic System Caused by SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Preliminary Findings.

SARS-CoV-2 infects type II pneumocytes and disrupts redox homeostasis by overproducing reactive oxygen species (ROS). N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) is a precursor of the synthesis of glutathione (GSH) and it restores the loss of redox homeostasis associated to viral infections. The aim of the study is to evaluate the effect of the treatment with NAC on the enzymatic antioxidant system in serum from patients infected by SARS-CoV-2. We evaluated the enzymatic activities of thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), -S-transferase (GST), and reductase (GR) by spectrophotometry and the concentrations of the glutathione (GSH), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), thiols, nitrites (NO2-), and lipid peroxidation (LPO) in serum. The activity of the extracellular super oxide dismutase (ecSOD) was determined by native polyacrylamide gels, and 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT) was measured by ELISA. A decrease in the activities of the ecSOD, TrxR, GPx, GST GR, (p = 0 ≤ 0.1), and the GSH, TAC, thiols, and NO2- (p ≤ 0.001) concentrations and an increase in LPO and 3-NT (p = 0.001) concentrations were found in COVID-19 patients vs. healthy subjects. The treatment with NAC as an adjuvant therapy may contribute to a reduction in the OS associated to the infection by SARS-CoV-2 through the generation of GSH. GSH promotes the metabolic pathways that depend on it, thus contributing to an increase in TAC and to restore redox homeostasis.

Effects of sugarcane extract on growth and diarrhea of growing piglets

This experiment evaluated the effects of sugarcane extract (SCE) on growing pigs' diarrhea incidence, serum immunity, intestinal morphology, and antioxidant enzyme activity. A total of 116 52-day-old commercial pigs (Duroc × Landrace × Jiaxing Black, average weight of 11 ± 1 kg) were randomly allocated to control (CON, basal diet) and 1% SCE group (SCEG, basal diet + 1% SCE). The experiment lasted four weeks. Compared with CON, diarrhea incidence (SCEG: 74.11% versus CON: 54.76%) and diarrhea index (SCEG: 83.65% versus CON: 73.61%) dropped largely in pigs supplemented with SCE. Villus height in the duodenum ( p &lt; 0.01) and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth ( p &lt; 0.05) increased in SCEG. Dietary SCE enhanced the activity of catalase (CAT) capacity, and decreased tumor necrosis factor α, and malondialdehyde levels in serum ( p &lt; 0.05). CAT activity in the ileum increased ( p &lt; 0.05) in piglets supplemented with SCE. Thus, dietary supplementation with SCE improved diarrhea incidence, serum antioxidant capacity and immunity, and intestinal villus morphology and may be used as an efficient antibiotic alternative in weaned piglet feed.

Dietary bamboo leaf flavonoids improve quality and microstructure of broiler meat by changing untargeted metabolome

BackgroundDietary bamboo leaf flavonoids (BLFs) are rarely used in poultry production, and it is unknown whether they influence meat texture profile, perceived color, or microstructure.ResultsA total of 720 one-day-old Arbor Acres broilers were supplemented with a basal diet with 20 mg bacitracin/kg, 50 mg BLFs/kg, or 250 mg BLFs/kg or without additions. Data showed that the dietary BLFs significantly (P < 0.05) changed growth performance and the texture profile. In particular, BLFs increased birds’ average daily gain and average daily feed intake, decreased the feed:gain ratio and mortality rate, improved elasticity of breast meat, enhanced the gumminess of breast and leg meat, and decreased the hardness of breast meat. Moreover, a significant (P < 0.05) increase in redness (a*) and chroma (c*) of breast meat and c* and water-holding capacity of leg meat was found in BLF-supplemented broilers compared with control broilers. In addition, BLFs supplementation significantly decreased (P < 0.05) the β-sheet ratio and serum malondialdehyde and increased the β-turn ratio of protein secondary structure, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase of breast meat and total antioxidant capacity and catalase of serum. Based on the analysis of untargeted metabolome, BLFs treatment considerably altered 14 metabolites of the breast meat, including flavonoids, amino acids, and organic acids, as well as phenolic and aromatic compounds.ConclusionsDietary BLFs supplementation could play a beneficial role in improving meat quality and sensory color in the poultry industry by changing protein secondary structures and modulating metabolites.

