miRNA Expression Analysis of IPEC-J2 Cells Damaged by Soybean 7S Globulin Reveals ssc-miR-221-5p as the Factor Alleviating Cell Damage.

The most significant and sensitive antigen protein that causes diarrhea in weaned pigs is soybean 7S globulin. Therefore, identifying the primary target for minimizing intestinal damage brought on by soybean 7S globulin is crucial. MicroRNA (miRNA) is closely related to intestinal epithelium's homeostasis and integrity. However, the change of miRNAs' expression and the function of miRNAs in Soybean 7S globulin injured-IPEC-J2 cells are still unclear. In this study, the miRNAs' expression profile in soybean 7S globulin-treated IPEC-J2 cells was investigated. Fifteen miRNAs were expressed differently. The differentially expressed miRNA target genes are mainly concentrated in signal release, cell connectivity, transcriptional inhibition, and Hedgehog signaling pathway. Notably, we noticed that the most significantly decreased miRNA was ssc-miR-221-5p after soybean 7S globulin treatment. Therefore, we conducted a preliminary study on the mechanisms of ssc-miR-221-5p in soybean 7S globulin-injured IPEC-J2 cells. Our research indicated that ssc-miR-221-5p may inhibit ROS production to alleviate soybean 7S globulin-induced apoptosis and inflammation in IPEC-J2 cells, thus protecting the cellular mechanical barrier, increasing cell proliferation, and improving cell viability. This study provides a theoretical basis for the prevention and control of diarrhea of weaned piglets.

Bacillus toyonensis SAU-19 and SAU-20 Isolated From Ageratina adenophora Alleviates the Intestinal Structure and Integrity Damage Associated With Gut Dysbiosis in Mice Fed High Fat Diet.

This study was performed to identify potential probiotic endophytes from Ageratina adenophora and evaluate their ameliorating effects on gut injury and integrity damage associated with microbiota dysbiosis in mice fed high fat diet. Using morphological and biochemical tests, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing technique, two bacteria endophytes were identified as strains of Bacillus toyonensis and were named Bacillus toyonensis SAU-19 (GenBank No. MW287198) and Bacillus toyonensis SAU-20 (GenBank No. MW287199). Sixty (60) mice were divided into five groups, group 1 was the negative control fed normal diet (NS), group 2 was fed High fat diet (HF), Group 3 was fed High fat diet + 106 Lactobacillus rhamnosus (LGG), group 4 was fed High fat + 106 Bacillus toyonensis SAU-19 and group 5 fed High fat diet + 106 Bacillus toyonensis SAU-20. After 35 days, histological and immunohistochemistry examination were performed in the ileum tissues. Furthermore, DAO and antioxidants activities were measured in serum, mRNA expressions of tight junction proteins (occludin and ZO-1) and inflammation related cytokines (IL-1ß, TFN-α, IL-2, IL-4, and IL-10) in the ileum tissues as well as sIgA levels and total bacteria (Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus, and Lactobacillus) in the small intestine and cecum content. The results showed an increase in the DAO activity, oxidative stress parameter (MDA), pro-inflammation cytokines (IL-1ß, TFN-α, IL-2), reduce immunity (sIgA), and destroyed intestinal structure and integrity (reduce tight junction proteins) in the high fat diet group and this was associated with destruction of the gut microbiota composition (increasing pathogenic bacteria; E. coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus and reducing beneficial bacteria, Lactobacillus spp.) in mice (P < 0.05). However, the administration of Bacillus toyonensis SAU-19 and SAU-20 reverted these effects. Our findings indicated that, Bacillus toyonensis SAU-19 and SAU-20 isolated from A. adenophora could prevent the excess weight gain from high fat diet feeding, improved antioxidant status and alleviated the intestine integrity damage as well as reduce the population of enteric bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella, and S. aureus and increasing the population of beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus in the gut of mice fed high fat diet, therefore, can serve as a potential probiotics in humans and animals.

An Overview: The Toxicity of Ageratina adenophora on Animals and Its Possible Interventions.

