Effects of in ovo feeding of t10,c12-conjugated linoleic acid on hepatic lipid metabolism and subcutaneous adipose tissue deposition in newly hatched broiler chicks.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether in ovo feeding of t10,c12-conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) could regulate hepatic lipid metabolism and decrease lipid accumulation in newly hatched chicks. Three hundred and sixty fertilely specific pathogen-free hatching eggs were selected and randomly divided into 6 groups. On embryonic day 11 of incubation (E11), 0, 1.5, 3.0, 4.5, 6.0, or 7.5 mg t10,c12-CLA were injected into the eggs. The results indicated that in ovo feeding of t10,c12-CLA significantly decreased the subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) mass and the relative SAT weight of newly hatched chicks in linear and quadratic manners (P < 0.05). In liver, the levels of triglycerides were reduced linearly and quadratically and total cholesterol were reduced quadratically as the dose of t10,c12-CLA increased (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, the hepatic carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1a (CPT1a) content and polyunsaturated fatty acid proportion were increased quadratically in t10,c12-CLA groups (P < 0.05), accompanied by the decrease of malondialdehyde level and the increase of glutathione peroxidase and total antioxidant capacity activities (P < 0.05). In addition, in ovo feeding of t10,c12-CLA decreased the mRNA expression levels of fatty acid synthase, acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 in linear and quadratic manners (P < 0.05), and decreased the mRNA expression of adipose triacylglyceride lipase and stearoyl-CoA desaturase significantly in liver (P < 0.05), accompanied by upregulating the mRNA expression of CPT1a quadratically and AMP-activated protein kinase α linearly and quadratically (P < 0.05). In SAT, the mRNA expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) and sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c were decreased linearly and quadratically (P < 0.05), and the expression of PPARα and CPT1a genes were increased linearly and quadratically as the dose of t10,c12-CLA increased (P < 0.05). In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that in ovo feeding of t10,c12-CLA alleviates lipid accumulation in newly hatched chicks by suppressing fatty acid synthesis and stimulating lipolysis in the liver and inhibiting adipocyte differentiation in subcutaneous adipose tissue.

Supplementing conjugated linoleic acid in breeder hens diet increased conjugated linoleic acid incorporation in liver and alters hepatic lipid metabolism in chick offspring.

This experiment was designed to investigate the effect of supplementing conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in breeder hens diet on development and hepatic lipid metabolism of chick offspring. Hy-Line Brown breeder hens were allocated into two groups, supplemented with 0 (control (CT)) or 0·5 % CLA for 8 weeks. Offspring chicks were grouped according to the mother generation and fed for 7 d. CLA treatment had no significant influence on development, egg quality and fertility of breeder hens but darkened the egg yolks in shade and increased yolk sac mass compared with the CT group. Addition of CLA resulted in increased body mass and liver mass and decreased deposition of subcutaneous adipose tissue in chick offspring. The serum TAG and total cholesterol levels of chick offspring were decreased in CLA group. CLA treatment increased the incorporation of both CLA isomers (c9t11 and t10c12) in the liver of chick offspring, accompanied by the decreased hepatic TAG levels, related to the significant reduction of fatty acid synthase (FAS) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) enzyme activities and the increased carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 (CPT1) enzyme activity. Meanwhile, CLA treatment reduced the mRNA expression of genes related to fatty acid biosynthesis (FAS, ACC and sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c) and induced the expression of genes related to ß-oxidative (CPT1, AMP-activated protein kinase and PPARα) in chick offspring liver. In summary, the addition of CLA in breeder hens diet significantly increased the incorporation of CLA in the liver of chick offspring, which further regulate hepatic lipid metabolism.

Maternal conjugated linoleic acid alters hepatic lipid metabolism via the AMPK signaling pathway in chick embryos.

The effects of maternal conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on embryonic development and hepatic lipid metabolism were investigated in chick embryos. A total of 180 Arbor Acres female broiler breeders (36 wk old) were randomly divided into the following 3 dietary treatment groups: a basic diet (control), a basic diet containing 0.5% CLA (CLA1), and a basic diet containing 1.0% CLA (CLA2). The females were fed for 8 wk, and the eggs from each group were collected and hatched during the last 2 wk. The results showed that the addition of dietary CLA increased the broken egg rate and reduced the fertilization rate and the egg hatchability (P < 0.05). CLA enrichment decreased the polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids and increased the saturated fatty acids in the yolk sac (P < 0.05). The yolk sac weight, body weight, and body length had a linear decrease with CLA supplementation (P < 0.05). In the developing chick embryo (at E14) and newly hatched chick (D0), the serum triglyceride concentration decreased with maternal CLA supplementation and was accompanied by a reduction in subcutaneous adipose tissue deposition. In addition, maternal CLA supplementation mediated the hepatic lipid metabolism by decreasing the mRNA expression of sterol regulatory element-binding proteins-1c (SREBP-1c), fatty acid synthase and acetyl-CoA carboxylase, and increasing the mRNA expression of adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase α (AMPKα), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors α (PPARα), liver fatty acid-binding protein, adipose triglyceride lipase and carnitine palmitoyltransferase in embryonic chick livers (P < 0.05). A drop in SREBP-1c protein expression and an increase in the protein expression of p-AMPKα and PPARα were also observed in the liver of chick embryo (P < 0.05). In conclusion, maternal CLA supplementation regulated the fatty acid composition in the yolk sac, and mediated embryonic chick development and hepatic lipometabolism, and these effects may be related to the AMPK pathway. These findings suggest the potential ability of maternal CLA supplementation to reduce fat deposition in chick embryos.

Effect of Fe2+ addition on chemical oxygen demand and nitrogen removal in horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands.

Horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands (CWs) planted with Phragmites australis were set up to analyze the effect of external ferrous iron (Fe2+) addition on chemical oxygen demand (COD) and nitrogen removal. The results showed that external Fe2+ addition has no significant effect on COD removal, while the COD removal efficiencies in CWs with Fe2+ addition were slightly lower than those in CWs without Fe2+ addition, since Fe2+ as an electron donor for denitrification may decrease the consumption of organic carbon. However, external Fe2+ addition significantly enhanced the nitrogen removal capability of the CWs. With an increase in external Fe2+ concentration, the removal efficiencies for total nitrogen (TN), nitrate nitrogen (NO3N), and ammonium nitrogen (NH4N) all increased. The removal efficiencies for TN and NH4N were greatest for an influent Fe2+ concentration of 50 mg L-1, while the greatest removal efficiencies for NO3N were observed at an influent Fe2+ concentration of 150 mg L-1. With increasing hydraulic retention time (HRT), the COD and NO3N removal efficiencies in the CWs with external Fe2+ addition increase sharply and then became stable, while the removal efficiency for TN exhibited a continuous increase. The removal efficiency for NH4N was greatest at an HRT of 5 d-7 d with Fe2+ addition. The change in pH with increasing HRT indicated that external Fe2+ addition did not significantly affect the pH value of the effluent water, but that the wetland systems caused an increase in effluent pH. Fe2+ addition remarkably reduced the oxygen-reduction potential of both the influent and effluent water, which was beneficial to denitrification of microorganisms.

Effects of influent nitrogen loads on nitrogen and COD removal in horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands during different growth periods of Phragmites australis.

Horizontal subsurface constructed wetlands (HSSF-CWs) planted with Phragmites australis were established to examine the effect of influent nitrogen loads on the removal efficiencies of nitrogen and chemical oxygen demand (COD) during different plant growth periods of plants. Under low influent nitrogen loads, most of the dissolved oxygen was consumed during the oxidation of organic matter in the wetland systems, and a dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) may have occurred in HSSF-CWs when excessive amounts of organic matter were present, which limited the nitrification of ammonium nitrogen (NH4-N) and hindered the NH4-N removal. An increase in the influent nitrogen loads resulted in an enhancement of the removal efficiencies of NH4-N, nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) and total nitrogen (TN) during the same growth period, except for NO3-N under the highest influent nitrogen loads, whereas fluctuations occurred for the COD removal efficiency. Compared with the rapid growth period, the removal efficiency of NH4-N, NO3-N and TN increased during the mature period; however, the COD removal efficiency decreased. The change of COD: N (COD:TN in wastewater) ratios with retention times indicated the sufficiency or deficiency of organic matter as an electron donor in the wetland systems. The changes in the pH value and oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) indirectly demonstrated that many factors affected the effluent pH value and ORP, such as retention time, influent loads, plants and wetland substrate, and microorganisms. In this study, the changes of ORP also illustrated that the dissolved oxygen concentrations decreased with increasing retention time in the HSSF-CWs; however, no significant increase in the ORP was observed during the two growth periods.

Zinc Oxide Nanoparticle Caused Plasma Metabolomic Perturbations Correlate with Hepatic Steatosis.

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs), known for their chemical stability and strong adsorption, are used in everyday items such as cosmetics, sunscreens, and prophylactic drugs. However, they have also been found to adversely affect organisms; previously we found that ZnO NPs disrupt pubertal ovarian development, inhibit embryonic development by upsetting γ-H2AX and NF-κB pathways, and even disturb skin stem cells. Non-targeted metabolomic analysis of biological organisms has been suggested as an unbiased tool for the investigation of perturbations in response to NPs and their underlying mechanisms. Although metabolomics has been used in nanotoxicological studies, very few reports have used it to investigate the effects of ZnO NPs exposure. In the current investigation, through a metabolomics-based approach, we discovered that ZnO NPs caused changes in plasma metabolites involved in anti-oxidative mechanisms, energy metabolism, and lipid metabolism in hen livers. These results are in line with earlier findings that ZnO NPs perturb the tricarboxylic acid cycle and in turn result in the use of alternative energy sources. We also found that ZnO NPs disturbed lipid metabolism in the liver and consequently impacted blood lipid balance. Changes in plasma metabolomes were correlated with hepatic steatosis.

Effects of conjugated linoleic acid on the performance of laying hens, lipid composition of egg yolk, egg flavor, and serum components.

OBJECTIVE: This experiment investigated the effects of dietary supplementation with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on the serum components, laying hen productivity, lipid composition of egg yolk, egg flavor and egg quality. METHODS: Healthy 28-week-old Hy-Line white laying hens (n = 480) were divided randomly into 4 groups, 6 replicates/group, 20 birds/replicate. The 30-day experimental diets included 0% (control), 0.4%, 0.8%, and 1.6% CLA. Some serum indices of the birds, and egg production, quality, fatty acid composition, egg quality were measured. RESULTS: The dietary supplementation with 0.4%, 0.8%, and 1.6% CLA did not significantly affect the laying rate and feed intake, as well as calcium ion and phosphorus ion concentration in serum (p>0.05). However, the CLA had significantly increased the strength of eggshell, decreased the odor, flavor, and taste of egg yolk, deepened the color of egg yolk, increased saturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids, and reduced the monounsaturated fatty acids (p<0.05). On the other hand, the dietary supplementation with 1.6% CLA had significant effects on feed/gain, and improved serum hormones. Dietary supplementation with 0.4% and 0.8% CLA can significantly enhance the activity of alkaline phosphates. CONCLUSION: CLA has no effect on production performance, but does enhance the lipid content of the egg yolk and the strength of the eggshell.