Animal Defense Research Articles

Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Oxidant Effects of p-Chloro-phenyl-selenoesterol on TNBS-Induced Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Mice.

This study aims to investigate the protective effect of p-chloro-phenyl-selenoesterol [PCS; 0,2 mg/kg; 10 ml/kg i.g.) in colitis induced by 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid [TNBS; 2 mg/100 µl 50% ethanol; intrarectally) in mice. Several parameters including weight, length, histological analyses determination, thiobarbituric acid reactive species, reactive species levels, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity of colon were evaluated. The serum levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-α) and interleukin 6 [IL-6) were also assessed. Treatment with PCS reduced the clinical and histopathologic severity of TNBS-induced colitis, characterized by colon length reduction and increased colon weight and microscopic intestinal inflammation. The therapeutic effects of PCS in this model were associated with significant decrease in proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6 and decrease in MPO activity. Furthermore, combined with improvements in inflammatory parameters, treatment with the PCS was able to decrease oxidative stress and to prevent the decrease in antioxidant defenses in animals with TNBS-induced colitis. This finding suggests that PCS can improve experimental colitis in mice and it could be a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of patients with IBD. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 709-717, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Short communication: Interaction of the isomers carvacrol and thymol with the antibiotics doxycycline and tilmicosin: In vitro effects against pathogenic bacteria commonly found in the respiratory tract of calves

Bovine respiratory disease is the major problem faced by cattle, specially calves, leading to reduced animal performance and increased mortality, consequently causing important economic losses. Hence, calves must be submitted to antibiotic therapy to counteract this infection usually initiated by the combination of environmental stress factors and viral infection, altering the animal's defense mechanism, and thus allowing lung colonization by the opportunistic bacteria Mannheimia haemolytica and Pasteurella multocida. Essential oils appear to be candidates to replace antibiotics or to act as antibiotic adjuvants due to their antimicrobial properties. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the 4 essential oil components carvacrol, thymol, trans-anethole, and 1,8 cineole as antibacterial agents or as adjuvants for the antibiotics doxycycline and tilmicosin against M. haemolytica and P. multocida. Bacteria were cultured according to standard protocols, followed by the determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration. A checkerboard assay was applied to detect possible interactions between components, between antibiotics, and between components and antibiotics. Doxycycline at 0.25 and 0.125 μg/mL inhibited the growth of P. multocida and M. haemolytica, respectively, whereas tilmicosin MIC values were 1.0 and 4.0 μg/mL for P. multocida and M. haemolytica, respectively. Carvacrol MIC values were 2.5 and 1.25 mM for P. multocida and M. haemolytica, respectively, whereas thymol MIC values were 1.25 and 0.625 mM for P. multocida and M. haemolytica, respectively. Trans-anethole and 1,8 cineole did not present any antibacterial effect even at 40 mM against the investigated pathogens. All minimum bactericidal concentration values were the same as MIC, except when thymol was tested against M. haemolytica, being twice the MIC data (i.e., 1.25 mM thymol). Based on fractional inhibitory concentration checkerboard assay, no interaction was observed between doxycycline and tilmicosin. Carvacrol and thymol presented an additive effect when one of them was combined with tilmicosin. Additive effect was also observed when doxycycline was combined with thymol. Synergism was observed when carvacrol was combined with doxycycline or with thymol. Although the antibacterial effects of the tested essential oil components were observed at high concentrations for in vitro conditions, the additive and synergic effects of carvacrol and thymol with antibiotics suggest the option to apply them as antibiotic adjuvants.

Dimerization of the fungal defense lectin CCL2 is essential for its toxicity against nematodes.

