Auricularia auricula polysaccharides attenuate obesity in mice through gut commensal Papillibacter cinnamivorans.

INTRODUCTION: Auricularia auricula is a well-known traditional edible and medical fungus with high nutritional and pharmacological values, as well as metabolic and immunoregulatory properties. Nondigestible fermentable polysaccharides are identified as primary bioactive constituents of Auricularia auricula extracts. However, the exact mechanisms underlying the effects of Auricularia auricula polysaccharides (AAP) on obesity and related metabolic endpoints, including the role of the gut microbiota, remain insufficiently understood. METHODS: The effects of AAP on obesity were assessed within high-fat diet (HFD)-based mice through obesity trait analysis and metabolomic profiling. To determine the mechanistic role of the gut microbiota in observed anti-obesogenic effects AAP, faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) and pseudo-germ-free mice model treated with antibiotics were also applied, together with 16S rRNA genomic-derived taxonomic profiling. RESULTS: High-fat diet (HFD) murine exposure to AAP thwarted weight gains, reduced fat depositing and enhanced glucose tolerance, together with upregulating thermogenesis proteomic biomarkers within adipose tissue. Serum metabolome indicated these effects were associated with changes in fatty acid metabolism. Intestine-dwelling microbial population assessments discovered that AAP selectively enhanced Papillibacter cinnamivorans, a commensal bacterium with reduced presence in HFD mice. Notably, HFD mice treated with oral formulations of P. cinnamivorans attenuated obesity, which was linked to decreased intestinal lipid transportation and hepatic thermogenesis. Mechanistically, it was demonstrated that P. cinnamivorans regulated intestinal lipids metabolism and liver thermogenesis by reducing the proinflammatory response and gut permeability in a JAK-STAT signaling-related manner. CONCLUSION: Datasets from the present study show that AAP thwarted dietary-driven obesity and metabolism-based disorders by regulating intestinal lipid transportation, a mechanism that is dependent on the gut commensal P. cinnamivorans. These results indicated AAP and P. cinnamivorans as newly identified pre- and probiotics that could serve as novel therapeutics against obesity.

Faecal microbiota transplantation-mediated jejunal microbiota changes halt high-fat diet-induced obesity in mice via retarding intestinal fat absorption.

Faecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) is considered as a promising technology to fight against obesity. Wild boar has leanermuscle and less fat in comparison to the domestic pig, which were thought to be related with microbiota. To investigate the function and mechanism of the wild boar microbiota on obesity, we first analysed the wild boar microbiota composition via 16S rDNA sequencing, which showed that Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were the dominant bacteria. Then, we established a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity model, and transfer low and high concentrations of wild boar faecal suspension in mice for 9 weeks. The results showed that FMT prevented HFD-induced obesity and lipid metabolism disorders, and altered the jejunal microbiota composition especially increasing the abundance of the Lactobacillus and Romboutsia, which were negatively correlated with obesity-related indicators. Moreover, we found that the anti-obesity effect of wild boar faecal suspension was associated with jejunal N6-methyladenosine (m6 A) levels. Overall, these results suggest that FMT has a mitigating effect on HFD-induced obesity, which may be due to the impressive effects of FMT on the microbial composition and structure of the jejunum. These changes further alter intestinal lipid metabolism and m6 A levels to achieve resistance to obesity.

Dietary fatty acids in gut health: Absorption, metabolism and function.

In biological responses, fatty acids (FA) are absorbed and metabolized in the form of substrates for energy production. The molecular structures (number of double bonds and chain length) and composition of dietary FA impact digestion, absorption and metabolism, and the biological roles of FA. Recently, increasing evidence indicates that FA are essentially utilized as an energy source and are signaling molecules that exert physiological activity of gut microbiota and immune responses. In addition, FA could serve as natural ligands for orphan G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR), also called free fatty acid receptors (FFAR), which intertwine metabolic and immune systems via multiple mechanisms. The present review explores the recent findings on FA absorption and its impact on gut health, particularly addressing the mechanism by which dietary FA potentially influences intestinal microbiota and epithelial functions. Also, this work attempts to uncover research ideas for devising future strategies for manipulating the composition of dietary FA to regulate gut health and support a normal immune system for metabolic and immune disorders.

Cathelicidin-WA Protects Against LPS-Induced Gut Damage Through Enhancing Survival and Function of Intestinal Stem Cells.

