RESUMEN
As a type of contact dermatitis (CD), irritant CD (ICD) is an acute skin inflammation caused by external irritants, such as soap, water and chemicals. Humulus japonicus (HJ) is a herbal medicine widely distributed in Asian countries and has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antioxidant effects. The current study aimed to investigate the anti-dermatitis effect of HJ on ICD and determine the molecular basis of this effect using 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced dermatitis mice models and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Mice were orally administered HJ and luteolin, the major compound in HJ, and topically administered TPA on the right ear to induce dermatitis. Topical application of TPA induced ear redness, oedema and increased infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages, which ameliorated following HJ and luteolin administration. The gene expression levels of inflammatory cell migrating chemokines, chemokine ligand 3 (CCL3) and chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 2 (CXCL2), and pro-inflammatory cytokine, IL-1ß, were reduced in the ears of HJ- and luteolin-treated mice. HJ and luteolin also inhibited the gene expression of chemokines, CCL3 and CXCL2, and pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-1ß, IL-6 and TNF-α, in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Moreover, HJ and luteolin decreased the expression levels of two key inflammatory enzymes, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and total and active phosphorylation of NF-κB p65. These results suggest that HJ could have a protective effect against ICD by suppressing inflammatory responses; therefore, HJ is a promising therapeutic strategy for ICD treatment.
RESUMEN
The current study was conducted to evaluate the effect of calcium-enriched fatty acid supplementation on the growth performance, blood metabolites, intestinal morphology, carcass traits, and nutrient digestibility of broilers subjected to chronic heat stress. A total of 210 one-day-old broiler chicks (40.12 ± 0.25 g) were randomly allocated to one of five dietary treatments, to obtain six replicates per treatment. Broilers were subjected to chronic heat stress from day 21 to day 35, post-hatching, at 34°C for 9 h per day. The body weight (BW) and feed intake of the experimental broilers were recorded weekly, and the average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were calculated accordingly. Rectal temperature was measured to compare the basal body temperatures between individuals, and blood samples were collected on days 21 and 35 to evaluate basal body temperature, serum total cholesterol, and the triglyceride content of the broilers. On days 21 and 35, one broiler from each cage (n=6) was euthanized to measure carcass trait parameters, nutrient digestibility in digesta, and intestinal morphology. On days 14, 28, and 35, the broilers fed 2.0% calcium-enriched fatty acids had higher BW (p < 0.05) than those fed the other diets. However, no differences (p > 0.05) were found in the average daily feed intake (ADFI) between dietary treatments over the 35 experimental days. On the other hand, on day 21, post-hatching, the broilers fed the 2.0% calcium-enriched fatty acid diet had improved (p < 0.05) dietary feed efficiencies compared to the other treatments. On day 28, the broilers fed the 5.0% of calcium-enriched fatty acid diet also had higher (p < 0.05) dietary feed efficiencies than those fed with the other dietary treatments. No effects (p > 0.05) on carcass weight, nutrient digestibility, intestinal morphology, or blood parameters were found between broilers fed with dietary treatments. This study demonstrated that the inclusion of an additive, containing 2.0% calcium-enriched fatty acid, to broiler diet could ameliorate the negative growth performance of broilers; and no interaction (p > 0.05) was observed between the calcium-enriched fatty acid and nutrient digestibility, digestive anatomy, blood metabolism, and carcass traits of broilers subjected to chronic heat stress conditions for 35 days post-hatching.