Pectin alleviates the pulmonary inflammatory response induced by PM2.5 from a pig house by modulating intestinal microbiota.

This study aimed to investigate whether dietary fiber pectin can alleviate PM2.5-induced pulmonary inflammation and the potential mechanism. PM2.5 samples were collected from a nursery pig house. The mice were divided into three groups: the control group, PM2.5 group and PM2.5 + pectin group. The mice in the PM2.5 group were intratracheally instilled with PM2.5 suspension twice a week for four consecutive weeks, and those in the PM2.5 + pectin group were subject to the same PM2.5 exposure, but fed with a basal diet supplemented with 5% pectin. The results showed that body weight and feed intake were not different among the treatments (p > 0.05). However, supplementation with pectin relieved PM2.5-induced pulmonary inflammation, presenting as slightly restored lung morphology, decreased mRNA expression levels of IL-1ß, IL-6 and IL-17 in the lung, decreased MPO content in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BLAF), and even decreased protein levels of IL-1ß and IL-6 in the serum (p < 0.05). Dietary pectin altered the composition of the intestinal microbiota, increasing the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes and decreasing the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes. At the genus level, short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing bacteria, such as Bacteroides, Anaerotruncus, Prevotella 2, Parabacteroides, Ruminococcus 2 and Butyricimonas, were enriched in the PM2.5 +pectin group. Accordingly, dietary pectin increased the concentrations of SCFAs, including acetate, propionate, butyrate and valerate, in mice. In conclusion, dietary fermentable fiber pectin can relieve PM2.5-induced pulmonary inflammation via alteration of intestinal microbiota composition and SCFA production. This study provides a new insight into reducing the health risk associated with PM2.5 exposure.

L-Arginine alleviates the testosterone reduction in heat-treated mice by upregulating LH secretion, the testicular antioxidant system and expression of steroidogenesis-related genes.

High temperature can reduce testes function, leading to decreased testosterone secretion. Dietary l-arginine (l-Arg) supplementation improves the semen quality and libido of boars. The present study investigated whether l-Arg could enhance the production of testosterone in mice exposed to high ambient temperature. Twenty-four 6-week-old male ICR mice were randomly divided into three groups: a control group, a heat-treated (HT) group and a group subjected to heat treatment plus 2mg kg-1 l-Arg (HT+Arg). l-Arg was administered to mice by oral gavage for 18 consecutive days, after which the HT and HT+Arg groups were placed into an incubator at 40°C for 30min every day for 5 days. Serum testosterone and LH concentrations were significantly increased in the HT+Arg compared with HT group, as was catalase, total superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activity and the expression of steroidogenesis-related genes steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (Star), steroidogenic factor-1 (Sf1), 17ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 3 (Hsd17b3) and 17α-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase (Cyp17a1) in the testes. These results demonstrate that l-Arg can alleviate testosterone reductions in heat-treated mice by upregulating LH secretion, enhancing the antioxidant system and increasing the expression of testosterone synthesis-related genes.

Effects of dietary sodium butyrate on reproduction in adult breeder roosters.

Sodium butyrate (SB) is a novel feed additive in poultry production. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation of SB on the reproductive performance of the rooster. Three hundred 22-week-old roosters were randomly divided into 2 dietary treatment groups of 6 pen replicates, a basal diet (control) group and a basal diet with SB gruop. The supplementation of SB was carried out through 23 consecutive weeks from 22 to 45 weeks of age. During this period, the live-weight was measured weekly while semen samples were collected every two weeks. Three time-points were chosen for analysis (30, 35 and 45 weeks of age). The results showed that SB improved the semen volume and sperm motility at 30 and 35 weeks of age (P < 0.05), increased the sperm concentration and decreased the abnormal sperm percentage during the whole experimental period (P < 0.05). These improvements were accompanied by increased testosterone levels at 30 and 35 weeks of age (P < 0.05). Moreover, dietary supplementation of SB also increased the enzyme activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) at 30 and 35 weeks of age and superoxide dismutase (SOD) at 45 weeks of age in the testes of roosters (P < 0.05). These results suggest that SB may promote testicular growth by increasing the antioxidant capacity and testosterone hormone secretion in adult roosters.

Potential protective effect of arginine against 4-nitrophenol-induced ovarian damage in rats.

4-nitrophenol (PNP) is generally regarded as a diesel exhaust particle (DEP). Arginine plays an important role as a new feed additive, possessing highly efficient antioxidant activities. Here we investigated the effects of dietary supplementation with arginine against ovarian damage induced by PNP in rats. A total of thirty-two female rats postnatal day 28 (PND 28) were randomly divided into four groups. Two groups were fed with basal diet or 13 g/kg arginine in diet for 4 weeks, respectively; the other two groups were given PNP (100 mg/kg b.w.) daily by subcutaneous injection for 2 weeks following pretreatment with either basal diet or arginine diet for 2 weeks. The values of body weight gain (BWG), average daily gain (ADG) and percentage weight gain (PWG) upon PNP treatment were significantly reduced than those in other groups. The relative liver weight in the PNP group was significantly decreased compared with the control group. Treatment with PNP significant reduced the number of corpora lutea, although serum 17ß-estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) concentrations were unchanged. The morphology of the ovaries in PNP-treated rats displayed necrosis, follicular deformation and granulosa cells irregular arrangement. Moreover, exposure to PNP enhanced production of malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and decreased the activities of total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) and catalase (CAT), and the co-administration of arginine can attenuate the oxidative stress caused by PNP. These results suggest that arginine may have a protective effect against ovarian damage induced by PNP owing to its antioxidant capacity effect.