Dietary linseed oil increases trans-10,cis-15 18:2 in caprine milk fat.

Trans-10,cis-15 18:2 has been recently detected and characterized in digestive contents and meat and adipose tissue of ruminants, but its presence in milk and dairy products is hardly known. The aim of this study was to quantify trans-10,cis-15 18:2 in milk fat, better understand its metabolic origin, and help to elucidate the mechanisms of rumen biohydrogenation when the diet composition might affect ruminal environment. To address these objectives, 16 dairy goats were allocated to 2 simultaneous experiments (2 groups of goats and 2 treatments in each experiment). Experimental treatments consisted of basal diets with the same forage-to-concentrate ratio (33/67) and 2 starch-to-nonforage neutral detergent fiber (NDF) ratios (0.8 and 3.1), which were supplemented or not with 30 g/d of linseed oil for 25 d in a crossover design. Trans-10,cis-15 18:2 contents in milk fat were determined by gas chromatography fitted with an extremely polar capillary column (SLB-IL111). Levels of trans-10,cis-15 18:2 in individual milk fat samples ranged from 0 to 0.2% of total fatty acids, and its content in milk fat increased 8 fold due to linseed oil supplementation, substantiating the predominant role of α-linolenic acid in its formation. The trans-10,cis-15 18:2 levels in milk fat were similar in both experiments, despite the fact starch-to-nonforage NDF ratio of their respective basal diets greatly differed. In conclusion, trans-10,cis-15 18:2 was clearly related to linseed oil supplementation, and its increase in milk fat was comparable when the basal diets were rich in either nonforage NDF or starch.

Mercury and selenium concentrations in marine shrimps of NW Mexico: health risk assessment.

We determined total Hg and Se contents of hepatopancreas, exoskeleton, and muscle, and the Se:Hg molar ratios in the muscle of shrimps Farfantepenaeus californiensis and Litopenaeus stylirostris caught in NE Pacific Mexican waters. Total Hg mean values in muscle, hepatopancreas, and exoskeleton were 0.31 ± 0.26, 0.28 ± 0.29, and 0.24 ± 0.06 µg g-1, and 0.46 ± 0.46, 0.41 ± .034, and 0.24 ± 0.06 µg g-1 for F. californiensis and L. stylirostris, respectively. In all tissues, the mean concentrations of Se tended to be close to one order of magnitude higher than the respective Hg values. In F. californiensis, the hepatopancreas of the larger commercial size had significantly (p < 0.05) higher Hg content than smaller sizes, but correlations size-Hg concentration calculated for each tissue of either species were not significant. The Hg content of the muscle of all commercial sizes of both species was lower than the permissible limit and their Se:Hg ratios in all sizes were higher than 1, indicating low risk for human consumption.

Alternative to decrease cholesterol in sheep milk cheeses.

The presence of cholesterol in foods is of nutritional interest because high levels of this molecule in human plasma are associated with an increasing risk of cardiovascular disease and nowadays consumers are demanding healthier products. The goal of this experiment was to diminish the cholesterol content of Manchego, the most popular Spanish cheese manufactured from ewes milk. For this purpose three bulk milks coming from dairy ewe fed with 0 (Control), 3 and 6% of linseed supplement on their diet were used. Nine cheeses (3 per bulk milk) were manufactured and ripened for 3 months. Cholesterol of ewes milk cheese from 6% to 12% linseed supplemented diets decreased by 9.6% and 16.1% respectively, therefore supplying a healthier profile. In a second experiment, different sources of unsaturated fatty acids (rich in oleic, linoleic and α-linolenic acids) were supplemented to dairy ewes and no significant differences were found on cheese cholesterol levels.

