Dietary supplementations modulate the physiological parameters, fatty acids profile and the growth of red claw crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus).

An optimal diet is an important factor for the proper growth and health of crustaceans. However, the regulation of antioxidant activity and non-specific immunity related to the consumption of feed additives has not been studied in RC-crayfish. Triplicate groups of 20 crayfish/tank (36.72 ± 0.70 g) fed with a basal diet and sixteen experimental diets that contained five feed additives with four grade levels (40, 160, 240 and 320 mg/kg vitamin E, 2, 4, 6 and 8 g/kg nucleotides, 2, 4, 6 and 8 g/kg Haematococcus pluvialis, 5, 10, 15 and 20 g/kg arachidonic acid and 2.5, 5, 10 and 15 g/kg yeast extract) on physiological parameters, fatty acids profile and growth of Cherax quadricarinatus for a period of 70 days by using orthogonal array method (L16 45 ). The results showed that the antioxidants activity in the haemolymph and hepatopancreas were both higher in crayfish fed with diets NO. 9 to 12 than others. Also, all the diets except diets NO. 13 to 16 showed lower free radicals contents than the control group. Similarly, significantly higher non-specific immune parameters were observed in the hepatopancreas of crayfish supplementations than those fed a control diet. Biochemical parameters related to protein profile in haemolymph increased in diets NO. 9 to 12 and then decreased in control and diets NO. 13 to 16, while the highest biochemical parameters related to lipid profile except HDL-c contents in haemolymph were observed in crayfish fed the control diet. Fatty acid composition in the hepatopancreas, muscle and ovary of RC-crayfish was significantly influenced by using the combination of Vit E, NT, H. pluvialis and YP compared to the control group. Compared to all treatments, RC-crayfish fed with diets NO. 2 and 12 had significantly stimulated higher growth performance and feed utilisation. Overall, our results suggest that diets supplemented with Vit E level of 240 mg/kg, in combination with 8 g/kg NT, 4 g/kg, H. pluvialis, 5 g/kg ARA and 10 g/kg YP are the promising treatments to increase antioxidants activity, non-specific immune response, fatty acids composition and growth of RC-crayfish. However, high dietary supplementations level can reduce antioxidants activity, immunity and inhibit growth.

Dietary soybean oil aggravates the adverse effects of low salinity on intestinal health in juvenile mud crab Scylla paramamosain.

Salinity is one of the important factors affecting the physiological state of crustaceans in marine environments. Lipid plays major roles in energy supply and is main sources of essential fatty acids for membrane integrity, which is critical in adaptations to changes in salinity. Here we evaluated the effects of salinity (medium, 23 ppt and low, 4 ppt) and dietary lipid source (fish oil, FO and soybean oil, SO) on intestinal health of the marine crustacean mud crab Scylla paramamosain. The results indicated that low salinity and dietary SO (LSO group) significantly affected intestinal histomorphology, with a significant decrease of intestinal fold height and width as well as down-regulation of intestinal mRNA levels of tight junction genes compared to crab reared at medium salinity and fed FO diets (MFO group). Crabs reared at low salinity and fed SO showed an increased inflammatory response in intestine, which stimulated a physiological detoxification response together with apoptosis compared to crab in the MFO group. Low salinity and SO diets also could be responsible for multiply the pathogenic bacteria of Photobacterium and inhibit the beneficial bacteria of Firmicutes and Rhodobacteraceae in intestine, and act on a crucial impact on the development of intestinal microbial barrier disorders. The results of microbial function predictive analysis also support these inferences. The findings of the present study demonstrated that soybean oil as the main dietary lipid source could exacerbate the adverse effects of low salinity on intestinal health of mud crab, and provided evidence suggesting that dietary lipid source and fatty acid composition may play vital roles in intestinal health and the process of adaptation to environmental salinity in marine crustaceans.

Dietary lipid and n-3 long-chain PUFA levels impact growth performance and lipid metabolism of juvenile mud crab, Scylla paramamosain.