Preservation of intestinal stem cells (ISCs) plays a critical role in initiating epithelial regeneration after intestinal injury. Cathelicidin peptides have been shown to participate in regulating intestinal damage repair. However, it is not known how exactly Cathelicidin-WA (CWA) exert its function after tissue damage. Using a gut injury model in mice involving Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), we observed that CWA administration significantly improved intestinal barrier function, preserved ISCs survival, and augmented ISCs viability within the small intestine (SI) under LPS treatment. In addition, CWA administration effectively prevented proliferation stops and promoted the growth of isolated crypts. Mechanistically, our results show that the appearance of γH2AX was accompanied by weakened expression of SETDB1, a gene that has been reported to safeguard genome stability. Notably, we found that CWA significantly rescued the decreased expression of SETDB1 and reduced DNA damage after LPS treatment. Taken together, CWA could protect against LPS-induced gut damage through enhancing ISCs survival and function. Our results suggest that CWA may become an effective therapeutic regulator to treat intestinal diseases and infections.

Roles of FAM134B in diseases from the perspectives of organelle membrane morphogenesis and cellular homeostasis.

Family with sequence similarity 134 member B (FAM134B)/RETREG1/JK1 is a novel gene with recently reported roles in various diseases. Understanding the function and mechanism of action of FAM134B is necessary to develop disease therapies. Notably, emerging data are clarifying the molecular mechanisms of FAM134B function in organelle membrane morphogenesis and the regulation of signaling pathways, such as the Wnt and AKT signaling pathways. In addition, transcription factors, RNA N6 -methyladenosine-mediated epigenetic regulation, microRNA, and small molecules are involved in the regulation of FAM134B expression. This review comprehensively considers recent studies on the role of FAM134B and its potential mechanisms in neurodegenerative diseases, obesity, viral diseases, cancer, and other diseases. The functions of FAM134B in maintaining cell homeostasis by regulating Golgi morphology, endoplasmic reticulum autophagy, and mitophagy are also highlighted, which may be the underlying mechanism of FAM134B gene mutation-induced diseases. Moreover, the molecular mechanisms of the FAM134B function during numerous biological processes are discussed. This review provides novel insights into the functions and mechanisms of FAM134B in various diseases, which will inform the development of effective drugs to treat diseases.

Overall assessment of antibiotic substitutes for pigs: a set of meta-analyses.

BACKGROUND: Antibiotic growth promoters are widely used to improve weight gain. However, the abuse of antibiotics can have many negative effects on people. Developing alternatives to antibiotics is an urgent need in livestock production. We aimed to perform a meta-analysis and network meta-analysis (NMA) to investigate the effects of feed additives as potential antibiotic substitutes (ASs) on bacteriostasis, growth performance, intestinal morphology and immunity. Furthermore, the primary, secondary, and tertiary ASs were defined by comparing their results with the results of antibiotics. RESULTS: Among 16,309 identified studies, 37 were summarized to study the bacteriostasis effects of feed additives, and 89 were included in the meta-analysis and NMA (10,228 pigs). We summarized 268 associations of 57 interventions with 32 bacteria. The order of bacteriostasis effects was as follows: antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) ≈ antibiotics>organic acids>plant extracts>oligosaccharides. We detected associations of 11 feed additives and 11 outcomes. Compared with a basal diet, plant extract, AMPs, probiotics, microelements, organic acids, bacteriophages, lysozyme, zymin, and oligosaccharides significantly improved growth performance (P < 0.05); organic acids, probiotics, microelements, lysozyme, and AMPs remarkably increased the villus height:crypt depth ratio (V/C) (P < 0.05); and plant extracts, zymin, microelements, probiotics, and organic acids notably improved immunity (P < 0.05). The optimal AMP, bacteriophage, lysozyme, microelements, oligosaccharides, organic acids, plants, plant extracts, probiotics, and zymin doses were 0.100%, 0.150%, 0.012%, 0.010%, 0.050%, 0.750%, 0.20%, 0.040%, 0.180%, and 0.100%, respectively. Compared with antibiotics, all investigated feed additives exhibited no significant difference in effects on growth performance, IgG, and diarrhoea index/rate (P > 0.05); AMPs and microelements significantly increased V/C (P < 0.05); and zymin significantly improved lymphocyte levels (P < 0.05). Furthermore, linear weighting sum models were used to comprehensively estimate the overall impact of each feed additive on pig growth and health. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that AMPs and plant extracts can be used as primary ASs for weaned piglets and growing pigs, respectively. Bacteriophages, zymin, plants, probiotics, oligosaccharides, lysozyme, and microelements can be regarded as secondary ASs. Nucleotides and organic acids can be considered as tertiary ASs. Future studies should further assess the alternative effects of combinational feed additives.

