Essential oil supplementation in milk replacers: short- and long-term impacts on feed efficiency, the faecal microbiota and the plasma metabolome in dairy calves.

Early supplementation with oregano essential oil (EO) in milk replacer (MR) may improve growth, immune responses, the microbiota and the metabolome in dairy calves during pre-weaning and in adulthood. Sixteen female dairy calves (3 days of age) were divided in two groups (n = 8/group): the control group (no EO) and the EO group (0.23 ml of EO in MR during 45 days). After weaning, calves were kept in a feedlot and fed ad libitum. The animals were weighed, and blood and faecal samples were collected on days 3 (T0), 45 (T1) and 370 (T2) to measure the biochemical profile and characterise peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs; CD4+, CD8+, CD14+, CD21+ and WC1+), the metabolome and microbiota composition. The EO group only had greater average daily weight gain during the suckling (EO supplementation) period (P = 0.030). The EO group showed higher average CD14+ population (monocytes) values, a lower abundance of Ruminococcaceae UCG-014, Faecalibacterium, Blautia and Alloprevotella and increased abundances of Allistipes and Akkermansia. The modification of some metabolites in plasma, such as butyric acid, 3-indole-propionic acid and succinic acid, particularly at T1, are consistent with intestinal microbiota changes. The data suggest that early EO supplementation increases feed efficiency only during the suckling period with notable changes in the microbiota and plasma metabolome; however, not all of these changes can be considered desirable from a gut health point of view. Additional research studies is required to demonstrate that EOs are a viable natural alternative to antibiotics for improving calf growth performance and health.

Carcinogenic effect of low doses of polycyclic and heterocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and amines and lack of protection by inulin supplementation.

Evidence suggests that meat processing and heat treatment may increase cancer risk through exposure to potentially carcinogenic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs). This study aims to investigate the effect of low concentrations of PAHs and HAAs (from 1 to 100 µmol/L/24h and 48h) in colorectal tumor cells (HT-29, HCT116, and LS174T) and to evaluate the effect of PAHs in the presence of inulin in mice. In vitro, the 4-PAHs have no effect on healthy colon cells but decreased the viability of the colorectal tumor cells and activated the mRNA and protein expressions of CYP1A1 and CYP1B1. In vivo, in mice with colitis induced by 3% DSS, the 4-PAHs (equimolar mix at 50,100, 150 mg/kg.bw, orally 3 times a week for 3 weeks) induced a loss of body weight and tumor formation. Inulin (10 g/L) had no effect on colon length and tumor formation. A significant decrease in the loss of b.w was observed in inulin group as compared to the fiber free group. These results underscore the importance of considering the biological association between low-dose exposure to 4-HAPs and diet-related colon tumors.

Anti-inflammatory activity of essential oils from Tunisian aromatic and medicinal plants and their major constituents in THP-1 macrophages.

In this study, the capacity of eight essential oils (EOs), sage (Salvia officinalis), coriander (Coriandrum sativum), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), black cumin (Nigella sativa), prickly juniper (Juniperus oxycedrus), geranium (Pelargonium graveolens), oregano (Origanum vulgare) and wormwood (Artemisia herba-alba), on the inhibition of NF-κB activation was screened at concentrations up to 0.25 µL/mL using THP-1 human macrophages bearing a NF-κB reporter. This screening selected coriander, geranium, and wormwood EOs as the most active, which later evidenced the ability to decrease over 50 % IL-6, IL-1ß, TNF-α and COX-2 mRNA expression in LPS-stimulated THP-1 macrophages. The chemical composition of selected EOs was performed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The two major constituents (>50 % of each EO) were tested at the same concentrations presented in each EO. It was demonstrated that the major compound or the binary mixtures of the two major compounds could explain the anti-inflammatory effects reported for the crude EOs. Additionally, the selected EOs also inhibit>50 % caspase-1 activity. However, this effect could not be attributed to the major components (except for ß-citronellol/geranium oil, 40 %/65 % caspase-1 inhibition), suggesting, in addition to potential synergistic effects, the presence of minor compounds with caspase-1 inhibitory activity. These results demonstrated the potential use of the EOs obtained from Tunisian flora as valuable sources of anti-inflammatory agents providing beneficial health effects by reducing the levels of inflammatory mediators involved in the genesis of several diseases.

Effects of Thymbra capitata essential oil on in vitro fermentation end-products and ruminal bacterial communities.