An 8-week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary n-3 LC-PUFA levels on growth performance, tissue fatty acid profiles and relative expression of genes involved in the lipid metabolism of mud crab (Scylla paramamosain). Ten isonitrogenous diets were formulated to contain five n-3 LC-PUFA levels at 7 and 12 % dietary lipid levels. The highest weight gain and specific growth rate were observed in crabs fed the diets with 19·8 and 13·2 mg/g n-3 LC-PUFA at 7 and 12 % lipid, respectively. Moisture and lipid contents in hepatopancreas and muscle were significantly influenced by dietary n-3 LC-PUFA at the two lipid levels. The DHA, EPA, n-3 LC-PUFA contents and n-3:n-6 PUFA ratio in hepatopancreas and muscle significantly increased as dietary n-3 LC-PUFA levels increased at both lipid levels. The expression levels of -6 fatty acyl desaturase and acyl-CoA oxidase in hepatopancreas increased significantly, and expression levels of fatty acid synthase, carnitine palmitoyltransferase I and hormone-sensitive TAG lipase were down-regulated, with increased dietary n-3 LC-PUFA regardless of lipid level. Based on weight gain, n-3 LC-PUFA requirements of S. paramamosain were estimated to be 20·1 and 12·7 mg/g of diet at 7 and 12 % dietary lipid, respectively. Overall, dietary lipid level influenced lipid metabolism, and purified, high-lipid diets rich in palmitic acid reduced the n-3 LC-PUFA requirement of juvenile mud crab.

Influence of dietary zinc on growth, zinc bioaccumulation and expression of genes involved in antioxidant and innate immune in juvenile mud crabs (Scylla paramamosain).

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of dietary Zn level on growth performance, Zn bioaccumulation, antioxidant capacity and innate immunity in juvenile mud crabs (Scylla paramamosain). Six semi-purified diets were formulated to contain dietary Zn levels of 44·5, 56·9, 68·5, 97·3, 155·6 or 254·7 mg/kg. Dietary Zn level significantly influenced percentage weight gain (PWG), with the highest observed in crabs fed the diet containing 97·3 mg/kg Zn. Tissue Zn concentrations significantly increased as dietary Zn levels increased from 44·5 to 254·7 mg/kg. Retention of Zn in hepatopancreas increased with dietary Zn levels up to 68·5 mg/kg and then significantly decreased. Moreover, inadequate dietary Zn (44·5 and 56·9 mg/kg) reduced antioxidation markers including total superoxide dismutase (SOD) and Cu/Zn SOD activities and total antioxidant level. Crabs fed the diet with 44·5 mg/kg Zn also showed significantly lower expression of genes involved in antioxidant status, such as Cu/Zn SOD, glutathione peroxidase, catalase and thioredoxin than those fed diets containing 68·5 and 97·3 mg/kg Zn. The highest activities of phenoloxidase and alkaline phosphatase were recorded in crabs fed the diets containing 68·5 and 97·3 mg/kg Zn. Expression levels of prophenoloxidase and toll-like receptor 2 were higher in crabs fed the 97·3 mg/kg Zn diet compared with crabs fed the other diets. Based on PWG alone, the optimal dietary Zn level was estimated to be 82·9 mg/kg, with 68·5 to 97·3 mg/kg recommended for maintaining optimal Zn bioaccumulation, oxidation resistance and innate immune response of juvenile mud crabs.

Diagnosis and treatment of novel coronavirus pneumonia based on the theory of traditional Chinese medicine.

Since the outbreak of novel coronavirus pneumonia (coronavirus disease 2019, COVID-19), it has rapidly spread to 187 countries, causing serious harm to the health of people and a huge social burden. However, currently, drugs specifically approved for clinical use are not available, except for vaccines against COVID-19 that are being evaluated. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is capable of performing syndrome differentiation and treatment according to the clinical manifestations of patients, and has a better ability of epidemic prevention and control. The authors comprehensively analyzed the etiology and pathogenesis of COVID-19 based on the theory of TCM, and discussed its syndrome differentiation, treatment and prevention measures so as to provide strategies and reference for the prevention and treatment with TCM.

Toxicological mechanism of excessive copper supplementation: Effects on coloration, copper bioaccumulation and oxidation resistance in mud crab Scylla paramamosain.