Huperzia saururus Lam. Trevis. (Lycopodiaceae) facilitates ejaculation in spinal cord transected male rats.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Huperzia saururus (Lam.) Trevis. has an extensive ethnopharmacological use, mainly because of its aphrodisiac properties. The species is consumed as decoctions or infusions in traditional medicine. The purpose of the present research was to determine if Huperzia saururus is able to increase sexual potency by evaluating the ejaculatory response, in the presence of a decoction in spinal cord transected male rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The fictive ejaculation model to record the rhythmic contractions of the bulbospongiosus muscles that accompany ejaculation as an indicator of ejaculation occurrence was used. Sexually experienced male Wistar rats were used. The activation of the fictive ejaculation by the i.v. administration of a decoction was tested, as well as the effects of the oxytocinergic, cholinergic, adrenergic and nitrergic antagonism upon the pro-ejaculatory activity of Huperzia saururus. RESULTS: Decoction (3µg/animal) was able to activate the fictive ejaculation in spinal male rats, producing a statistically significant diminution on the latency of discharge parameter and a statistically significant augment for the number of discharges. Moreover, when sequential treatments using antagonists plus decoction were administered, the effects produced showed that prazosin prevent the pro-ejaculatory effect of the decoction and that the four antagonists assayed blocked the facilitatory effect of Huperzia saururus since the facilitation in the latency of response was prevented, and the number of discharges was reduced. Together these findings support the notion that the decoction exerts an aphrodisiac effect influencing the ejaculatory potency which is partially mediated by oxytocinergic, cholinergic, adrenergic and nitrergic spinal mechanisms. CONCLUSION: In agreement to the ethnopharmacological uses, Huperzia saururus decoction has aphrodisiac properties by influence on the ejaculatory potency.

Effects of Dracaena arborea (Dracaenaceae) on sexual dysfunction in 4 weeks hyperglycemic male rats.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of Dracaena arborea (D. arborea) on the sexual behavior parameters in experienced type-1 diabetic rats. METHODS: Aqueous and ethanol (100 and 500 mg/kg respectively) extracts of dried root barks of D. arborea, sildenafil citrate (1.44 mg/kg), trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO, 20 mg/kg) and distilled water (10 mL/kg) were orally administered to 4 weeks streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Mount latency and frequency (ML, MF), intromission latency and frequency (IL, IF) and post-ejaculatory interval (PEI) were measured by ejaculatory series during 90 min once a week for 4 weeks. Glycemia was determined at the beginning and at the end of the treatment. RESULTS: D. arborea did not show any major antihyperglycemic effects. Compared to the control group, a significant (P<0.05-0.001) increase in MF and IF was noticed in rats treated with sildenafil citrate (89.71% and 90.07% respectively), aqueous (500 mg/kg, 88.08% and 88.74% respectively) and ethanol (100 mg/kg; 89.53% and 89.17 respectively) extracts of D. arborea after two weeks (series 1) of treatment. ML, IL and PEI were significantly (P<0.05-0.001) decreased after 4 weeks of daily treatment [sildenafil citrate (96.31, 96.31% and 34.98%), and D. arborea aqueous 500 mg/kg (94.33, 94.33% and 66.60%) and ethanol extracts 100 mg/kg (96.98, 97.08% and 64.26%)]. CONCLUSIONS: These aphrodisiac potentials of D. arborea in experienced diabetic rats could be due to the antioxidant and androgenic properties of phenols, flavonoids, saponins and sterols revealed in the plant extracts.

Dracaena arborea extracts delay the pro-ejaculatory effect of dopamine and oxytocin in spinal male rats.

Dracaena arborea is a medicinal plant with ethnopharmacological aphrodisiac reputation. In the present study, the effect of an intravenous administration of aqueous and ethanolic extracts from the dried roots of this plant on the ejaculatory pattern of spinal cord-transected and urethane-anaesthetized rats was investigated. In addition, the effects of these extracts were also determined on dopamine and oxytocin-induced ejaculation. Systemic administration of aqueous and ethanolic extracts (5, 20, 60, 100 mg kg(-1)) of D. arborea did not activate fictive ejaculation, whereas dopamine (0.1 µM kg(-1)) and oxytocin (0.5 UI kg(-1)) provoked ejaculation evidenced by the rhythmic contractions of the bulbospongiosus muscles accompanied with penile erection and sometimes with expulsion of the seminal plugs. Pretreatment of spinal rats with D. arborea extracts dose-dependently blocked the pro-ejaculatory activity of dopamine and oxytocin. In conclusion, the present study shows that the bioactive substances present in the extracts of D. arborea inhibit the activity of the bulbospongiosus muscles through the blockade of dopaminergic and oxytocinergic receptors in rats.

Effects of olive and fish oil Ca soaps in ewe diets on milk fat and muscle and subcutaneous tissue fatty-acid profiles of suckling lambs.