Effects of Dietary Cottonseed Oil and Cottonseed Meal Supplementation on Liver Lipid Content, Fatty Acid Profile and Hepatic Function in Laying Hens.

Antinutrients, such as cyclopropene fatty acids (CPFAs) and free gossypol (FG), present together in cottonseed have caused numerous adverse effects on liver health and egg quality of laying hens, which are both likely to be related to a disturbance in lipid metabolism. This experiment employed a 3 × 3 factorial arrangement using corn-soybean-meal-based diets supplemented with different levels of cottonseed oil (0%, 2%, or 4% CSO) containing CPFAs and cottonseed meal (0%, 6%, or 12% CSM) containing FG to elucidate the effects of them or their interaction on fatty acid profile, lipid content, and liver health of laying hens. An overall increase in fatty acid saturation and an overall significant decrease (p < 0.05) in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) were shown in the livers of hens fed diets with either 2% or 4% CSO. Meanwhile, the concentration of liver cholesterol, serum cholesterol, and serum LDL-c of hens fed a diet supplemented with a high level of CSO (4%) were noticeably increased (p < 0.05). Even though the supplementation of 4% CSO in diets aroused beneficial influences on liver function, a high level of CSO inclusion in laying hens' diets is not recommended due to its hypercholesterolemia effect. In conclusion, supplementation of CSO, which contains 0.20% CPFAs, was the primary cause of alteration in fatty acid composition and cholesterol content in hens, while no interaction between CSM and CSO nor CSM effect was found for lipid profile and liver health in laying hen.

Multi-Omics Analysis of the Gut-Liver Axis Reveals the Mechanism of Liver Injury in Colitis Mice.

Liver injury is a common complication of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, the mechanisms of liver injury development are not clear in IBD patients. Gut microbiota is thought to be engaged in IBD pathogenesis. Here, by an integrated analysis of host transcriptome and colonic microbiome, we have attempted to reveal the mechanism of liver injury in colitis mice. In this study, dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) -induced mice colitis model was constructed. Liver transcriptome showed significant up- and down-regulation of pathways linked to immune response and lipid metabolism, respectively. Whilst the colon transcriptome exhibited dramatic alterations in immune response and pathways associated with cell growth and death. The microbiota of DSS-treated mice underwent strong transitions. Correlation analyses identified genes associated with liver and colon injury, whose expression was associated with the abundance of liver and gut health-related bacteria. Collectively, the results indicate that the liver injury in colitis mice may be related to the intestinal dysbiosis and host-microbiota interactions. These findings may provide new insights for identifying potential targets for the treatment of IBD and its induced liver injury.

Increased Consumption of Sulfur Amino Acids by Both Sows and Piglets Enhances the Ability of the Progeny to Adverse Effects Induced by Lipopolysaccharide.

This study determined the effects of increased consumption of sulfur amino acids (SAA), as either DL-Met or Hydroxy-Met (OH-Met), by sows and piglets on their performance and the ability of the progeny to resist a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge. Thirty primiparous sows were fed a diet adequate in SAA (CON) or CON + 25% SAA, either as DL-Met or OH-Met from gestation day 85 to postnatal day 21. At 35 d old, 20 male piglets from each treatment were selected and divided into 2 groups (n = 10/treatment) for a 3 × 2 factorial design [diets (CON, DL-Met or OH-Met) and challenge (saline or LPS)]. OH-Met and/or DL-Met supplementation increased (p ≤ 0.05) piglets' body weight gain during day 0-7 and day 7-14. Sow's milk quality was improved in the supplemented treatments compared to the CON. The LPS challenge decreased (p ≤ 0.05) piglets' performance from 35 to 63 d and increased (p ≤ 0.05) the levels of aspartate aminotransferase, total bilirubin, IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-a, and malondialdehyde. Plasma albumin, total protein, total antioxidant capacity and glutathione peroxidase decreased post-challenge. The results were better with OH-Met than DL-Met. The increase of Met consumption, particularly as OH-Met increased piglets' growth performance during the lactation phase and the challenging period.

Overall assessment of fermented feed for pigs: a series of meta-analyses.

