Potential of algae-derived alginate oligosaccharides and ß-glucan to counter inflammation in adult zebrafish intestine.

Alginate oligosaccharides (AOS) are natural bioactive compounds with anti-inflammatory properties. We performed a feeding trial employing a zebrafish (Danio rerio) model of soybean-induced intestinal inflammation. Five groups of fish were fed different diets: a control (CT) diet, a soybean meal (SBM) diet, a soybean meal+ß-glucan (BG) diet and 2 soybean meal+AOS diets (alginate products differing in the content of low molecular weight fractions - AL, with 31% < 3kDa and AH, with 3% < 3kDa). We analyzed the intestinal transcriptomic and plasma metabolomic profiles of the study groups. In addition, we assessed the expression of inflammatory marker genes and histological alterations in the intestine. Dietary algal ß-(1, 3)-glucan and AOS were able to bring the expression of certain inflammatory genes altered by dietary SBM to a level similar to that in the control group. Intestinal transcriptomic analysis indicated that dietary SBM changed the expression of genes linked to inflammation, endoplasmic reticulum, reproduction and cell motility. The AL diet suppressed the expression of genes related to complement activation, inflammatory and humoral response, which can likely have an inflammation alleviation effect. On the other hand, the AH diet reduced the expression of genes, causing an enrichment of negative regulation of immune system process. The BG diet suppressed several immune genes linked to the endopeptidase activity and proteolysis. The plasma metabolomic profile further revealed that dietary SBM can alter inflammation-linked metabolites such as itaconic acid, taurochenodeoxycholic acid and enriched the arginine biosynthesis pathway. The diet AL helped in elevating one of the short chain fatty acids, namely 2-hydroxybutyric acid while the BG diet increased the abundance of a vitamin, pantothenic acid. Histological evaluation revealed the advantage of the AL diet: it increased the goblet cell number and length of villi of the intestinal mucosa. Overall, our results indicate that dietary AOS with an appropriate amount of < 3kDa can stall the inflammatory responses in zebrafish.

Efficacy of a mycotoxin binder against dietary fumonisin, deoxynivalenol, and zearalenone in rats.

It was hypothesized that a mycotoxin binder, Grainsure E, would inhibit adverse effects of a mixture of fumonisin B1, deoxynivalenol, and zearalenone in rats. For 14 and 28 days, 8-10 Sprague-Dawley rats were fed control diet, Grainsure E (0.5%), toxins (7 µg fumonisin B1/g, 8 µg of deoxynivalenol/g and 0.2 µg of zearalenone/g), toxins (12 µg of fumonisin B1/g, 9 µg of deoxynivalenol/g, and 0.2 µg of zearalenone/g + Grainsure E), or pair-fed to control for food intake of toxin-fed rats. After 28 days, decreased body weight gain was prevented by Grainsure E in toxin-fed female rats, indicating partial protection against deoxynivalenol and fumonisin B1. Two effects of fumonisin B1 were partly prevented by Grainsure E in toxin-fed rats, increased plasma alanine transaminase (ALT) and urinary sphinganine/sphingosine, but sphinganine/sphingosine increase was not prevented in females at the latter time point. Grainsure E prevented some effects of fumonisin B1 and deoxynivalenol in rats.