An in vitro trial was carried out to investigate the effects of natural Thymbra capitata essential oil (NEO) and its main compounds [including carvacrol, p-cymene, γ-terpinene given alone or in a synthetic combination (SEO)] on ruminal fermentation and the bacterial community using batch cultures inoculated with ruminal digesta and incubating two different basal diets [high-forage (F) and high-concentrate (C) diet]. After 24 h of incubation, primary fermentation end-products [gas, methane, volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and ammonia] and rumen microbial diversity were determined. NEO reduced the total VFA concentration (P < 0.05) only in the C diet. In contrast, SEO and carvacrol decreased the total VFA concentration (P < 0.05) only in the F diet. Methane production was not affected (P > 0.05) by any of the experimental treatments or diets evaluated. Microbial diversity analysis showed only a moderate effect of carvacrol and SEO on 13 genera, including, mainly, Atopobium and Blautia (involved in subacute ruminal acidosis) or Candidatus Saccharimonas (related to laminitis). In conclusion, T. capitata EO has a limited potential to attain nutritional or environmental benefits, but further research should be carried out to clarify its effects on animal health and microbial food safety.

Essential Oil Stabilisation by Response Surface Methodology (RSM): Nanoemulsion Formulation, Physicochemical, Microbiological, and Sensory Investigations.

This manuscript aimed to optimise the encapsulation of Thymus capitatus essential oil into nanoemulsion. Response Surface Methodology results were best fitted into polynomial models with regression coefficient values of more than 0.95. The optimal nanoemulsion showed nanometer-sized droplets (380 nm), a polydispersity index less than 0.5, and a suitable Zeta potential (-10.3 mV). Stability results showed that nanoemulsions stored at 4 °C were stable with the lowest d3,2, PolyDispersity Index (PDI), and pH (day 11). Significant ameliorations in the capacity to neutralise DPPH radical after the encapsulation of the antimicrobial efficacy of thyme essential oil were recorded. S. typhimurium growth inhibition generated by nanoencapsulated thyme essential oil was 17 times higher than by bulk essential oil. The sensory analysis highlighted that the encapsulation of thyme essential oil improved enriched milk's sensory appreciation. Indeed, 20% of the total population attributed a score of 4 and 5 on the scale used for milk enriched with nanoemulsion. In comparison, only 11% attributed the same score to milk enriched with bulk essential oil. The novel nanometric delivery system presents significant interest for agroalimentary industries.

Changes in Composition and Function of Human Intestinal Microbiota Exposed to Chlorpyrifos in Oil as Assessed by the SHIME® Model.

The presence of pesticide residues in food is a public health problem. Exposure to these substances in daily life could have serious effects on the intestine-the first organ to come into contact with food contaminants. The present study investigated the impact of a low dose (1 mg/day in oil) of the pesticide chlorpyrifos (CPF) on the community structure, diversity and metabolic response of the human gut microbiota using the SHIME® model (six reactors, representing the different parts of the gastrointestinal tract). The last three reactors (representing the colon) were inoculated with a mixture of feces from human adults. Three time points were studied: immediately before the first dose of CPF, and then after 15 and 30 days of CPF-oil administration. By using conventional bacterial culture and molecular biology methods, we showed that CPF in oil can affect the gut microbiota. It had the greatest effects on counts of culturable bacteria (with an increase in Enterobacteria, Bacteroides spp. and clostridia counts, and a decrease in bifidobacterial counts) and fermentative activity, which were colon-segment-dependent. Our results suggest that: (i) CPF in oil treatment affects the gut microbiota (although there was some discordance between the culture-dependent and culture-independent analyses); (ii) the changes are "SHIME®-compartment" specific; and (iii) the changes are associated with minor alterations in the production of short-chain fatty acids and lactate.

Antioxidant properties of formula derived Maillard reaction products in colons of intrauterine growth restricted pigs.

OBJECTIVE: the present study has been conducted to evaluate the impact of the consumption of high MRP formula on changes in the microbiota and the oxidative status, during development, in the colons of intrauterine growth restricted (IUGR) juvenile pigs. METHODS: over a 3-week period, fifteen-day old piglets received formula with two different heat treatments. A formula heated at high temperature (HHF, n = 8) and another one heated at a low temperature (LHF, n = 8). After weaning, animals were fed, ad libitum, a solid diet until postnatal day 54 (PND54). The diversity and composition of the major microbiota were analyzed by CE SSCP and qPCR at postnatal day 36 (PND36) and PND54. Protein oxidation levels, glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activity, catalase (CAT), manganese dependent superoxide dismutase (Mn SOD), NFκB and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene expression were measured in the colon at the juvenile stage (PND54). RESULTS: HHF resulted in a significant decrease in bacterial diversity in the colon at PND36. An increase in the total count of Bifidobacteria, Lactobacillus, Bacteroidetes and Enterobacteria, without major changes in total microbiota was evidenced by qPCR, suggesting qualitative changes in the bacterial population of the HHF group. The imbalance of microbiota observed at PND36 was significantly modified at PND54, when animals received a solid diet. Colon GPX activity (p < 0.05) and gene expression of CAT and iNOS were significantly (p < 0.05) upregulated in the HHF group. No differences in the total protein oxidation and carbonyl score were found in the HHF group. Colon redox enzyme gene expression and pro-inflammatory factor NFκB negatively correlated (p < 0.05) with the bacterial population, suggesting the involvement of certain phyla in controlling the oxidative status of the IUGR piglets, fed on the high AGE formula. CONCLUSION: during development, consuming a high load MRP formula was associated with a major modification in the diversity and composition of the microbiota. The onset of an IUGR adaptive oxidant defense mechanism was found to counteract the oxidative stress induced by the presence of MRPs in formula.

