Evaluating the In Vitro and In Vivo Prebiotic Effects of Different Xylo-Oligosaccharides Obtained from Bamboo Shoots by Hydrothermal Pretreatment Combined with Endo-Xylanase Hydrolysis.

Xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS) enriched with high fractions of X2-X3 are regarded as an effective prebiotic for regulating the intestinal microflora. In this study, the original XOS solution was obtained from bamboo shoots through hydrothermal pretreatment under optimized conditions. Subsequently, enzymatic hydrolysis with endo-xylanase was performed on the original XOS solution to enhance the abundance of the X2-X3 fractions. The results demonstrated that hydrothermal pretreatment yielded 21.24% of XOS in the hydrolysate solution, and subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis significantly increased the proportion of the X2-X3 fractions from 38.87% to 68.21%. Moreover, the XOS solutions with higher amounts of X2-X3 fractions exhibited superior performance in promoting the growth of probiotics such as Bifidobacterium adolescentis and Lactobacillus acidophilus in vitro, leading to increased production of short-chain fatty acids. In the in vivo colitis mouse model, XOS solutions with higher contents of X2-X3 fractions demonstrated enhanced efficacy against intestinal inflammation. Compared with the colitis mice (model group), the XOS solution with higher X2-X3 fractions (S1 group) could significantly increase the number of Streptomyces in the intestinal microflora, while the original XOS solution (S2 group) could significantly increase the number of Bacteroides in the intestinal microflora of colitis mice. In addition, the abundances of Alcaligenes and Pasteurella in the intestinal microflora of the S1 and S2 groups were much lower than in the model group. This effect was attributed to the ability of these XOS solutions to enhance species diversity, reversing the imbalance and disorder within the intestinal microflora. Overall, this work highlights the outstanding potential of XOS enriched with high contents of X2-X3 fractions as a regulator of the intestinal microbiota and as an anti-colitis agent.

Integrated analysis of expression profiles with meat quality traits in cattle.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a vital role in improving meat quality by binding to messenger RNAs (mRNAs). We performed an integrated analysis of miRNA and mRNA expression profiling between bulls and steers based on the differences in meat quality traits. Fat and fatty acids are the major phenotypic indices of meat quality traits to estimate between-group variance. In the present study, 90 differentially expressed mRNAs (DEGs) and 18 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) were identified. Eighty-three potential DEG targets and 18 DEMs were used to structure a negative interaction network, and 75 matching target genes were shown in this network. Twenty-six target genes were designated as intersection genes, screened from 18 DEMs, and overlapped with the DEGs. Seventeen of these genes enriched to 19 terms involved in lipid metabolism. Subsequently, 13 DEGs and nine DEMs were validated using quantitative real-time PCR, and seven critical genes were selected to explore the influence of fat and fatty acids through hub genes and predict functional association. A dual-luciferase reporter and Western blot assays confirmed a predicted miRNA target (bta-miR-409a and PLIN5). These findings provide substantial evidence for molecular genetic controls and interaction among genes in cattle.

Isolating High Antimicrobial Ability Lignin From Bamboo Kraft Lignin by Organosolv Fractionation.

Lignin from different biomasses possess biological antioxidation and antimicrobial activities, which depend on the number of functional groups and the molecular weight of lignin. In this work, organosolv fractionation was carried out to prepare the lignin fraction with a suitable structure to tailor excellent biological activities. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) analysis showed that decreased molecular weight lignin fractions were obtained by sequentially organosolv fractionation with anhydrous acetone, 50% acetone and 37.5% hexanes. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) results indicated that the lignin fractions with lower molecular weight had fewer substructures and a higher phenolic hydroxyl content, which was positively correlated with their antioxidation ability. Both of the original lignin and fractionated lignins possessed the ability to inhibit the growth of Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Salmonella) and Gram-positive bacteria (Streptococcus and Staphylococcus aureus) by destroying the cell wall of bacteria in vitro, in which the lignin fraction with the lowest molecular weight and highest phenolic hydroxyl content (L3) showed the best performance. Besides, the L3 lignin showed the ability to ameliorate Escherichia coli-induced diarrhea damages of mice to improve the formation of intestinal contents in vivo. These results imply that a lignin fraction with a tailored structure from bamboo lignin can be used as a novel antimicrobial agent in the biomedical field.

The Use of Chinese Skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis) and Its Extracts for Sustainable Animal Production.