Chamomile and Urtica dioica extracts improve immunological and histological alterations associated with polycystic ovarian syndrome in DHEA -induced mice

BackgroundOne of the novel mechanisms in the pathogenesis of Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is low-grade chronic inflammation. Chamomile (Matricaria recutita L.) and Nettle (Urtica dioica), with phytoestrogenic and antioxidant properties, are traditionally used to treat gynecological diseases. This study investigated the immune-modulating effects of these two plants.MethodsFollowing the induction of PCOS by subcutaneous injection (SC) of Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in BALB / C mice. Mice were treated in five groups: Sham, PCOS, PCOS + Chamomile, PCOS + Nettle, and PCOS + Chamomile and Nettle for 21 days. Ovarian morphology, blood antioxidant capacity, the abundance of Treg cells, and expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß), cyclooxygenase-2 genes (COX-2), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were measured.ResultsFolliculogenesis, Cystic follicles, and corpus luteum improved in the treatment groups (P < 0. 05). Treg cells in the DHEA group were significantly reduced compared to the Sham group (P < 0. 01). However, this decrease was not corrected in treatment groups (P > 0. 05). Total serum antioxidant capacity was significantly increased in the treatment group of Nettle and Chamomile + Nettle (P < 0. 05). The expression of MMP9 and TGFβ genes in the PCOS group was significantly higher than the Sham group (P < 0. 05), which the expression of MMP9 was corrected by treatment with Chamomile + Nettle extract (P < 0. 05).ConclusionChamomile and Nettle extract may be an effective supplement in improving the histological and immunological changes of PCOS. However, more research is needed to confirm its effectiveness in humans.

Effects of supplemental octanoate on hepatic lipid metabolism, serum biochemical indexes, antioxidant capacity and inflammation-related genes expression of large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) fed with high soybean oil diet.

Dietary high soybean oil (SO) levels might cause hepatic lipid deposition, induce oxidative stress and inflammatory response in aquatic animals, while octanoate (OCT) is beneficial to metabolism and health in mammals. However, the effect of OCT has been studied rarely in aquatic animals. In this study, a 10-week feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effect of supplemental OCT on hepatic lipid metabolism, serum biochemical indexes, antioxidant capacity and inflammatory response of large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) fed with high SO levels diet. The negative control diet contained 7% fish oil (FO), while the positive control diet contained 7% SO. The other four experimental diets were supplemented with 0.7, 2.1, 6.3 and 18.9 g/kg sodium octanoate (OCT) based on the positive control diet. Results showed that OCT supplementation effectively reduced the hepatic crude lipid, triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC) and non-esterified free fatty acids contents, and alleviated lipid accumulation caused by the SO diet. Meanwhile, OCT supplementation decreased the serum TG, TC, alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, increased the serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, improved the serum lipid profiles and alleviated hepatic injury. Furthermore, with the supplementation of OCT, the mRNA expression of genes related to lipogenesis (acc1, scd1, fas, srebp1, dgat1 and cebpα) and fatty acid (FA) transport (fabp3, fatp and cd36) were down-regulated, while the mRNA expression of genes related to lipolysis (atgl, hsl and lpl) and FA β-oxidation (cpt1 and mcad) were up-regulated. Besides that, dietary OCT increased the total antioxidant capacity, activities of peroxidase, catalase and superoxide dismutase and the content of reduced glutathione, decreased the content of 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine and malondialdehyde and relieved hepatic oxidative stress. Supplementation of 0.7 and 2.1 g/kg OCT down-regulated the mRNA expression of genes related to pro-inflammatory cytokines (tnfα, il1β and ifnγ), and suppressed hepatic inflammatory response. In conclusion, supplementation with 0.7-2.1 g/kg OCT could reduce hepatic lipid accumulation, relieve oxidative stress and regulate inflammatory response in large yellow croaker fed the diet with high SO levels, providing a new way to alleviate the hepatic fat deposition in aquatic animals.