Enhancing healthy fatty acids (FAs) in ewe milk fat and suckling lamb tissues is an important objective in terms of improving the nutritional value of these foods for the consumer. The present study examined the effects of feeding-protected lipid supplements rich in unsaturated FAs on the lipid composition of ewe milk, and subsequently in the muscle and subcutaneous adipose tissues of lambs suckling such milk. Thirty-six pregnant Churra ewes with their new-born lambs were assigned to one of three experimental diets (forage/concentrate ratio 50 : 50), each supplemented with either 3% Ca soap FAs of palm (Control), olive (OLI) or fish (FO) oil. The lambs were nourished exclusively by suckling for the whole experimental period. When the lambs reached 11 kg BW, they were slaughtered and samples were taken from the Longissimus dorsi and subcutaneous fat depots. Although milk production was not affected by lipid supplementation, the FO diet decreased fat content (P0.05) and other trans-FAs between Control and FO treatments would indicate that FO treatment does not alter rumen biohydrogenation pathways under the assayed conditions. Changes in dam milk FA composition induced differences in the FA profiles of meat and fat depots of lambs, preferentially incorporated polyunsaturated FAs into the muscle rather than storing them in the adipose tissue. In the intramuscular fat of the FO treatment, all the n-3 FAs reached their highest concentrations: 0.97 (18:3 n-3), 2.72 (20:5 n-3), 2.21 (22:5 n-3) and 1.53% (22:6 n-3). In addition, not only did FO intramuscular fat have the most cis-9, trans-11 18:2 (1.66%) and trans-11 18:1 (3.75%), but also the lowest n-6/n-3 ratio (1.80) and saturated FA content were not affected. Therefore, FO exhibited the best FA profile from a nutritional point of view.

Effects of different sources of fat (calcium soap of palm oil vs. extruded linseed) in lactating ewes' diet on the fatty acid profile of their suckling lambs.

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of supplementing lactating ewe diets with extruded linseed on the fatty acid (FA) composition of intramuscular and subcutaneous fat depots of suckling lambs. Twenty-four pregnant Churra ewes were divided into two groups based on the milk production, age, body weight and parity, and assigned to one of two treatments. Each ewe of the Control treatment was supplemented with 70 g/day of FAs from a calcium soap of palm oil, while the other treatment group (Lin) was supplemented with 128 g/day of extruded linseed. All lambs were reared exclusively on milk and were slaughtered when they reached 11 kg live weight. FA profiles of ewe milk, lamb meat and subcutaneous adipose tissue were determined by GC. Lamb performance was not affected by the treatments. Muscle fat and adipose tissue from the Lin treatment showed higher proportions of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). The percentages of α-linolenic (C18:3 n-3), docosahexaenoic (C22:6 n-3), vaccenic (trans-11 C18:1) and rumenic (cis-9, trans-11 C18:2) acids in both fat depots were higher in Lin than in Control suckling lambs. Furthermore, meat fat from Lin carcasses displayed a lower n-6/n-3 ratio than Control samples. Intramuscular depots clearly showed a greater content of PUFA, including cis-9, trans-11 C18:2, and a lower n-6/n-3 ratio than subcutaneous fat. The results from this study demonstrate that dietary extruded linseed supplementation of lactating ewes enhances the nutritional quality of suckling lamb fat depots such as intramuscular and subcutaneous fats.

Short communication: Feeding linseed oil to dairy goats with competent reticular groove reflex greatly increases n-3 fatty acids in milk fat.

A crossover experiment was designed to compare the effects of 2 ways of feeding linseed oil on milk fat fatty acid (FA) composition. Ten lactating goats, trained to keep competent their inborn reticular groove reflex, received a daily dose of linseed oil (38 g/d) either with their solid (concentrate) feed (CON) or emulsified in skim milk and bottle-fed (BOT). Two groups of 5 goats received alternative and successively each of the treatments in two 15-d periods. α-Linolenic acid in milk fat rose up to 13.7% in the BOT versus 1.34% in the CON treatment. The n-6 to n-3 FA ratio was significantly reduced in goats receiving bottle-fed linseed oil (1.49 vs. 0.49). Contents of rumen biohydrogenation intermediates of dietary unsaturated FA were high in milk fat of goats under the CON treatment but low in those in the BOT treatment. These results point to a clear rumen bypass of the bottle-fed linseed oil. This strategy allows obtaining milk fat naturally very rich in n-3 FA and very low in trans FA. Translating this approach into practical farm conditions could enable farmers to produce milk enriched in specific FA.

Time-dependent variations in milk fatty acid content of goats fed 3 different plant oils.

