Pectin-rich dragon fruit peel extracts: An environmentally friendly emulsifier of natural origin.

Pectin extraction is generally an energy-intensive industrial process, while on the other hand their extraction methods vary from different sources. Starting with that perspective, pectin (WSP) containing ultra-low degree of methylation (31.08 ± 1.27%) from dragon fruit peel (DFP) was extracted by using pure water at room temperature. WSP, dominant in DFP (17.13 ± 1.01%), showed both a high molecular weight and a wide molecular weight distribution, while the yield of the rest acid-soluble pectin (HAP) from DFP residue was only 5.22 ± 0.76%. Furthermore, WSP can stabilize emulsions over a wide range of concentrations and oil phases, especially HIPE. Therefore, the hypothesis was verified that the pectin-rich extract from dragon fruit peel with excellent emulsifying properties could be simply extracted by pure water. This environmentally-friendly and energy-saving extraction method provides a new insight to increase the additional value of dragon fruit peel produced in food processing.

Anticoccidial Effect of Herbal Powder "Shi Ying Zi" in Chickens Infected with Eimeria tenella.

Coccidiosis is one of the most economically important diseases affecting the poultry industry. Currently, anticoccidial drugs used in veterinary clinics show many deficiencies, and new control measures are urgently needed. This study presents an anticoccidial herbal powder "Shi Yin Zi", which consists of Cnidium monnieri (L.) Cuss, Taraxacum mongolicum Hand.-Mazz., and sodium chloride. In chickens infected with Eimeria tenella, supplementation with "Shi Yin Zi" powder for 3 d prior to infection or treatment with "Shi Yin Zi" powder after infection could improve the survival rate and relative growth rate and alleviate the pathological changes in the cecum, liver, and kidney. "Shi Yin Zi" powder could recover the levels of alanine aminotransferase, creatinine, albumin, and triglycerides in serum. The hemorrhage occurrence and total number of oocysts in feces were reduced. The anti-coccidial indexes reached 165 for the prophylactic effect and 144 for the therapeutic effect. The anti-coccidial effects were equal to positive controls (monensin and sulfamlopyrazine). These results suggest that "Shi Ying Zi" powder possesses a potent anticoccidial effect and exhibits the potential to control E. tenella infection.

Effect of Resveratrol Dry Suspension on Immune Function of Piglets.

Resveratrol, a polyphenolic plant antitoxin, has a wide range of pharmacological activities. In this study, we systematically evaluated the effects of resveratrol dry suspension (RDS) on immune function in piglets that were treated with different doses of RDS for 2 weeks. The results showed that the RDS has significant effects on the development, maturation, proliferation, and transformation of T lymphocytes. RDS could regulate humoral immune responses by upregulating the release of IFN-γ and downregulating the release of TNF-α. After piglets were vaccinated against classical swine fever virus and foot-and-mouth disease virus, the antibody titers were significantly increased. RDS treatment showed an excellent resistance to enhance T-SOD activity. Values of blood routine and blood biochemistry showed no toxicity. These results suggested that RDS could be considered as an adjuvant to enhance immune responses to vaccines, as well as dietary additives for animals to enhance humoral and cellular immunity.

Acute and subchronic toxicity as well as evaluation of safety pharmacology of traditional Chinese medicine "Huhezi".

The study was conducted to evaluate the toxicity and safety pharmacology of the traditional Chinese medicine, "Huhezi" granules. The results of acute toxicity test showed that the granules' LD50 was more than 5000 mg/kg, which indicated that the "Huhezi" belonged to actually non-toxic drug. Subchronic toxicity study showed that non-toxic reaction were detected in high (1000 mg/kg), medium (500 mg/kg) and low dose (250 mg/kg) of "Huhezi" groups by measuring rat body weight, organ coefficient, blood physiological indexes and blood biochemical indexes. Pathological examination showed that no tissue lesions were observed in test organs except liver (mild granular degenerationand reversible vesicular degeneration), spleen (Langerhans cells infiltrating) and kidney (homogeneous red staining of renal tubule). Safety pharmacology study found that "Huhezi" had no effects on the central nervous system, respiratory system and cardiovascular system. These results suggested that the dose of "Huhezi" at or below 1000 mg/kg through oral administration is considered safe.