Lectins are used as defense effector proteins against predators, parasites and pathogens by animal, plant and fungal innate defense systems. These proteins bind to specific glycoepitopes on the cell surfaces and thereby interfere with the proper cellular functions of the various antagonists. The exact cellular toxicity mechanism is in many cases unclear. Lectin CCL2 of the mushroom Coprinopsis cinerea was previously shown to be toxic for Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster. This toxicity is dependent on a single, high-affinity binding site for the trisaccharide GlcNAc(Fucα1,3)β1,4GlcNAc, which is a hallmark of nematode and insect N-glycan cores. The carbohydrate-binding site is located at an unusual position on the protein surface when compared to other β-trefoil lectins. Here, we show that CCL2 forms a compact dimer in solution and in crystals. Substitution of two amino acid residues at the dimer interface, R18A and F133A, interfered with dimerization of CCL2 and reduced toxicity but left carbohydrate-binding unaffected. These results, together with the positioning of the two carbohydrate-binding sites on the surface of the protein dimer, suggest that crosslinking of N-glycoproteins on the surface of intestinal cells of invertebrates is a crucial step in the mechanism of CCL2-mediated toxicity. Comparisons of the number and positioning of carbohydrate-binding sites among different dimerizing fungal β-trefoil lectins revealed a considerable variability in the carbohydrate-binding patterns of these proteins, which are likely to correlate with their respective functions.

Non-contact automatic respiration monitoring in restrained rodents.

Prairie voles are socially monogamous rodents that form social bonds similar to those seen in primates. Social behavior investigation in these species, that include studying their breathing regulation, can provide us with an invaluable psychological model to understand social and emotional functions in both animals and humans. There have been several studies associated with the respiratory pattern of these species in the state of fear-induced defense. However, non-invasive measurement methods employed so far suffer from the lack of a natural experiment environment for the rodents. In this paper, we present a remote depth-based system, which applies a modified autocorrelation algorithm to automatically extract respiration patterns in small rodents. We evaluated our estimation accuracy through a series of experiments and comparing the extracted results with breathing rates obtained from visual inspection of synchronously collected RGB videos. In a preliminary test on a human participant, breathing rate was estimated with 100% accuracy, while the estimation accuracy was 94.8% for a restrained vole. Finally, we monitored the respiratory alternations of three voles in transition from a baseline, to a fearful state, and back to a normal state; the estimated breathing rates confirmed the existing hypothesis regarding animal defense strategies.

Removing MOVE

How is it that a group that self-identifies as “religious” and is associated with one of the most dramatic events in the United States during the 1980s could receive almost no attention from religious studies scholars? Furthermore, how is it that the court case in which said group was determined to not qualify as a “religion” has been discussed and challenged by legal scholars while being virtually ignored by religious scholars? This article documents and examines the treatment of The MOVE Organization within both religious and legal studies. Drawing on intersectionality theory, it is posited that the social locations of many MOVE members including racial status, commitment to the defense of animals, legal religious status, and incarceration status combine together and contribute strongly to the marginalization of them and their voices from the scope and concerns of dominant scholarship. If colorblind racism is one factor in sustaining racial domination, then exposure of the complexity of intersectional dynamics might help untangle, in the words of Patricia Hill Collins, a “matrix of domination.”

PRELIMINARY STUDY OF ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF THE SKIN SECRETIONS OF MALAYSIAN FROGS

Bioactive compounds that exhibit antimicrobial properties in frogs are parts of the animal defense against microbial infections. The lyophilized frog’s skin secretions containing varies bioactive compounds were subjected to screen for their antimicrobial activity. This study was conducted as part of an effort on the search of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) profiles of Malaysian frogs. The results indicate the collected frog skin secretion has antimicrobial effect against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. BLAST and standard phylogenetics were used to establish a preliminary identity of the frog samples.