Ageratina adenophora is one of the major invasive weeds that causes instability of the ecosystem. Research has reported that A. adenophora produces allelochemicals that inhibit the growth and development of food crops, and also contain some toxic compounds that cause toxicity to animals that consume it. Over the past decades, studies on the identification of major toxic compounds of A. adenophora and their toxic molecular mechanisms have been reported. In addition, weed control interventions, such as herbicides application, was employed to reduce the spread of A. adenophora. However, the development of therapeutic and prophylactic measures to treat the various A. adenophora-induced toxicities, such as hepatotoxicity, splenotoxicity and other related disorders, have not been established to date. The main toxic pathogenesis of A. adenophora is oxidative stress and inflammation. However, numerous studies have verified that some extracts and secondary metabolites isolated from A. adenophora possess anti-oxidation and anti-inflammation activities, which implies that these extracts can relieve toxicity and aid in the development of drug or feed supplements to treat poisoning-related disorders caused by A. adenophora. Furthermore, beneficial bacteria isolated from rumen microbes and A. adenophora can degrade major toxic compounds in A. adenophora so as to be developed into microbial feed additives to help ameliorate toxicity mediated by A. adenophora. This review presents an overview of the toxic mechanisms of A. adenophora, provides possible therapeutic strategies that are available to mitigate the toxicity of A. adenophora and introduces relevant information on identifying novel prophylactic and therapeutic measures against A. adenophora-induced toxicity.

Ageratina adenophora Disrupts the Intestinal Structure and Immune Barrier Integrity in Rats.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Ageratina adenophora on the intestines morphology and integrity in rat. Rats were randomly divided into two groups and were fed with 10 g/100 g body weight (BW) basal diet and 10 g/100 g BW experimental diet, which was a mixture of A. adenophora powder and basal diet in a 3:7 ratio. The feeding experiment lasted for 60 days. At days 28 and 60 of the experiment, eight rats/group/timepoint were randomly selected, weighed, and sacrificed, then blood and intestinal tissues were collected and stored for further analysis. The results showed that Ageratina adenophora caused pathological changes and injury in the intestine, elevated serum diamine oxidase (DAO), D-lactate (D-LA), and secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) levels, reduced occludin levels in intestinal tissues, as well as increased the count of intraepithelial leukocytes (IELs) and lamina propria leukocytes (LPLs) in the intestine (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01). In addition, the mRNA and protein (ELISA) expressions of pro-inflammation cytokines (IL-1ß, IL-2, TNF-α, and IFN-ϒ) were elevated in the Ageratina adenophora treatment groups, whereas anti-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-4 and IL-10 were reduced (p < 0.01 or p < 0.05). Therefore, the results obtained in this study indicated that Ageratina adenophora impaired intestinal function in rats by damaging the intestine structure and integrity, and also triggered an inflammation immune response that led to intestinal immune barrier dysfunction.

Toxic mechanisms and pharmacological properties of euptox A, a toxic monomer from A. adenophora.

A. adenophora (Spreng.) R.M. King & H. Rob. is as invasive plant known to cause toxicity in humans and animals. The plant's toxic activities have been associated with some toxic phytochemicals present in the plant. One of the major phytochemicals that have been reported to induce toxicity in various organs is euptox A (9-oxo-10, 11-dehydroageraphorone). Previous studies have reported that the main target organs of euptox A are the liver and spleen. Although, many studies have reported on euptox A toxicity in rats and mice, the mechanism of action and the beneficial uses of this toxin as well as it potential uses have not been fully established in literatures. Therefore, this review firstly, aims at elaborating on the toxic effects and mechanism of action of euptox A to give basic knowledge to researchers to help in the development of strategies that will reduce its toxicity to the environment. Secondly, this paper will also report on some beneficial uses of euptox A in recent years as well as suggest some future potential applications of this toxin to help in the utilization of this plant resource.

Ageratina adenophora Inhibits Spleen Immune Function in Rats via the Loss of the FRC Network and Th1-Th2 Cell Ratio Elevation.

The objective of this study was to determine the impact of Ageratina adenophora (A. adenophora) on splenic immune function in a rat model. Rats were fed with 10 g/100 g normal feed and an experimental feed, which was composed of 3:7 A. adenophora powder and normal feed for 60 days. On days 14, 28, and 60, subsets of rats (n = 8 rats/group/time point) were selected for blood and spleen tissue sample collection. The results showed that the proportion of CD3+ T cells in the spleen was decreased at day 60 (vs. control). Also, mRNA and protein expression of chemokines CCL21 and CCL19 and functional protein gp38 in spleen decreased significantly versus the control at day 60. In addition, ER-TR7 antigen protein expression was also decreased at day 60. Levels of T-helper (Th)1 cells significantly increased, whereas those of Th2 cells decreased significantly versus the control at day 60 in spleen. The finding revealed that A. adenophora could affect splenic immune function in rats by altering the fibroblast reticulocyte (FRC) network, as well as by causing an imbalance in Th1/Th2 cell ratios. This research provides new insights into potential mechanisms of spleen immunotoxicity due to exposures to A. Adenophora.

