Comparison of Antioxidant Properties and Metabolite Profiling of Acer pseudoplatanus Leaves of Different Colors.

Acer pseudoplatanus (maple) is a widely grown ornamental plant. In addition to its ornamental and ecological value, it also has potentially high economic value. It is a rich source of polyphenols and exhibits antioxidant activity. However, the relationship between polyphenol content and antioxidant activity in maple leaves of different colors (green, yellow, and red) has not yet been investigated. In this study, the total polyphenol (TP), total flavonoid (TFlav), tannin (TET), chlorophyll a and b (Chl a and b), total anthocyanin (TAN), and total carotene (TAC) contents in maple leaves of different colors were evaluated. Their antioxidant activities were determined based on the inhibition of lipid oxidation, DPPH scavenging, ferric ion-reducing antioxidant power, and iron-chelating abilities. The concentrations of TP, TET, TFlav, TAN, and TAC in red maple leaves were higher than those in green and yellow maple leaves. In addition, red maple leaves showed a higher antioxidant effect than the leaves of the other two colors. We observed that antioxidant activity was positively correlated with TP, TFlav, and TAN and negatively correlated with Chl a and b. Finally, we analyzed the metabolites of the different colored (i.e., green, yellow, and red) maple leaves using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and found that the metabolite profile significantly varied between the different colors. These results suggest that red leaves are a good source of polyphenols and antioxidants and have potential use in the development of functional foods and medicinal applications.

Potential use of ground brown rice for weanling pigs.

The purpose of the current study was to assess the effects of substituting corn with ground brown rice on growth performance, immune status, and gut microbiota in weanling pigs. Seventy-two weanling pigs (28 d old with 6.78 ± 0.94 kg body weight [BW]) were randomly allotted to two dietary treatments with six pens and six pigs (three barrows and gilts) per pen within a randomized complete block design. The control pigs were fed a typical diet for weanling pigs based on corn and soybean meal diet (control diet: CON), and the other pigs were fed a formulated diet with 100% replacement of corn with ground brown rice for 35d (treatment diet: GBR). Growth performance, immune status, and gut microbiota of weanling pigs were measured. The substitution of corn with GBR did not affect growth performance or diarrhea frequency. Additionally, there were no differences in white blood cell number, hematocrit, cortisol, C-reactive protein, and serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels between pigs fed CON or GBR for the first 2 wk after weaning. However, weanling pigs fed GBR had lower (P < 0.05) serum transforming growth factor-beta 1 level than those fed CON. Furthermore, weanling pigs fed GBR had increased (P < 0.05) relative abundance of phylum Firmicutes and genus Lactobacillus and Streptococcus and decreased (P < 0.05) relative abundance of phylum Bacteroidetes and genus Clostridium and Prevotella in the gut microbiota compared with those fed CON. In conclusion, there was no significant difference in growth performance when corn was replaced with ground brown rice in diets for weanling pigs. Furthermore, the substitution of corn with ground brown rice in weaning diet modulated immune status and gut microbiota of pigs by increasing beneficial microbial communities and reducing harmful microbial communities. Overall, ground brown rice-based diet is a potential alternative to corn-based diet without negative effects on growth performance, immune status, and gut microbiota changes of weanling pigs.

Effects of dietary inactivated probiotics on growth performance and immune responses of weaned pigs.

This experiment was performed to verify whether dietary heat-killed Lactobacillus rhamnosus (LR) improves growth performance and modulates immune responses of weaned pigs. Ninety-six weaned pigs ([Landrace × Yorkshire] × Duroc; 6.95 ± 0.25 kg body weight [BW]; 28 d old) were randomly allocated to four treatments: 1) a basal diet without heat-killed LR (CON), 2) T1 (CON with 0.1% heat-killed LR), 3) T2 (CON with 0.2% heat-killed LR), and 4) T3 (CON with 0.4% heat-killed LR). Each treatment had six pens with four pigs (6 replicates per treatment) in a randomized completely block design. The heat-killed LR used in this study contained 1 × 109 FU/g of LR in a commercial product. Pigs were fed each treatment for four weeks using a two-phase feeding program to measure growth performance and frequency of diarrhea. During the last week of this study, all diets contained 0.2% chromic oxide as an indigestible marker. Fecal sampling was performed through rectal palpation for the consecutive three days after the four adaptation days to measure apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of dry matter, crude protein, and gross energy (GE). Blood sampling was also performed on day 1, 3, 7, and 14 after weaning to measure immune responses such as serum tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1), C-reactive protein (CRP), and cortisol. The heat-killed LR increased (p < 0.05) growth rate, feed efficiency, and ATTD of GE for overall experimental period compared with CON, but reduced (p < 0.05) post-weaning diarrhea. In addition, pigs fed diets contained heat-killed had lower concentrations of serum TNF-α (d 7; p < 0.05), TGF-ß1 (d 7; p < 0.10), and cortisol (d 3 and 7; p < 0.05) than pigs fed CON. In conclusion, dietary heat-killed LR improved growth rate, modified immune responses of weaned pigs, and alleviated post-weaning diarrhea.