Can Animals Be Moral?, by Mark Rowlands

Can animals be moral? In his book of that title, Mark Rowlands argues that they can be, in the sense that they can act for moral reasons. In Rowlands terminology, they can be ‘moral subjects’. Whether animals can act for moral reasons hinges on two questions: what capacities does acting for moral reasons require and do any animals have those capacities? The first addresses how high the bar is for moral subjecthood; the second whether any animals clear that bar. A defence of animals’ moral subjecthood is bar-clearing to the extent that it argues that animals possess capacities more robust than sceptics admit. A defence is bar-lowering to the extent that it argues that subjecthood does not require capacities as robust as sceptics allege. Rowlands defence is primarily bar-lowering. Acting for moral reasons does not require possessing the same concepts as we do (it’s enough if our concepts appropriately track theirs) or possessing moral concepts at all (it’s enough if they experience emotions the appropriateness of which presupposes the truth of a moral proposition) (Chapter 2). Nor does it require moral responsibility, acting for the sake of Aristotelian virtue, Kantian consciousness of the principles underlying one’s acts, or the Korsgaardian ability to ask whether one should obey the dictates of one’s inclinations (Chapter 3).

Structure and Function of the Nuclear Receptor Constitutive Androstane Receptor

Animal defense mechanisms against both endogenous and exogenous toxic compounds function mainly through receptor-type transcription factors, including the constitutive androstane receptor (CAR). Following xenobiotic stimulation, CAR translocates into the nucleus and transactivates its target genes including oxygenic and conjugative enzymes and transporters in hepatocytes. We identified subcellular localization signals in the rat CAR: two nuclear localization signals (NLS1 and 2); two nuclear export signals (NES1 and 2); and a cytoplasmic retention region. The nuclear import of CAR is regulated by the importin-Ran system and microtubule network. Five splice variants (SV1-5) were identified in rat liver in addition to wild-type CAR. When expressed in immortalized cells, their artificial transcripts were inactive as transcription factors. A CAR mutant with three consecutive alanine residues inserted into the ligand-binding domain of CAR showed ligand-dependent activation of target genes in immortalized cells, which is in marked contrast to the constitutive transactivating nature of wild-type CAR. Using this assay system, androstenol and clotrimazole, both of which are inverse agonists of CAR, were classified as an antagonist and weak agonist, respectively. A member of the DEAD box DNA/RNA helicase family (DP97) and protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) were found to be gene (or promotor)-specific coactivators of CAR. The expression of the CAR gene might be under the control of clock genes mediated by the nuclear receptor Rev-erb-α.

Differential immune response of vitellogenin gene to Vibrio anguillarum in noble scallop Chlamys nobilis and its correlation with total carotenoid content.

Vitellogenin (Vg), an egg yolk precursor protein, not only functions as a source of nutrients and a nonpolar molecular carrier that combine and transfer lipids, proteins, vitamin and carotenoids to oocytes during the oogenesis. but also links with the immune defense in many oviparous animals. To investigate whether Vg plays a immune defensive role in noble scallop Chlamys nobilis, an acute Vibrio anguillarum infection experiment was conducted in orange and brown scallops with different carotenoids content. qRT-PCR result showed that Vg transcripts were significantly up-regulated after challenge with V. anguillarum in orange and brown shell scallops compared to the control group and Vg expression reached the highest spot at 6 h, indicated that Vg possessed an immune function in the noble scallop. Interestingly, a significantly positive correlation between Vg transcript levels and total carotenoids content in the ovary was observed, indicating that Vg gene expression was up regulated by carotenoids. The results suggest that Vg is a potent immune protector and carotenoid may linked with Vg plays an important role in host immune system against pathogens in noble scallop C. nobilis.

Prevalence of Parvovirus Infection in Household Dogs with Special Reference to its Effects on Some Blood Parameters

Canine parvovirus (CPV) is one of the most important viral diseases causes enteritis in puppies. Neglected cases usually dead due to severe dehydration and anemia as sequels to enteritis and bloody diarrhea associated with leukopenia which plays an important role in lowering of the animal immunity and defense mechanisms. In the current study detection of this infection was depended on clinical examination and confirmed by using fast sero-diagnostic kit. Twenty-eight animals out of one-hundred were suspected and showed the main clinical signs of enteritis including vomiting and diarrhea. Results revealed that 20 animals were positive for the CPV infection. Animals of four months old were more susceptible, especially German shepherd dogs. Significantly decrease of the total RBCs count, HCT, Hemoglobin, leukocytes and lymphocytes levels were reported in the clinically infected animals.