Identification of characteristic heroin metabolites in urine based on data-mining technology and multivariate statistics analysis combined with a targeted verification approach for distinguishing heroin abusers.

A common phenomenon shows that ingestion of opium poppy shell-containing drugs can result in a "false-positive" urinalysis test result for mandatory or workplace heroin abuse screening. Owing to the short detection window (8 h in urine) of the characteristic heroin metabolite 6-monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM) confirmation or exclusion of heroin abusers still presents major challenges for toxicologists. In this work, we developed an ultra-performance liquid chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry method (UPLC-TOF-MS) with online data acquisition and multiple post-data-mining technologies combined with a multivariate statistical and batch validation analysis workflow to assess the characteristic urine metabolites of heroin abusers. Based on the proposed methods, 28 characteristic metabolites were structurally identified, and their fragmentation patterns and metabolite pathways were also summarized. Correlation analysis was used to investigate the internal relationship and similarities among the identified metabolites, and seven representative metabolites were selected as "Target-metabolites". Multi-batch urine of samples of heroin abusers were certified based on the UPLC-MS/MS method for further validation of the practicability of using this method for routine analysis. Overall, the target-metabolites can be utilized as assistant "biomarkers" in workplace or mandatory drug screenings. This approach encourages further studies on the development of the "false-positive" identification system.

Does copper reduce cadmium uptake by different rice genotypes?

A hydroponics experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of copper (Cu) on cadmium (Cd), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn) uptake by several rice genotypes. The experiment was carried out as a 2x2x4 factorial with four rice genotypes and two levels of Cu and Cd in nutrient solution. Plants were grown in a growth chamber with controlled environment. The results showed a significant difference between the biomass of different rice genotypes (P < 0.001). The Cd and Cu concentration in the solution had no significant effect on the biomass. The addition of Cu significantly decreased Cd uptake by shoots and roots of rice (P < 0.001). The Cd concentration did not significantly influence Ca uptake by plants, whereas the Cu concentration did (P = 0.034). There was a significant influence of Cd on Fe uptake by shoots and roots (P < 0.001, P = 0.003, respectively). Zn uptake decreased significantly as the addition of Cd and Cu increased in shoots. We concluded that Cu had significant influence on Cd uptake. The possible mechanisms were discussed.

[Adverse health effects of cadmium and related factors].

Cd is a very toxic chemical to animal and human beings. Cd contamination has been ubiquitous because of industry and the human activities. Cd not only affects adversely the growth, yield and quality of crops but also effects on the health of animal and human being. The damage of Cd on bone, kidney, liver, immune and procreation systems as well possible factors that influence Cd absorption, accumulation and damage in the body are summarized in this paper.

[Effect of calcium content in diet on the accumulation and toxicity of cadmium in organisms].

Cadmium (Cd) is one of the most toxic elements with no benefit to plants and human health. Cd is absorbed via gastrointestinal track through food chain and hence, poses subsequent health risks. Data available showed that the interdependence exists between nutritional status of the organism and Cd accumulation and its toxicity. In this paper, interaction of dietary calcium (Ca) and Cd toxicity was reviewed and discussed.

Cadmium uptake by different rice genotypes that produce white or dark grains.

A pot experiment was conducted to investigate cadmium (Cd) uptake by different rice cultivars that produce white or dark grains. Four cultivars with white grains (hereafter, white rice) and five cultivars with dark colors (hereafter dark rice) were selected for this experiment. Three levels of soil Cd concentrations, background (0), 5 and 10 mg/kg, were used. After harvest, plant biomass, tissue concentrations of Cd, Ca, Fe, Cu and Zn were analyzed. The results showed that Cd concentrations are significantly different between different genotypes, but when comparing the Cd concentrations for the two groups, no significant difference was found. For other divalent cations, Ca concentrations in dark rice were higher than those in white ones (P < 0.001 for shoots, P = 0.037 for roots); Fe concentrations in dark rice were also higher than those in white ones (P = 0.001 either in shoot or root); Zn concentrations in shoot of dark rice were higher than those in white ones, but no significant difference in roots. The total molar concentrations of divalent cations in dark rice were also significantly higher than in white rice. The potential benefit of higher Ca and Fe concentrations in dark rice and similar Cd concentrations in both groups is also discussed in this paper.