As an alternative to antimicrobial growth promoters, fermented feed (FF) has been continuously developed for two decades; however, its effects on feed, performance, digestibility, and meat quality of pigs have yet to be systematically and comprehensively evaluated. This study aimed to (i) quantitatively evaluate the effects of fermentation on nutritional components of feed stuffs; (ii) quantitatively evaluate the effects of FF on pig growth performance, digestibility, and meat quality; and (iii) explore the dose-effect relationship. From PubMed and Web of Science (searched range from January 1, 2000 to April 4, 2019), we collected 3,271 articles, of which 30 articles (3,562 pigs) were included in our meta-analysis. Our analysis revealed that fermentation significantly increased the CP content in feed (P < 0.05). For weaned piglets and growing pigs, FF significantly improved ADG, G:F, DM digestibility, N digestibility, and energy digestibility (P < 0.05). However, compared with the basal diet, FF had no significant effects on growth performance and nutrient digestibility in finishing pigs (P > 0.05). In the subgroup analyses, fermented ingredients increased the growth performance of weaned piglets and growing pigs, and fermented additives promoted the growth of pigs at all stages. The dose-effect analysis confirmed that the optimal doses of fermented ingredients and additives were 8% and 0.15%, respectively. Furthermore, FF had beneficial impacts on meat quality through increased lightness, redness, marbling and flavor and reduced drip loss (P < 0.05). In conclusions, FF improved growth performance and meat quality primarily due to its positive effects on nutritive value and utilization.

The effects of dietary cottonseed meal and oil supplementation on laying performance and egg quality of laying hens.

Cottonseed meal (CSM) and cottonseed oil (CSO), two cottonseed products, are rich in protein and lipids, respectively, but their use is limited by antinutritional factors in the products. This study investigated the effect of different dietary levels of CSM and CSO supplementation on the laying performance and egg quality of laying hens. A total of 162 24-week-old Hy-Line brown laying hens were randomly assigned to diets supplemented with 0, 6%, or 12% CSM and 0, 2%, or 4% CSO in a 3 × 3 factorial design. During the 8-week feeding trial, laying performance and egg quality parameters were measured weekly. Furthermore, a texture profile analysis (TPA) of the egg yolks was conducted, and the fatty acid profiles and protein composition of the yolks were measured to further determine egg quality. CSM supplementation decreased (p < 0.01) egg production and feed efficiency and increased (p < 0.01) yolk color, eggshell rate, and shell thickness, but had no significant effects on the TPA parameters, fatty acid profiles, and protein components of egg yolks. CSO supplementation resulted in decreases (p < 0.01) in egg production, egg weight, and feed efficiency and an increase (p < 0.01) in yolk color. In addition, CSO supplementation with two weeks of cold storage changed the physical properties of boiled egg yolks, as indicated by increased (p < 0.01) hardness, springiness, cohesiveness, and chewiness. Furthermore, 4% CSO supplementation increased the ratio of saturated/monounsaturated fatty acids (SAFA/MUFA) and the protein content of egg yolks, which was accompanied by a modified protein composition. These results indicate that CSM supplementation reduces laying performance and egg quality, and CSO supplementation decreases laying performance and results in egg yolk hardening by modifying its components.

Refined cottonseed oil as a replacement for soybean oil in broiler diet.

With the shortage of common vegetable fat sources, such as soybean oil (SBO), it is urgent to find alternative oil sources for broiler producers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of refined cottonseed oil (CSO) as a replacement for SBO in broiler diets. A total of 180 chickens at 1 d of age were randomly assigned to five treatments of six replicates. One treatment was the basal diet (control), and the other four experimental diets were formulated from the basal diet by replacing (w/w) 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of the SBO with refined CSO (only containing 0.2% cyclopropenoid fatty acids, and no free gossypol was detected). At the end of week 6, blood samples were obtained from the jugular vein and the breast muscle was aseptically isolated from two birds per replicate. The results showed that substitution of CSO for low-level SBO had no significant effect (p > 0.05) on broiler performance during the starter period (week 1-3), while 50% level of CSO inclusion significantly increased (p < 0.05) ADG and improved FCR compared with the control group during the finisher period (week 4-6). Broilers fed 100% CSO diets had lower (p < 0.05) levels of serum total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), cholesterol (CHO) concentrations, and serum alkaline phosphatase (AKP) activity than that of the control broilers. Furthermore, the serum antioxidant status appeared to be enhanced by CSO. Additionally, high levels of CSO (75 and 100%) significantly increased the proportions of C14:0 and C18:0 but decreased the proportions of C18:1n9t, C18:2n6c, and ∑ n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in breast muscles of broilers. Overall, the SBO could be replaced with refined CSO up to 50% in diets for broilers without adversely affecting the performance, liver functions, and breast muscle fatty acid composition of these broilers.