“The Utmost Care, Kindness, and Consideration”: The MPPDA versus Allegations of Animal Abuse, 1923–1925

This essay provides a case study of the extended conflict between an animal welfare organization, the American Animal Defense League, and the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) that took place between 1923 and 1925. The essay distinguishes among actual cruelty inflicted on animals during production; “suggestive” cruelty, which appeared on screen but could have been achieved through filmmaking techniques without actual harm to animals; and general negligence of animals living under the care of studios. Drawing extensively on MPPDA archival records and historical newspapers, the essay foregrounds the importance of animal cruelty as a concern of the American film industry and provides an early demonstration of MPPDA president Will Hays’s strategies for negotiating with pressure groups as well as the press.

Nitro-Fatty Acids in Plant Signaling: Nitro-Linolenic Acid Induces the Molecular Chaperone Network in Arabidopsis.

Nitro-fatty acids (NO2-FAs) are the product of the reaction between reactive nitrogen species derived of nitric oxide (NO) and unsaturated fatty acids. In animal systems, NO2-FAs are considered novel signaling mediators of cell function based on a proven antiinflammatory response. Nevertheless, the interaction of NO with fatty acids in plant systems has scarcely been studied. Here, we examine the endogenous occurrence of nitro-linolenic acid (NO2-Ln) in Arabidopsis and the modulation of NO2-Ln levels throughout this plant's development by mass spectrometry. The observed levels of this NO2-FA at picomolar concentrations suggested its role as a signaling effector of cell function. In fact, a transcriptomic analysis by RNA-seq technology established a clear signaling role for this molecule, demonstrating that NO2-Ln was involved in plant defense response against different abiotic-stress conditions, mainly by inducing heat shock proteins and supporting a conserved mechanism of action in both animal and plant defense processes. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that NO2-Ln was also involved in the response to oxidative stress conditions, mainly depicted by H2O2, reactive oxygen species, and oxygen-containing compound responses, with a high induction of ascorbate peroxidase expression. Closely related to these results, NO2-Ln levels significantly rose under several abiotic-stress conditions such as wounding or exposure to salinity, cadmium, and low temperature, thus validating the outcomes found by RNA-seq technology. Jointly, to our knowledge, these are the first results showing the endogenous presence of NO2-Ln in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and supporting the strong signaling role of these molecules in the defense mechanism against different abiotic-stress situations.

Lectin-Based Profiling of Coelomocytes in Holothuria scabra and Expression of Superoxide Dismutase in Purified Coelomocytes.

Coelomocytes are the first line of immune defense in marine animals. Their distributions are greatly variable even in the close animal species. In this study, we used lectin staining to aid in the classification and purification of these cells for further investigation of SOD distribution among coelomocytes of H. scraba. We classified coelomocytes into four types: type 1, lymphocytes; type 2, phagocytes; type 3, spherulocytes; and type 4, giant cells. Among four lectins used, Con A appeared to give a broad reactivity against most coelomocytes, except for giant cells. In addition, phagocytes usually engaged the highest fluorescent intensity with most lectins, with the exception of PNA, for which spherulocytes possessed the highest fluorescent intensity. Using FACS for fraction collection, it was found that F1 fraction contained the purest phagocyte population (> 95%), which was highly reactive with anti- superoxide dismutase (SOD) as revealed by immunoblotting and immunofluorescence staining, although some minor staining was also detected in spherulocytes. Our results thus provide a fundamental platform for comparing alterations that may happen to the population and SOD contents of coelomocytes when the sea cucumber is subjected to environmental changes that would activate their immune responses.