The effect of sampling time on milk fatty acid (FA) composition after separately adding 3 plant oils to an oil-free control diet (67% cereal-soybean-based concentrate and 33% alfalfa hay) was studied in 12 Malagueña goats. Individual animals were randomly allocated to 1 of the 4 treatments: control, 48 g/d of added high oleic (OSO) or regular (RSO) sunflower oil, or linseed oil (LO). Individual milk samples were taken at 0 (covariate), 1, 12, 24, 72, 120, 192, 312, and 504 h after the beginning of the experiment. Milk FA contents (g/100g of total FA methyl esters) were analyzed in a completely randomized design with repeated measures using PROC MIXED of SAS (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC). Comparing results of 15 chosen FA (for example, medium-chain saturated FA trans-11 C18:1, cis-9,trans-11 C18:2, trans-10 C18:1, and C18:3n-3) indicated that throughout the duration of the experiment, feeding the control diet had little influence on the concentrations of most FA in milk. Most changes in milk FA composition due to oil supplementation had occurred within 192 h since the beginning of the experiment. However, the concentrations of 2 FA (trans-10 C18:1 in RSO and C18:3n-3 in LO treatments) continued to change until 504 h. By comparing FA values in milk fat from oil treatments with those of the control at the same sampling times, typical value differences for the 3 supplementary oils found at 504 h (21 d) were also observed at 312 h from the beginning of the experiment (13 d) and even earlier in some FA, such as medium-chain saturated FA at 120 h in RSO and LO and at 72 h in OSO, cis-9,trans-11 C18:2 and trans-10 C18:1 at 24h in RSO, trans-11 C18:1 at 12h in RSO and LO, and C18:3n-3 at 1h in LO. In the conditions assayed in these experiments, reliable results of milk FA changes were obtained at sampling times shorter than 21 d. Monitoring early changes in milk FA after the addition of plant oils to diets could help in the study of rumen and mammary metabolism of dietary FA.

Pro-sexual effects of Turnera diffusa Wild (Turneraceae) in male rats involves the nitric oxide pathway.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Turnera diffusa Wild has been used in folk medicine by its aphrodisiac and tranquilizing properties. Previously we experimentally showed the aphrodisiac effect of a chemically characterized aqueous extract of Turnera diffusa in male rats. However, the mechanism of action underlying such effects has not been studied. STUDY AIMS: As part of our systematic studies of pharmacological properties of Turnera diffusa, we aimed to analyze whether the increased sexual motivation and the augmented sexual performance of sexually sluggish (SL) male rats treated with Turnera diffusa involves the NO pathway. Additionally we analyzed whether such effects were exerted at the level of the brain or the spinal cord. Finally, anxiety levels and ambulatory activity were also evaluated. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Turnera diffusa (10-40 mg/kg) and sildenafil citrate (10 mg/kg) with or without a nonspecific inhibitor of NO synthase, Nω-nitro-L-arginine methyl esther (L-NAME, 12.5 mg/kg) were evaluated in SL rats, in a standard sexual behavior test and in the fictive ejaculation model in spinal cord transected and urethane-anaesthetized SL rats. Anxiety levels or ambulation were assessed in the burying behavior and open-field tests. RESULTS: Turnera diffusa and sildenafil (both at 10 mg/kg) facilitated expression of male sexual behavior by shortening mainly ejaculation latency. Treatments also facilitated the number of discharges in the ejaculatory motor pattern as well as the number of ejaculatory motor patterns and its associated penile erections. L-NAME prevented the pro-sexual effects of treatments on both experimental models. Besides, the extract of Turnera diffusa (10 mg/kg) produced an anxiolytic-like effect in male rats without affecting ambulation. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from the present work support the notion that pro-sexual effect of the aqueous extract of Turnera diffusa in rats involves the participation of NO pathway, mainly at central level. The anxiolytic-like effect of Turnera diffusa is an advantage to its use for improving sexual performance.

Influence of α-tocopherol supplementation on trans-18:1 and conjugated linoleic acid profiles in beef from steers fed a barley-based diet.