Spray-dried plasma attenuates inflammation and lethargic behaviors of pregnant mice caused by lipopolysaccharide.

This study evaluated whether dietary spray-dried plasma (SDP) can ameliorate inflammation, lethargic behaviors, and impairment of reproduction caused by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge during late pregnancy. Two experiments were conducted with 125 mated female mice (C57BL/6 strain) in each experiment. All mice were shipped from a vendor on the gestation day (GD) 1 and arrived at the laboratory on GD 3. Mice were randomly assigned to dietary treatments with or without 8% SDP in the diet. On GD 17, mice determined pregnant by BW and abdomen shape were randomly assigned to intraperitoneal injections with or without 2 µg LPS. In experiment 1, 17 mice (26.7 ± 1.7 g BW) were identified pregnant and euthanized 6 h after the LPS challenge to measure inflammatory responses in uterus and placenta. In experiment 2, 44 mice (26.0 ± 1.6 g BW) were identified pregnant and euthanized 24 h after the LPS challenge to assess behavior and late-term pregnancy loss. Growth performance and reproductive responses, such as loss of pregnancy, percentage of fetal death, and etc., were measured in all pregnant mice. The LPS challenge increased (P < 0.05) uterine and placental tumor necrosis factor-α and interferon-γ, late-term pregnancy loss, and lethargy score, and decreased (P < 0.05) uterine transforming growth factor-ß1, moving time and number of rearing, and growth and feed intake. The SDP decreased (P < 0.05) concentrations of both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in one or both tissues, and the lethargy score, and increased (P < 0.05) moving time and number of rearing, growth of pregnant mice, and fetal weight. However, the SDP did not affect late-term pregnancy loss caused by the LPS challenge. Consequently, dietary SDP attenuated acute inflammation and lethargic behaviors of pregnant mice caused by the LPS challenge, but did not affect late-term pregnancy loss after the acute inflammation.

Medium-Chain Enriched Diacylglycerol (MCE-DAG) Oil Decreases Body Fat Mass in Mice by Increasing Lipolysis and Thermogenesis in Adipose Tissue.

Medium chain fatty acid (MCFA) escapes the formation of chylomicrons in the small intestine, resulting in energy expenditure through beta-oxidation. Diacylglycerol (DAG) is susceptible to oxidation rather than being stored in the adipose tissue. This study was conducted to verify the effect of MCE-DAG oil on body fat mass in vivo. Male C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to four groups (n = 12) as follows: (1) normal diet (18% kcal from fat), (2) canola oil as a control (40% kcal from canola oil), (3) MCE-DAG10 (10% kcal from MCE-DAG + 30% kcal from canola oil), and (4) MCE-DAG20 (20% kcal from MCE-DAG + 20% kcal from canola oil). The body weight and fat mass of MCE-DAG20 group mice were decreased relative to those of control mice (P < 0.05 and P < 0.001, respectively). Serum triacylglycerol (TAG) was decreased in both MCE-DAG10 and MCE-DAG20 groups (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively). Hormone sensitive lipase (HSL) and adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) were increased in the MCE-DAG20 group relative to the control in white adipose tissue (WAT) (P < 0.05). Uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) was also increased in the MCE-DAG20 group relative to the control in brown adipose tissue (BAT) (P < 0.05). In summary, MCE-DAG reduced body fat mass likely by stimulating lipolysis in WAT and thermogenesis in BAT.