Interactions between nutritional approaches and defences against microbial diseases in small ruminants

Objective of this review is to discuss the role of small ruminant diet in the defence of these animals against microbial diseases, in relation to different experimental approaches and various stressors acting on animals. The effects of various diets in immune reactions and animal defences are presented. Also, effects in relation to the species studied and the type of stressors acting on animals are discussed. Evidence is provided about the significance of the diet in enhancing immune responses of small ruminants during specific conditions, e.g., around parturition, during lactation, as well as in growing lambs or kids.

Simulation of movement that potentially maximizes assessment, presence, and defense in territorial animals with varying movement strategies

Brown et al. (2011) published a simulation model that could be used as a sub-model for larger simulations (e.g. at the population level) to investigate how individuals may optimize territorial movements while sampling a territory for resources. In their example, a male fish guards a territory against neighbor males while interacting with a mate (the resource), but all individuals employed the same, matching (relative-movement), strategies. We contrast the results of this model with a model that allows individuals to use independent movement strategies. Using mean encounter rate (MER) between individuals, and the coefficient of variation (CV), as metrics, we found that in all but the smallest territories, of all aspects (length-to-width ratios), variant relative-movement strategies are not determinant in maximizing territorial presence (male–neighbor male interactions) or minimizing its variation. Directed movement (low-movement angle strategies) appears to accomplish this, regardless of behavior relative to others. In contrast, in small territories, directed movement does not optimize territorial presence, regardless of territory aspect, and mismatched relative-movement strategies are typically optimal. Social presence (within territory male–female interactions) is more complex. In larger territories, again a general pattern of a low-movement angle strategy was optimal. However, aspects and steps sizes (distances between movement decisions) became influential. Once again, directed movement appears to take on lesser importance in smaller territories. Concerning optimizing relative-movement strategies, matching, or no strategy, is optimal except for small, high aspect, territories. We conclude that a prudent approach in future efforts with the model will be to utilize a “top-down approach” by only removing the complexity involving varying movement strategies from simulations if they are found to be unnecessary for the situation simulated.

New insights into the role of siderophores as triggers of plant immunity: what can we learn from animals?

Microorganisms use siderophores to obtain iron from the environment. In pathogenic interactions, siderophores are involved in iron acquisition from the host and are sometimes necessary for the expression of full virulence. This review summarizes the main data describing the role of these iron scavengers in animal and plant defence systems. To protect themselves against iron theft, mammalian hosts have developed a hypoferremia strategy that includes siderophore-binding molecules called siderocalins. In addition to microbial ferri-siderophore sequestration, siderocalins are involved in triggering immunity. In plants, no similar mechanisms have been described and many fewer data are available, although recent advances have shed light on the role of siderophores in plant-pathogen interactions. Siderophores can trigger immunity in plants in several contexts. The most frequently described situation involving siderophores is induced systemic resistance (ISR) triggered by plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria. Although ISR responses have been observed after treating roots with certain siderophores, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Immunity can also be triggered by siderophores in leaves. Siderophore perception in plants appears to be different from the well-known perception mechanisms of other microbial compounds, known as microbe-associated molecular patterns. Scavenging iron per se appears to be a novel mechanism of immunity activation, involving complex disturbance of metal homeostasis. Receptor-specific recognition of siderophores has been described in animals, but not in plants. The review closes with an overview of the possible mechanisms of defence activation, via iron scavenging by siderophores or specific siderophore recognition by the plant host.

Deficient plastidic fatty acid synthesis triggers cell death by modulating mitochondrial reactive oxygen species.