The current study was conducted to determine the effect of different α-tocopherol (vitamin E) inclusion levels on trans(t)-18:1 and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) profiles in subcutaneous and intramuscular fat of steers fed a barley-based diet. Fifty-six feedlot steers were offered a barley-based finisher diet (73% steam rolled barley, 22% barley silage and 5% supplement as-fed basis) with four levels of supplementary dl-α-tocopheryl acetate (340, 690, 1040 or 1740 IU/steer per day) for 120 days. Adding vitamin E to the diet had little effect on the overall fatty acid composition of intramuscular fat. The proportion of individual and total t,t- and cis(c),t-CLA, n-3 fatty acids, total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), mono-unsaturated fatty acids and saturated fatty acids to PUFA ratio in subcutaneous fat were not influenced (P > 0.05) by dietary vitamin E supplementation. Increasing levels of vitamin E led to linear reductions in t6-/t7-/t8-18:1 and t10-18:1 (P < 0.05), and linear increase in t11-/t10-18:1 ratio (P < 0.05) in subcutaneous fat. The content of 20:3n-6 and total n-6 in subcutaneous fat decreased (P < 0.05) linearly with increasing amounts of vitamin E. The subcutaneous fat n-6:n-3 ratio showed a quadratic (P < 0.05) response to vitamin E. In conclusion, although vitamin E supplementation has some potential to reduce t10-18:1 formation and increase t11-/t10-18:1 ratio in subcutaneous fat of cattle fed barley-based diets, the changes in the present study were limited and may not have been sufficient to impact on human health.

Short communication: Linear discriminant analysis and type of oil added to dairy goat diets.

Gas chromatography fatty acid (FA) analysis of 112 milk fat samples from dairy goats fed a basal diet with no added oil or the same diet with 1 of 3 vegetable oils added [high oleic sunflower oil (HOSFO), regular sunflower oil (RSFO), or linseed oil (LO)] was used to identify the type of diet consumed through linear discriminant analysis. Twenty variables (19 FA and 1 FA ratio) were selected as valid predictors out of 84 variables tested. The Mahalanobis squared distance was minimal between HOSFO and RSFO groups and maximal between control and LO groups. Cross-validation showed that only one observation from RSFO group was misclassified into the HOSFO group. We concluded that linear discriminant analysis is a useful method to classify milk fat samples from dairy goats according to the particular vegetable oil (of the 3 oils tested here) added to the basal diet.

Effects of feeding increasing dietary levels of high oleic or regular sunflower or linseed oil on fatty acid profile of goat milk.

In this work, the effects of increasing amounts of 3 plant oils in diets on the fatty acid (FA) profile of goat milk were studied. The study consisted of 3 experiments, one per oil tested (linseed oil, LO; high oleic sunflower oil, HOSFO; and regular sunflower oil, RSFO). The 3 experiments were conducted successively on 12 Malagueña goats, which were assigned at random to 1 of 4 treatments: 0, 30, 48, and 66 (H) g of added oil/d. A basal diet made of alfalfa hay and pelleted concentrate (33:67) was used in all of the experiments. For each animal, milk samples collected after 15 d on treatments were analyzed for fat, protein, lactose, and FA composition, whereas individual milk yield was measured the last 3 d of each experiment. Oil supplementation affected neither dry matter intake nor milk production traits. Increasing the oil supplementation decreased the content of saturated FA (especially 16:0) in milk fat and increased mono- and polyunsaturated FA in a linear manner. Vaccenic acid content linearly increased with the oil supplementation by 370, 217, and 634% to 5.32, 2.66, and 5.09 g/100 g of total FA methyl esters with the H diet in LO, HOSFO, and RSFO experiments, respectively. Rumenic acid content linearly increased with LO and RSFO supplementation by 298 and 354% from 0.53 and 0.41 g/100 g of total FA methyl esters with the 0 g of added oil/d diet. The content of trans-10-18:1 was not affected by LO supplementation but showed an increasing linear trend with HOSFO supplementation and linearly increased with RSFO supplementation. The ratio of n-6 to n-3 polyunsaturated FA in milk fat was decreased by about 70% with the H diet in the LO experiment and it was increased by 54 and 82% with the H diet in the HOSFO and RSFO experiments. In conclusion, LO supplementation in this work seemed to be the most favorable alternative compared with HOSFO or RSFO supplementation.

Animal performance and milk fatty acid profile of dairy goats fed diets with different unsaturated plant oils.