Effects of dietary artemisinin on growth performance, digestive enzyme activity, intestinal microbiota, antioxidant capacity and immune biomarkers of Coral trout (Plectropomus leopardus)

Artemisinin is an active ingredient extracted from the Chinese medicine Artemisia carvifolia. The experiment investigated the effects of dietary artemisinin on growth performance, intestinal digestive enzyme activity and flora, antioxidant capacity, immune-related gene expression of Coral trout (Plectropomus leopardus). The 450 fish with an initial weight of 9.40 ± 0.04 g were randomly divided into 5 groups of 3 replicates and fed in 500 m3 fiberglass tank for 9 weeks. Five iso-nitrogenous (50% crude protein) and iso-lipidic (10% crude lipid) diets were formulated by supplementing various mass fractions of artemisinin (C0 0% as control; C0.2 0.20%, C0.4 0.40%, C0.8 0.80%, and C1.2 1.20%). The results showed that the C0.2 had the highest weight gain rate (WGR) compared to the others (P < 0.05). The levels of trypsin, amylase and lipase in the fish intestine reached their maximum values at C0.2 (P < 0.05). Compared to C0, feed supplementation with artemisinin significantly enhanced total antioxidant capacity in liver, intestine and serum, increased peroxidase, glutathione peroxidase, catalase and superoxide dismutase enzyme activities, and decreased malondialdehyde levels. The results of liver immune gene expression showed that tumor necrosis factor (TNFα), C-type lectin structural domain family 4 member M, myeloid differentiation factor 88 genes were significantly downregulated in the C0.8 group compared with the control group (P < 0.05). Analysis of the intestinal flora of C0, C0.2 and C1.2 showed that the supplementation of artemisinin reduced the relative abundance of conditionally pathogenic bacteria (Vibrio). In summary, dietary supplementation with artemisinin improved growth performance, enhanced nonspecific immunity and reduced the relative abundance of harmful flora in intestinal tract of Coral trout. Based on the quadratic regression analysis of WGR and dietary artemisinin levels, the recommended level of artemisinin supplements in the diet of Coral trout is 0.38%.

Improving flesh quality of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) by completely replacing dietary soybean meal with yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor).

In order to find viable alternative protein sources for aquaculture, we evaluated the effect of partial or complete replacement of dietary soybean meal with yellow mealworm (TM) on the flesh quality of grass carp. In this study, 180 grass carp (511.85±0.25g) were fed 3 experimental diets in which 0% (CN), 30% (YM30) and 100% (YM100) dietary soybean meal was replaced by TM for 90d. The results showed that growth performance, biological parameters and serum antioxidant capacity of grass carp were not affected by dietary TM (P>0.05). Both muscle and whole body crude protein were obviously promoted with the increase of dietary TM (P<0.05), and the concentration of heavy metal in muscle was not influenced (P>0.05), indicating that food safety was not influenced by TM. Dietary TM improved muscle textural characteristics by elevating adhesiveness, springiness and chewiness in YM100 (P<0.05). In addition, the muscle tenderness was significantly increased by declining the shear force (P<0.05). The muscle fiber density in YM30 &YM100 and length of dark bands and sarcomeres in YM100 were obviously increased (P<0.05). The expression of myf5, myog and myhc exhibited a significant upward trend with the increase of dietary TM (P<0.05), which promoted fiber density, length of sarcomere and texture of grass carp muscle. According to the results of metabolomics, the arachidonate (ARA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) were notably elevated in YM30 and YM100, which indicated that the improvement of flesh quality of grass carp may contribute to the dietary TM influence on muscle lipid metabolism, especially the polyunsaturated fatty acids. In conclusion, TM can completely replace dietary soybean meal and improve the nutritional value of grass carp.

Effects of Dietary Alpha-Lipoic Acid on Growth Performance, Serum Biochemical Indexes, Liver Antioxidant Capacity and Transcriptome of Juvenile Hybrid Grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus♀ × Epinephelus polyphekadion♂).