Maternal diet, bioactive molecules, and exercising as reprogramming tools of metabolic programming.

Nutrition and lifestyle, particularly over-nutrition and lack of exercise, promote the progression and pathogenesis of obesity and metabolic diseases. Nutrition is likely the most important environmental factor that modulates the expression of genes involved in metabolic pathways and a variety of phenotypes associated with obesity and diabetes. During pregnancy, diet is a major factor that influences the organ developmental plasticity of the foetus. Experimental evidence shows that nutritional factors, including energy, fatty acids, protein, micronutrients, and folate, affect various aspects of metabolic programming. Different epigenetic mechanisms that are elicited by bioactive factors in early critical developmental ages affect the susceptibility to several diseases in adulthood. The beneficial effects promoted by exercise training are well recognised, and physical exercise may be considered one of the more prominent non-pharmacological tools that can be used to attenuate metabolic programming and to consequently ameliorate the illness provoked by metabolic diseases and reduce the prevalence of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Literature on the different outcomes of unbalanced diets and the beneficial effects of some bioactive molecules during gestation and lactation on the metabolic health of offspring, as well as the potential mechanisms underlying these effects, was reviewed. The importance of the combined effects of functional nutrition and exercise as reprogramming tools of metabolic programming is discussed in depth. Finally, this review provides recommendations to healthcare providers that may aid in the control of early programming in an attempt to optimise the health of the mother and child.

Progesterone reduces the migration of mast cells toward the chemokine stromal cell-derived factor-1/CXCL12 with an accompanying decrease in CXCR4 receptors.

Mast cell recruitment is implicated in many physiological functions and several diseases. It depends on microenvironmental factors, including hormones. We have investigated the effect of progesterone on the migration of HMC-1(560) mast cells toward CXCL12, a chemokine that controls the migration of mast cells into tissues. HMC-1(560) mast cells were incubated with 1 nM to 1 microM progesterone for 24 h. Controls were run without progesterone. Cell migration toward CXCL12 was monitored with an in vitro assay, and statistical analysis of repeated experiments revealed that progesterone significantly reduced cell migration without increasing the number of apoptotic cells (P = 0.0084, n = 7). Differences between progesterone-treated and untreated cells were significant at 1 microM (P < 0.01, n = 7). Cells incubated with 1 microM progesterone showed no rearrangment of actin filaments in response to CXCL12. Progesterone also reduced the calcium response to CXCL12 and Akt phosphorylation. Cells incubated with progesterone had one-half the control concentrations of CXCR4 (mRNA, total protein, and membrane-bound protein). Progesterone also inhibited the migration of HMC-1(560) cells transfected with hPR-B-pSG5 plasmid, which contained 2.5 times as much PR-B as the control. These transfected cells responded differently (P < 0.05, n = 5) from untreated cells to 1 nM progesterone. We conclude that progesterone reduces mast cell migration toward CXCL12 and that CXCR4 may be a progesterone target in mast cells.

Progesterone increases csk homologous kinase in HMC-1560 human mast cells and reduces cell proliferation.

Mast cells proliferate in vivo in areas of active fibrosis, during parasite infestations, in response to repeated immediate hypersensitivity reactions and in patients with mastocytosis. We investigated how progesterone reduces the proliferation of HMC-1(560) mast cells that proliferate spontaneously in culture. Cells were incubated with 1 microM to 1 nM progesterone for 24-48 h. Progesterone (1 microM) reduced the spontaneous proliferation of HMC-1(560) mast cells to half that of cells cultured without hormone. [(3)H] thymidine incorporation was only 50% of control; there were fewer cells in G2/M and more cells in G0/G1. The amounts of phospho-Raf-1 (Tyr 340-341) and phospho-p42/p44 MAPK proteins were also reduced. In contrast progesterone had no effect on MAP kinase-phosphatase-1. The Raf/MAPK pathway, which depends on Src kinase activity, is implicated in the control of cell proliferation. HMC-1(560) cells incubated with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor PP1 proliferated more slowly than controls and had less phospho-Raf-1 (Tyr 340-341) and phospho-p42/p44 MAPK. The Csk homologous kinase (CHK), an endogenous inhibitor of Src protein tyrosine kinases, was also enhanced in progesterone-treated cells. In contrast, progesterone had no effect on the growth of cells transfected with siRNA CHK. We conclude that progesterone increases the amount of csk homologous kinase, which in turn reduces HMC-1(560) mast cell proliferation. This effect parallels decreases in the phosphorylated forms of Raf-1 and p42/44 MAPK, as their production depends on Src kinase activity.