Effects of dietary cottonseed oil and cottonseed meal supplementation on the structure, nutritional composition of egg yolk and gossypol residue in eggs.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary non-gossypol cottonseed oil (CSO) or cottonseed meal (CSM) and their interactions on the texture properties, structure, nutritional composition, and edible safety of egg yolk. A total of 162 24-wk-old Hy-line Brown laying hens were randomly allocated into 9 diet treatments with 6 replicates of 3 hens per cage. A 3 × 3 factorial design using corn soybean meal-based diets supplemented with 0, 6, or 12% CSM and 0, 2, or 4% CSO in place of soybean meal and soybean oil, respectively, was utilized. The experiment lasted for 8 wk. Eggs obtained from the CSO groups had an egg yolk gel structure, and the hardness of egg yolk increased significantly (P < 0.001) after 4°C storaged for 2 wk; the texture properties of eggs storage at 25°C had opposite trend. There were no differences in texture properties of fresh egg yolk among the different groups (P > 0.05). The saturated fatty acid (SFA) content of egg yolk increased in a CSO dose-dependent manner, whereas opposite effects (P < 0.001) were found in the monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and the omega-3/omega-6 fatty acid ratio. CSO-containing diets significantly reduced the cholesterol content (P < 0.05). No significant difference was observed among the different groups on the contents of moisture, crude protein, crude fat, phospholipid, potassium, or iron (P > 0.05) in the egg yolk. Total gossypol residues were increased with the increased amount of CSM (P < 0.05), and these changes were independent of time (P > 0.05). The total gossypol concentration in the yolk was 2.01 to 5.16 mg/kg. These results suggest that CSO has a key influence on egg yolk quality, reducing both its taste and nutritional value. Egg yolk gelation was significantly associated with the change of fatty acid composition caused by CSO and storage conditions. Free gossypol will remain in the egg yolk. Although the residue is low, the edible safety risk of eggs maybe exists.

Correction: Ameliorative Effects of Grape Seed Proanthocyanidin Extract on Growth Performance, Immune Function, Antioxidant Capacity, Biochemical Constituents, Liver Histopathology and Aflatoxin Residues in Broilers Exposed to Aflatoxin B1. Toxins 2017, 9, 371.

The authors wish to make the following correction to their paper [...].

Efficacy of 2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutanoic acid compared to DL-Methionine on growth performance, carcass traits, feather growth, and redox status of Cherry Valley ducks.

The objective of this study was to compare the bio-efficacy of 2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutanoic acid (DL-HMTBA) with that of DL-methionine (DLM) as sources of methionine in terms of the growth performance, carcass traits, feather growth, and redox statuses of Cherry Valley ducks. Six hundred and thirty male ducks were randomly allotted to 9 dietary treatment groups with 7 replicates of 10 birds each. The first group received a basal diet (BD) without methionine addition that was deficient in the total number of sulfur amino acids. In Groups 2 to 5 and Groups 6 to 9, the BD was supplemented with 4 increasing doses of methionine as either DLM or DL-HMTBA. The trial was run from ages 1 to 42 d. Dietary supplementation with DLM and DL-HMTBA improved body weight gain and feed intake as well as weights of carcasses, breast meat, and feathers compared with the BD. No significant difference was observed between the 2 methionine sources on growth performance, carcass traits, and feather growth. Concentrations of some redox markers in the pectoralis major muscle were improved by addition of methionine to the BD. However, a significant difference was observed between DLM and DL-HMTBA in this respect, as the supplementation of DL-HMTBA significantly increased the total antioxidant capacity, the activities of glutathione peroxidase, and the concentration of reduced glutathione in the pectoralis major muscle, compared with DLM. No significant difference between methionine sources was found with regard to the concentrations of oxidized glutathione and malondialdehyde in the pectoralis major muscle. Both DLM and DL-HMTBA increased malondialdehyde concentrations in the pectoralis major muscle compared with the BD. In conclusion, these results indicated that DLM and DL-HMTBA have equal biological value for the growth performance, carcass traits, and feather growth of Cherry Valley duck. Moreover, the improved antioxidant capacity observed with DL-HMTBA makes this a better candidate than DLM for lowering the oxidation process in the meat during post-mortem storage and thereby contributes to a better duck meat quality.

Prenatal exposure to zearalenone disrupts reproductive potential and development via hormone-related genes in male rats.

