Biochemistry Of Compounds Research Articles

Biochemistry of Redox-Active Sulphur Compounds in Mammalian Cells and Approaches to Detecting Them

The discovery of new classes of regulatory molecules in human and animal metabolism always leads to a large-scale study of their properties in the context of biochemistry, physiology, and pharmacology. About 20 years ago, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and its derivatives – active sulfur forms (ASFs): persulfides, polysulfides, nitrosothiols, sulfenic acids, etc. – became one of such classes of molecules. The participation of ASFs in a variety of physiological and pathological processes, such as regulation of vascular tone, inflammation, long-term potentialization in the central nervous system, etc., has been shown. Changes in ASF levels or patterns of modification of their targets are associated with a wide range of pathologies: cardiovascular, oncologic, neurodegenerative, and others. For a part of these processes, mechanisms have been studied that involve direct modification of regulatory (NF-κB, Keap1) or effector (GAFD, eNOS, TRPA1) proteins through reactions of cysteine residues and metal-containing centers with APS. The presence of different regulated enzymatic systems producing APS and numerous molecular targets allows us to consider H2S and its derivatives as an important class of small regulatory molecules. H2S is counted among the so-called “gas transmitters”, along with nitric oxide(II) and carbon monoxide. Over the last 20 years, a huge amount of data on the biochemistry of these compounds and approaches to their study has been accumulated.

A synbiotic made of an autochthonous Enterococcus durans strain and microbial polysaccharides improves broiler chicken health

PurposeThe gastrointestinal tract (GI) of organically fed desi chickens fosters a microbiota that can exclude pathogens and be potentially probiotic for improving the gut health of commercial chickens. MethodsA panel of strains were selectively cultured from desi chicken intestine and screened for their antagonism towards specific pathogens. Treating the culture free supernatant (CFS) of such strains with NaOH and proteases gives a picture of the antibacterial compound's biochemistry and determining its minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) provides a measure of potency. The most strongly antagonistic strains were tested in vitro for surviving the chicken GIT. Safety was examined using mucin degradation, gelatin liquefaction, hemolysis, antibiotic susceptibility and biogenic amine production. An in vivo trial was done on young male Ross chickens to evaluate the performance of a bespoke synbiotic formulation comprising of an Enterococcus durans strain (1x108 CFUg−1) with prebiotics Dextran or Levan (0.1% w/v) and with both and assessing its impact on broiler gut microbiota, body and carcass weight, histopathology of organ tissues, and biochemical markers. ResultsA panel of Enterococcus spp. (NPL1315-NPL1334) was obtained and the selected strains (NLP-1319, 20, 24, 27, 34) showed good bile, acid and phenol survival, and cell surface hydrophobicity but not autoaggregation and none of them were deemed unsafe. The synbiotic-fed chickens were significantly heavier, with lowered serum cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose levels and a lesser load of pathogens than the controls. ConclusionDesi chicken intestine can be a viable source of probiotics with good antagonistic potential capable of replacing antibiotics in poultry feed.