We aimed to investigate the effects of dietary alpha-lipoic acid (α-LA) on the growth performance, serum biochemical indexes, liver morphology, antioxidant capacity, and transcriptome of juvenile hybrid groupers (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus♀ × Epinephelus polyphekadion♂). Four experimental diets supplemented with 0 (SL0), 0.4 (L1), 0.6 (L2), and 1.2 (L3) g/kg α-LA were formulated and fed to three replicates of juvenile hybrid grouper (24.06 ± 0.15 g) for 56 d. The results indicated that dietary 0.4 and 0.6 g/kg α-LA significantly decreased the weight gain rate in juvenile hybrid groupers. Compared with SL0, the content of total protein in the serum of L1, L2, and L3 increased significantly, and alanine aminotransferase decreased significantly. The content of albumin in the serum of L3 increased significantly, and triglyceride, total cholesterol, and aspartate aminotransferase decreased significantly. In addition, the hepatocyte morphology in L1, L2, and L3 all showed varying degrees of improvement, and the activities of glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase in the liver of L2 and L3 were significantly increased. A total of 42 differentially expressed genes were screened in the transcriptome data. KEGG showed that a total of 12 pathways were significantly enriched, including the pathway related to immune function and glucose homeostasis. The expression of genes (ifnk, prl4a1, prl3b1, and ctsl) related to immune were significantly up-regulated, and the expressions of gapdh and eno1 genes related to glucose homeostasis were significantly down-regulated and up-regulated, respectively. In summary, dietary supplementation of 0.4 and 0.6 g/kg α-LA inhibited the growth performance of juvenile hybrid groupers. A total of 1.2 g/kg α-LA could reduce the blood lipid level, improve hepatocyte damage, and increase the hepatic antioxidant enzyme activity. Dietary α-LA significantly affected the pathway related to immune function and glucose homeostasis.

Effects of heat exposure and vitamin C intervention on oxidative stress and blood pressure changes in treadmill rats

Objective: To investigate the effect of oxidative stress caused by heat exposure on the blood pressure increase of treadmill rats and the intervention of antioxidants. Methods: In June 2021, Twenty-four healthy SD male rats were randomly divided into four groups: normal temperature feeding, normal temperature treadmill, high temperature treadmill and high temperature treadmill supplementation with vitamin C groups, 6 rats in each group. The rats run on the platform in normal temperature or heat exposure environment for 30 min in the morning and in the afternoon daily, 6 days per week. The daily vitamin C supplement dose of high temperature treadmill supplementation with vitamin C group was 10 mg/kg. BP recordings were done at the end of the week. The rat vascular lipofuscin (LF) was detected by ELISA, the rat serum nitric oxide (NO) was detected by nitrate reductase method, the serum malondialdehyde (MDA) was detected by thibabituric acid method, the serum glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were detected by chemiluminescence method, and the serum catalase (CAT) was detected by ammonium molybdate method. The total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) of serum was measured by iron reduction/antioxidant capacity method, and the content of nuclear erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) in vascular tissue was measured by Western blot. The intra-group mean was compared by repeated measurement analysis of variance, and the inter-group mean was compared by single-factor analysis of variance and post-event LSD-t test. Results: Compared with the previous time point, the systolic BP and diastolic BP of the high temperature treadmill group were significantly increased at 7, 14 and 21 d, and decreased at 28 d which were higher than the initial level (P<0.05), and the systolic BP and diastolic BP values at each experimental time point were significantly higher than those of normal temperature treadmill group (P<0.001). The changes of thickening of the artery wall, no smoothing of the endodermis and irregular arrangement of muscle cells in high temperature treadmill group were observed. Compared with the normal temperature treadmill group, the content of MDA in serum, and LF in vascular tissue were significantly increased, the activities of SOD, CAT, T-AOC, the content of NO in serum, and the expression of Nrf2 in vascular tissue were significantly decreased in high temperature treadmill group (P<0.05). Compared with the high temperature treadmill group, the systolic BP and diastolic BP values at 7, 14, 21 and 28 d, the content of serum MDA and LF in vascular tissue were significantly decreased, the activities of CAT and T-AOC, and the expression of Nrf2 in vascular tissue significantly increased (P<0.05), the histopathological changes of the artery wall improved in high temperature treadmill supplementation with vitamin C group. Conclusion: Heat exposure has effect on oxidative stress, which may be related to the increase of BP. Vitamin C as an anti-oxidative enhancer can prevent those negative effects, which could alleviate the pathological changes of vessel intima in heat-exposed rats. And the Nrf2 may be a regulated factor to vascular protection.