The effect of supplementing a basal diet with 1 of 3 plant oils on productive efficiency and milk fatty acid composition was studied in dairy goats. Sixteen Malagueña goats were used in a 4×4 Latin square experiment with 21-d periods and 4 goats per treatment. The basal diet comprised 30% alfalfa hay and 70% pelleted concentrate. Experimental treatments were control (basal diet without added oil) and the basal diet supplemented with 48g/d of high oleic sunflower oil (HOSFO), regular sunflower oil (RSFO), or linseed oil (LO). Dry matter intake and body weight were not affected by treatments. Milk production was higher in HOSFO treatment and milk fat content was higher in RSFO and LO treatments, although no differences in milk energy production or milk renneting properties were found. The RSFO and LO treatments increased the proportion of vaccenic acid in milk fat more so than the HOSFO diet, and rumenic acid followed the same pattern. The content of trans10-18:1 remained low in all experimental diets (<0.7% of total fatty acid methyl esters) although HOSFO and RSFO diets increased it. The variations in the fatty acid profiles observed with the 4 diets, mainly the unsaturated fatty acid isomer contents, are extensively discussed. Compared with that in the control diet, the n-6:n-3 fatty acid ratio in milk fat substantially decreased with the LO, increased with RSFO, and did not change with HOSFO. The addition of moderate amounts of LO to the diets of dairy goats has favorable effects on milk fatty acid composition from the point of view of the human consumer, without negative effects on animal performance.

Effects of different forage:concentrate ratios in dairy ewe diets supplemented with sunflower oil on animal performance and milk fatty acid profile.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different forage:concentrate (FC) ratios in dairy ewe diets supplemented with sunflower oil (SO) on animal performance and milk fatty acid (FA) profile, particularly focusing on trans C18:1 FA and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Sixty lactating Assaf ewes were randomly assigned to 6 treatments in a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement: 3 FC ratios (30:70, 50:50, and 70:30) and 2 levels of SO addition (0 and 20 g/kg of dry matter). Both the diet FC ratio and SO supplementation affected milk yield, but differences between treatments were small. Although the proportion of concentrate induced limited changes in milk FA profile, dietary SO significantly decreased saturated FA and enhanced total CLA. Furthermore, the incorporation of SO in ewe diets decreased the atherogenicity index value by about 25% and doubled the contents of potentially healthy FA such as trans-11 C18:1 and cis-9,trans-11 CLA. However, the inclusion of SO in a high-concentrate diet (30:70) could switch linoleic acid biohydrogenation pathways, resulting in a significant increase in trans-10 C18:1, trans-9,cis-11 C18:2, and trans-10,cis-12 C18:2 milk fat percentages.

Cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of defence secretion of Ulomoides dermestoides on A549 cells.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Ulomoides dermestoides (Fairmaire, 1893) is a cosmopolitan tenebrionid beetle reared by Argentine people who consume them alive as an alternative medicine in the treatment of different illnesses such as asthma, Parkinson's, diabetes, arthritis, HIV and specially cancer. AIM OF THE STUDY: To evaluate the cytotoxicity and DNA damage of the major volatile components released by Ulomoides dermestoides on human lung carcinoma epithelial cell line A549. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The defence compounds of Ulomoides dermestoides were extracted with dichloromethane and analyzed and quantified by capillary gas chromatography. The toxicity effects of the beetle's extract against A549 cell line were evaluated. Cytotoxicity was evaluated by MTT test and Trypan blue assay and genotoxicity was evaluated by the comet assay. The synthetic compounds, individually or combined, were also tested in A549 cells and normal mononuclear human cells. RESULTS: The defence compounds of Ulomoides dermestoides extracted with dichloromethane (methyl-1,4-benzoquinones, ethyl-1,4-benzoquinones and 1-pentadecene as major components) showed cytotoxic activity on A549 cells demonstrated by MTT test and Trypan blue assay, with IC(50) values of 0.26equivalent/ml and 0.34equivalent/ml, respectively (1equivalent=amount of components extracted per beetle). The inhibition of A549 cell proliferation with the synthetic blend (1,4-benzoquinone and 1-pentadecene) or 1,4-benzoquinone alone was similar to that obtained with the insect extract. 1-Pentadecene showed no inhibitory effect. Low doses of insect extract or synthetic blend (0.15equivalent/ml) inhibited mononuclear cell proliferation by 72.2±2.7% and induced significant DNA damage both in tumor and mononuclear cells. CONCLUSION: Results of this study demonstrated that defence compounds of Ulomoides dermestoides reduced cell viability and induced DNA damage. We also concluded that the insect benzoquinones are primarily responsible for inducing cytotoxicity and genotoxicity in culture cells.