The present study investigated the reproductive and developmental toxicity of male offspring induced by prenatal ZEN exposure and explored the possible mechanism. 64 pregnant rats were allocated into four groups and fed with ZEN contaminated (0, 5, 10 and 20 mg/kg) diet during the whole gestation period. The results showed that, F1 male foetal viability was not affected while newborn bodyweight (BW) was significantly decreased after prenatal exposure to ZEN. Decreased BW was found on postnatal day (PND) 21 but not on PND 63 in ZEN exposed male rats. Moreover, adult testis weight increased with seminiferous tubules atrophy as well as decreased spermatocytes and mature sperms (35% and 31%) in ZEN-treated rats. Meanwhile, circulating levels of luteinizing hormone and testosterone decreased while estradiol increased in ZEN-treated rats. These impairments concurred with down-regulations of 3ß-HSD and StAR in both mRNA and protein levels in weaned and adult testis. Furthermore, gene and protein expressions of GnRHr and Esr1 were inhibited in the ZEN-treated foetal brain. These results suggested that prenatal ZEN exposure disrupted the system regulating the reproductive hormones and testis development through hormone related genes, which may result in a reproductive dysfunction in adult male offspring.

Ameliorative Effects of Grape Seed Proanthocyanidin Extract on Growth Performance, Immune Function, Antioxidant Capacity, Biochemical Constituents, Liver Histopathology and Aflatoxin Residues in Broilers Exposed to Aflatoxin B1.

Aflatoxicosis is a grave threat to the poultry industry. Dietary supplementation with antioxidants showed a great potential in enhancing the immune system; hence, protecting animals against aflatoxin B1-induced toxicity. Grape seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE) one of the most well-known and powerful antioxidants. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to investigate the effectiveness of GSPE in the detoxification of AFB1 in broilers. A total of 300 one-day-old Cobb chicks were randomly allocated into five treatments of six replicates (10 birds per replicate), fed ad libitum for four weeks with the following dietary treatments: 1. Basal diet (control); 2. Basal diet + 1 mg/kg AFB1 contaminated corn (AFB1); 3. Basal diet + GSPE 250 mg/kg; (GSPE 250 mg/kg) 4. Basal diet + AFB1 (1 mg/kg) + GSPE 250 mg/kg; (AFB1 + GSPE 250 mg/kg) 5. Basal diet + AFB1 (1mg/kg) + GSPE 500 mg/kg, (AFB1 + GSPE 500 mg/kg). When compared with the control group, feeding broilers with AFB1 alone significantly reduced growth performance, serum immunoglobulin contents, negatively altered serum biochemical contents, and enzyme activities, and induced histopathological lesion in the liver. In addition, AFB1 significantly increased malondialdehyde content and decreased total superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxide, glutathione-S transferase, glutathione reductase activities, and glutathione concentration within the liver and serum. The supplementation of GSPE (250 and 500 mg/kg) to AFB1 contaminated diet reduced AFB1 residue in the liver and significantly mitigated AFB1 negative effects. From these results, it can be concluded that dietary supplementation of GSPE has protective effects against aflatoxicosis caused by AFB1 in broiler chickens.

Response of Selenium and Selenogenome in Immune Tissues to LPS-Induced Inflammatory Reactions in Pigs.

Circulating concentration of the essential trace element selenium (Se) was significantly lower in inflammatory disorders. Although Se plays physiological roles mainly through the function of 25 selenoproteins, the response of the selenogenome in immune tissues during inflammatory reactions remains unclear. The objective of this study was to determine the Se retention and selenogenome expression in immune tissues during the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory response in porcine. A total of 12 male pigs were randomly divided into two groups and injected with LPS or saline. After 4 h postinjection, blood samples were collected and pigs were euthanized. Pigs challenged with LPS had 36.8 and 16.6 % lower (P < 0.05) Se concentrations in the serum and spleen, respectively, than those injected with saline. Moreover, the activities of GPX decreased (P < 0.05) by 23.4, 26.6, and 30.4 % in the serum, thymus, and lymph node, respectively, in the pigs injected with LPS. Furthermore, the LPS challenge altered (P < 0.05) the mRNA expression of 14, 16, 10, and 6 selenoprotein genes in the liver, spleen, thymus, and lymph node, respectively. Along with 10 previously reported selenoprotein genes, the response of Txnrd2, Txnrd3, Sep15, Selh, Seli, Seln, Selo, Selt, Selx, and Sephs2 to inflammatory reaction in immune tissues were newly illustrated in this study. In conclusion, the LPS-induced inflammatory response impaired Se metabolism and was associated with dysregulation of the selenogenome expression in immune tissues.