Drugs have been widely adopted in animal production. However, drug residues and bacterial resistance are a worldwide issue, and thus the most important organizations (FAO, USDA, EU, and EFSA) have limited or banned the use of some drugs and the use of antibiotics as growth promoters. Natural products such as medicinal herbs are unlikely to cause bacterial resistance and have no chemical residues. With these advantages, medicinal herbs have long been used to treat animal diseases and improve animal performance. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the study of medicinal herbs. S. baicalensis is a herb with a high medicinal value. The main active compounds are baicalin and baicalein. They may act as antipyretic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antiallergenic, antimicrobial, and antitumor agents. They also possess characteristics of being safe, purely natural, and not prone to drug resistance. S. baicalensis and its extracts can effectively promote the production performance of livestock and treat many animal diseases, such as mastitis. In this review, we summarize the active compounds, biological functions, and applications of S. baicalensis in the production of livestock and provide a guideline for the application of natural medicines in the production and treatment of diseases.

Molecular Characterization of the Nsp2 and ORF5 (ORF5a) Genes of PRRSV Strains in Nine Provinces of China During 2016-2018.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) causes a highly contagious disease and brings huge economic losses to commercial pork production worldwide. PRRSV causes severe reproductive failure in sows and respiratory distress in piglets. To trace the evolution of PRRSV in pigs with respiratory diseases in some regions of China, 112 samples were collected from nine provinces in China during 2016-2018. All samples were detected by RT-PCR and analyzed by the Nsp2/ORF5 (ORF5a)-genes-phylogeny. Sequence analysis and recombination analysis were conducted on the Nsp2/ORF5 (ORF5a) genes of the identified strain in the study. The RT-PCR result shown that the positive rate of PRRSV was 50.89% (57/112). Phylogenetic analysis showed that the identified PRRSV strains were all NA genotype and belonged to lineage 1, 3, and 8. The Nsp2 gene of identified PRRSV strains exhibited nucleotide homologies of 53.0 ~ 99.8%, and amino acid homologies of 46.8 ~ 99.7%. The ORF5 gene of identified PRRSV strains exhibited nucleotide homologies of 82.4 ~ 100%, and amino acid homologies of 79.6 ~ 100%. Sequence analysis revealed that a discontinuous 30-amino-acid deletion (positions 481 and 533-561) and a 131-amino-acid discontinuity deletion (positions 323-433, 481, and 533-551) in Nsp2 of PPRSV isolates; all identified strains in this study may be wild strains, and most identified strains may be highly virulent strains. Sequence analysis of ORF5 and ORF5a revealed that the mutation sites of GP5 were mainly concentrated in the signal peptide and epitopes region, while the mutation sites of ORF5a were mainly concentrated in the transmembrane and the intramembrane region. The recombination analysis indicated that there may be multiple recombination regions in identified strains, and the recombination pattern was more complex. This study showed that the prevalent PRRSV strain in some regions of China was still HP-PRRSV, while NADC30 strain also occupied a certain proportion; different types of PRRSV strains showed different patterns and variation in China. This study suggested that the monitoring of PRRSV prevalence and genetic variation should be further strengthened.

Effects of puerarin on the AKT signaling pathway in bovine preadipocyte differentiation.

OBJECTIVE: Puerarin has the potential of regulating the differentiation of preadipocytes, but its mechanism of action has not yet been elucidated. Adipocytes found in adipose tissue, the main endocrine organ, are the main sites of lipid deposition, and are widely used as a cell model in the study of in vitro fat deposition. This study aimed to investigate the effects of puerarin on adipogenesis in vitro. METHODS: Puerarin was added to the culture medium during the process of adipogenesis. The proliferation and differentiation of bovine preadipocytes was measured through cell viability and staining with Oil Red O. The content of triacylglycerol (TG) was measured using a triglyceride assay kit. The mRNA and protein expression levels of adipogenic genes, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-α (C/EBPα), were measured using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blotting, respectively. RESULTS: The addition of puerarin significantly increased adipogenesis of bovine preadipocytes and enhanced the mRNA and protein level expression of PPARγ (p<0.01). The expression of P-Akt increased after adipogenic hormonal induction, whereas puerarin significantly increased PPARγ expression by promoting the Akt signaling component, P-Akt. The mechanism of adipogenesis was found to be related to the phosphorylation level of Ser473, which may activate the downstream signaling of the Akt pathway. CONCLUSION: Puerarin was able to promote the differentiation of preadipocytes and improve fat deposition in cattle. The mechanism of adipogenesis was found to be related to the phosphorylation level of Ser473.