Preventive Effects of Pimpinella anisum L. and Dracocephalum moldavica L. Hydroalcoholic Extract Against Acute Contrast-induced Nephropathy

Background: Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is nephrotoxicity due to contrast media characterized by elevated serum creatinine levels. The formation of oxygen free radicals is one of the causes of CIN. Objective: Given the antioxidant properties of Pimpinella anisum L and Dracocephalum moldavica L, this study aimed to investigate the effects of their hydroalcoholic extracts on kidney tissue histopathology and CIN biochemical factors. Methods: In this experimental study, 40 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: 1) control, 2) contrast agent, 3) P. anisum+contrast agent, and 4) D. moldavica+contrast agent. After the tests, kidney tissue histopathological damages and related biochemical factors were evaluated. Results: Kidney tissue damage, levels of aspartate aminotransferase (GOT/AST), alanine aminotransferase (GPT/ALT) and blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine (P&lt;0.001), and malondialdehyde (P&lt;0.01) of kidney tissue were lower in both extract-treated groups than in contrast agent group, but the decrease in serum MDA was significant only in the group given P. anisum extract (P&lt;0.01). Serum antioxidant capacity was higher in P. anisum+contrast agent group than in the contrast agent group (P&lt;0.01). Kidney tissue antioxidant capacity was significantly higher in the groups given P. anisum and D. moldavica than in the contrast agent group (P&lt;0.01 and P&lt;0.001, respectively). In addition, hydroalcoholic extracts of P. anisum and D. moldavica resulted in a decrease in CIN. Conclusion: Given the decrease in CIN by P. anisum and D. moldavica extracts in rats, it seems that these plants are beneficial for people at risk who need to use contrast agents.

Oxidative stress-A key determinant of complications and negative outcome in hepatitis E virus infected pregnancies: A comprehensive account involving cases from northeast India.

Regulated oxidative stress (OS) is important during pregnancy. Sporadic studies suggest the significance of deregulated OS in hepatitis E virus (HEV) infected pregnancy, but with limited reactive oxygen species (ROS) or antioxidant markers. The present novel study, therefore, aimed to evaluate the significance of ROS-antioxidant imbalance and resulting altered OS in HEV infected pregnancy complications like preterm delivery (PTD) and outcome. Difference in serum levels of ROS and antioxidant panel of markers were evaluated by ELISA for HEV immunoglobulin M RNA positive genotype 1 cases (including acute [acute viral hepatitis, AVH] and fulminant [fulminant hepatic failure, FHF] cases) and healthy term delivery subjects, and analyzed statistically. Direct ROS marker H2 O2 levels and indirect OS marker for DNA damage 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine was significantly increased in HEV-cases compared to controls, and was associated and prognostic factor for PTD and fetal death in HEV cases. A comparatively lower total serum antioxidant capacity was observed in the FHF cases compared to the control subjects and the AVH cases. Glutathione (GSH) levels and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were significantly associated with PTD in the FHF sub-cohorts (p = 0.017) and AVH sub-cohorts (p < 0.001), respectively, and was associated with poor prognosis in HEV cases. The serum H2 O2 levels were found to be negatively correlated with SOD activity (p = 0.016) and GSH levels (p = 0.001) in the HEV-AVH cases; and positively correlated with the viral load in HEV cases (p = 0.023). The ROS-antioxidant imbalance resulting OS plays a detrimental associative role in HEV infected pregnancy complications like PTD and adverse pregnancy outcomes; and holds therapeutic significance.