Antipsychotic dose and diminished neural modulation: a multi-site fMRI study.

BACKGROUND: The effect of antipsychotics on the blood oxygen level dependent signal in schizophrenia is poorly understood. The purpose of the present investigation is to examine the effect of antipsychotic medication on independent neural networks during a motor task in a large, multi-site functional magnetic resonance imaging investigation. METHODS: Seventy-nine medicated patients with schizophrenia and 114 comparison subjects from the Mind Clinical Imaging Consortium database completed a paced, auditory motor task during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Independent component analysis identified temporally cohesive but spatially distributed neural networks. The independent component analysis time course was regressed with a model time course of the experimental design. The resulting beta weights were evaluated for group comparisons and correlations with chlorpromazine equivalents. RESULTS: Group differences between patients and comparison subjects were evident in the cortical and subcortical motor networks, default mode networks, and attentional networks. The chlorpromazine equivalents correlated with the unimotor/bitemporal (rho=-0.32, P=0.0039), motor/caudate (rho=-0.22, P=0.046), posterior default mode (rho=0.26, P=0.020), and anterior default mode networks (rho=0.24, P=0.03). Patients on typical antipsychotics also had less positive modulation of the motor/caudate network relative to patients on atypical antipsychotics (t(77)=2.01, P=0.048). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that antipsychotic dose diminishes neural activation in motor (cortical and subcortical) and default mode networks in patients with schizophrenia. The higher potency, typical antipsychotics also diminish positive modulation in subcortical motor networks. Antipsychotics may be a potential confound limiting interpretation of fMRI studies on the disease process in medicated patients with schizophrenia.

Effect of α-tocopherol tissue levels on beef quality.

To evaluate meat quality of beef with different α-tocopherol tissue levels, 55 feedlot steers were fed a barley-based finisher diet with four vitamin E supplementation levels (0, 350, 700 and 1400 IU DL-α-tocopheryl acetate/animal per day) for 120 days. Although the increase in oxidation levels overtime was much smaller (P < 0.001) in the high-medium and high groups, α-tocopherol tissue levels did not affect (P > 0.05) pH, proximate analysis, drip and cooking losses, and shear force of steaks. No effect of α-tocopherol tissue levels was found in retail evaluation of steaks after a short ageing time of 6 days, but with 21 days of ageing, a delay in formation of metmyoglobin (P = 0.008) was observed in steaks with higher tissue levels of α-tocopherol. Similar results were found for ground beef (25% fat) prepared from 6-day aged meat. Thus, higher α-tocopherol tissue levels protect ground beef and long-aged steaks from discolouration and lipid oxidation.

Feeding co-extruded flaxseed to pigs: effects of duration and feeding level on growth performance and backfat fatty acid composition of grower-finisher pigs.

To examine the effect of co-extrusion on subsequent n-3 fatty acids in pig tissues, 8 pigs (barrows and gilts) were assigned to either a control treatment or one of nine treatments arranged in a 3 x 3 factorial design with 3 levels of co-extruded flaxseed (5%, 10% and 15%) and 3 durations of feeding (4, 8 and 12 weeks). Feed conversion improved slightly (P=0.01) with increasing dietary flaxseed but feeding flax for more than 8 weeks reduced average daily gain (P=0.02). In general, the duration and level of co-extruded flaxseed feeding affected (P<0.05) most fatty acids except for 22:6n-3 (P>0.05). Increasing the duration of flax feeding led to significant quadratic effects in backfat 18:3n-3 (P<0.001) and total n-3 fatty acids (P=0.002) when feeding 5% co-extruded flaxseed. Those increases were linear (P<0.001) when feeding 10% and 15% co-extruded flaxseed. Consequently feeding higher levels of flax for shorter periods vs. lower levels for longer periods appears to be more efficient at increasing n-3 fatty acids in pig backfat, but increases appeared to be less consistent. Moreover the addition of a 50:50 mix of extruded flax/peas to pig diets provided a highly available source of 18:3n-3 yielding n-3 fatty acid enrichments in backfat comparable to studies where extracted flaxseed oil was fed. Feeding flax co-extruded with field peas can be used to optimize consistent enrichments of n-3 fatty acids in back fat and relatively small amounts of this fat could be used to manufacture pork products to meet Canadian standards for n-3 fatty acid enrichment.