Programmed cell death (PCD) is of fundamental importance to development and defense in animals and plants. In plants, a well-recognized form of PCD is hypersensitive response (HR) triggered by pathogens, which involves the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and other signaling molecules. While the mitochondrion is a master regulator of PCD in animals, the chloroplast is known to regulate PCD in plants. Arabidopsis Mosaic Death 1 (MOD1), an enoyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) reductase essential for fatty acid biosynthesis in chloroplasts, negatively regulates PCD in Arabidopsis. Here we report that PCD in mod1 results from accumulated ROS and can be suppressed by mutations in mitochondrial complex I components, and that the suppression is confirmed by pharmaceutical inhibition of the complex I-generated ROS. We further show that intact mitochondria are required for full HR and optimum disease resistance to the Pseudomonas syringae bacteria. These findings strongly indicate that the ROS generated in the electron transport chain in mitochondria plays a key role in triggering plant PCD and highlight an important role of the communication between chloroplast and mitochondrion in the control of PCD in plants.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in candidate genes and their relation with somatic cell scores in Argentinean dairy cattle.

The prevention and control of bovine mastitis by enhancing natural defenses in animals is important to improve the quality of dairy products. Mastitis resistance is a complex trait which depends on genetic components, as well as environmental and physiological factors. The limitations of classical control measures have led to the search for alternative approaches to minimize the use of antibiotics by selecting naturally resistant animals. Polymorphisms in genes associated with the innate immune system are strong candidates to be evaluated as genetic markers. In this work, we evaluated a set of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in candidate genes for health and production traits, and determined their association with the somatic cell score (SCS) as an indicator of mastitis in Argentinean dairy cattle. We evaluated 941 cows: Holstein (n = 677) and Holstein × Jersey (n = 264) crossbred, daughters from 22 bulls from 14 dairy farms located in the central dairy area of Argentina. Two of the 21 successfully genotyped markers were found to be significantly associated (p < 0.05) with the SCS: GHR_140 and OPN_8514C-T. The heterozygote genotype for GHR_140 showed a favorable effect in reducing the SCS. On the other hand, heterozygote genotypes for OPN8514C-T caused an increase in the SCS; moreover, combined genotypes for OPN SNPs showed an even larger effect. These findings can contribute to the design of effective marker-assisted selection programs.

Animals in a bacterial world: opportunities for chemical ecology.

This Viewpoint article provides a brief and selective summary of research on the chemical ecology underlying symbioses between bacteria and animals. Animals engage in multiple highly specialized interactions with bacteria that reflect their long coevolutionary history. The article focuses on a few illustrative but hardly exhaustive examples in which bacterially produced small molecules initiate a developmental step with important implications for the evolution of animals, provide signals for the maturation of mammalian immune systems, and furnish chemical defenses against microbial pathogens.

Immunization effect of Proteus vulgaris fimbrial and lipopolysaccharide antigens in histopathological changes in some internal organ

The aim of this study to conduct the effects of fimbrial and lipopolysacchride (LPS) immunization is on the pathohistological changes in rabbits, Fifteen rabbits of both sexes (Weight 1500-2000 gm) divided into three groups (5 animals of each group). The first group was immunized by 1ml (200µg /animal) of fimbrial subcutaneously the second group gave 1 ml ( 200 µg /animal) LPS while the third group was left as negative control group that injected 1 ml phosphate buffer control subcutaneously. First and second groups recived the same dose after two weeks give as booster dose. All animals challenged after 5 weeks of immunization by5X107CFU/ml Proteus vulgaris intra peritoneally .After 7 days from challenge all the animals, sacrificed for histopathological examination . The results showed that the fimbrial group had a severe infiltrations of mononucleart cells in liver and kidney ,but there was no clear histopathological changes observed in the spleen compared with lipopolysaccharide and control group . Also this group showed a slight mononuclear cells infiltration in lamina properia of intestine ;while the lipopolysaccharide group showed hypertrophy of epithelial cells with a mild mononuclear cells infiltration in lamina properia as compared with the control group that showed presence of mononuclear cells aggregation in the lamina properia .Our conclusion That the defense of animals against Proteus vulgaris more efficient in fimbrial antigen than lipopolysaccharide antigen by decrease the pathological effects of this bacteria.