Biochanin A protect against lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury in mice by regulating TLR4/NF-κB and PPAR-γ pathway.

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a serious respiratory syndrome featured with uncontrolled inflammatory response. Biochanin A has been showed to possess and anti-inflammatory effect. This study intended to explore the suppression of biochanin A on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI in mice. Seven hours later LPS-induced ALI model established, the indexes including, pathological changes, MPO activity, wet/dry ratio, proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6, production, as well as and TLR4/NF-κB and PPAR-γ signaling pathway expression were compared bwtween different groups. In addition, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was collected and the levels of total protein, inflammatory cells and TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6 were detected. The results revealed that LPS lead to significantly lung pathological injury, and damage of lung vascular permeability showing by higher lung wet/dry ratio and total protein levels in the BALF when compared to the control group mice. However, these changes significantly reversed by biochanin A. Moreover, the levels of inflammatory cells in BALF, proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6, in both lung and BALF were also dose-dependently reduced by biochanin A during ALI process. To investigate the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of biochanin A, we found that biochanin A significantly inhibited the activation of TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway induced by LPS. Furthermore, the expression of PPAR-γ also markedly increased in the mice after treated with biochanin A. In conclusion, biochanin A alleviated LPS-induced ALI by inhibiting the inflammatory response, which was mediated via down-regulating the activation of TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway and enhancing the expression of PPAR-γ.

Effect of ACSL3 Expression Levels on Preadipocyte Differentiation in Chinese Red Steppe Cattle.

Domestic cattle are an important type of livestock, with beef production playing a major role in the agricultural economy. Adipocyte levels and fat content are interrelated, with meat quality being highly dependent on its fat content and distribution. Acyl-CoA synthetases of long-chain (ACSL) fatty acids (FAs) play an integral role in virtually every metabolic pathway in mammalian biochemistry, including complex lipid biosynthesis, protein modification, and ß-oxidation processes. ACSL3 activity is also known to be associated with adipocyte differentiation; however, its biological mechanism of action is currently unclear. Gene expression in subcutaneous preadipocytes isolated from subcutaneous deposits of Chinese Red Steppe cattle has been studied using in vitro cell transfection, real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis. The lipid and triglyceride contents of lipid droplets have also been measured to verify the levels of gene expression. These combined studies show that ACSL3 is induced during adipocyte differentiation, with its overexpression promoting an increase in the triglyceride content of lipid droplets. Furthermore, mRNA and protein expression levels for adipocyte differentiation marker genes, such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha (C/EBPα), were markedly increased during mature adipocyte cell differentiation. Knockdown of ACSL3 expression using ACSL3 small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) resulted in a decrease in lipid content of cattle adipocytes, providing further evidence that ACSL3 plays a key role in the differentiation process.

RNA-Seq Analysis Reveals a Positive Role of HTR2A in Adipogenesis in Yan Yellow Cattle.

In this study, we performed high throughput RNA sequencing at the primary bovine preadipocyte (Day-0), mid-differentiation (Day-4), and differentiated adipocyte (Day-9) stages in order to characterize the transcriptional events regulating differentiation and function. The preadipocytes were isolated from subcutaneous fetal bovine adipose tissues and were differentiated into mature adipocytes. The adipogenic characteristics of the adipocytes were detected during various stages of adipogenesis (Day-0, Day-4, and Day-9). We used RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to investigate a comprehensive transcriptome information of adipocytic differentiation. Compared to the pre-differentiation stage (Day-0), 2510 genes were identified as differentially expressed genes (DEGs) at the mid-differentiation stage (Day-4). We found 2446 DEGs in the mature adipocytic stage relative to the mid-differentiation stage. Some adipogenesis-related transcription factors, CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein α (C/EBPα) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) were differentially expressed at Day-0, Day-4, and Day-9. We further investigated the adipogenic function of 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 2A (HTR2A) in adipogenesis. Overexpression of HTR2A stimulated the differentiation of preadipocytes, and knockdown of HTR2A had opposite effects. Furthermore, functional enrichment analysis of DEGs revealed that the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway was the significantly enriched pathway, and HTR2A regulated adipogenesis by activating or inhibiting phosphorylation of phospho-AKT (Ser473). In summary, the present study provides the first comparative transcription of various periods of adipocytes in cattle, which presents a solid foundation for further study into the molecular mechanism of fat deposition and the improvement of beef quality in cattle.