Copper is a widespread pollutant in marine environments, and marine animals can ingest large amounts of copper through the food chain. Here, an 8-week feeding trial was designed to investigate the effects of different dietary copper levels on coloration, copper bioaccumulation, stress response and oxidation resistance of juvenile mud crab Scylla paramamosain. The results indicated that crabs fed the diet with 162 mg/kg copper exhibited a dark-blue carapace and hemolymph. The accumulation of copper in tissues was positively correlated with the level of copper in feed. High/excess dietary copper (162 mg/kg) up-regulated the expression of stress response related genes, and reduced the expression/activities of anti-oxidation genes/enzymes. The activity of phenoloxidase decreased significantly when dietary copper level was 86-162 mg/kg, and the expression of hemocyanin was up-regulated in crab fed the diets with 28-162 mg/kg copper. Overall, the results of the present study indicated that high dietary copper led to parachrea in carapace and hemolymph of mud crab, and caused copper deposition abnormality in carapace and hepatopancreas. The data suggested that the toxic effects of dietary copper were concentration-dependent such that, excess dietary copper (162 mg/kg) had adverse impacts on oxidation resistance.

Research progress in use of traditional Chinese medicine for treatment of spinal cord injury.

BACKGROUND: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a serious central nervous system disorder caused by trauma that has gradually become a major challenge in clinical medical research. As an important branch of worldwide medical research, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is rapidly moving towards a path of reform and innovation. Therefore, this paper systematically reviews research related to existing TCM treatments for SCI, with the aims of identifying deficits and shortcomings within the field, and proposing feasible alternative prospects. METHODS: All data and conclusions in this paper were obtained from articles published by peers in relevant fields. PubMed, SciFinder, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and CNKI databases were searched for relevant articles. Results regarding TCM for SCI were identified and retrieved, then manually classified and selected for inclusion in this review. RESULTS: The literature search identified a total of 652 articles regarding TCM for SCI. Twenty-eight treatments (16 active ingredients, nine herbs, and three compound prescriptions) were selected from these articles; the treatments have been used for the prevention and treatment of SCI. In general, these treatments involved antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and/or antiapoptotic effects of TCM compounds. CONCLUSIONS: This paper showed that TCM treatments can serve as promising auxiliary therapies for functional recovery of patients with SCI. These findings will contribute to the development of diversified treatments for SCI.

Rosmarinic acid exerts an anticancer effect on osteosarcoma cells by inhibiting DJ-1 via regulation of the PTEN-PI3K-Akt signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: Osteosarcoma is the most common type of primary malignant bone tumor. This disease has exhibited a progressively lower survival rate over the past several decades, which has resulted in it becoming a main cause of death in humans. Rosmarinic acid (RA), a water-soluble polyphenolic phytochemical, exerts powerful anticancer effects against multiple types of cancer; however, its potential effects on osteosarcoma remain unknown. Hence, the present study investigated the efficacy of RA against osteosarcoma and aimed to clarify the mechanisms underlying this process. METHODS: The effects of RA on cell viability, apoptosis, cell cycle distribution, migration, invasion, and signaling molecules were analyzed by CCK-8 assay, flowcytometric analysis, wound healing assay, Transwell assay, proteomic analysis, and use of shRNAs. RESULTS: RA exerted anti-proliferation and pro-apoptotic effects on U2OS and MG63 osteosarcoma cells. Apoptosis was induced via extrinsic and intrinsic pathways by increasing the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, triggering the intracellular production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), reducing the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and upregulating the cleavage rates of caspase-8, caspase-9, and caspase-3. Additionally, RA suppressed the migration and invasion of osteosarcoma cells by inhibiting the expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9 (MMP-2 and -9), which are associated with a weakening of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Moreover, proteomic analyses identified DJ-1 as a potential target for RA. Several studies have indicated an oncogenic role for DJ-1 using knockdowns via the lentiviral-mediated transfection of shRNA, which caused the conspicuous suppression of cell proliferation, migration, and invasion as well as the arrest of cell cycle progression. At the molecular level, the expression levels of DJ-1, p-PI3K, and p-Akt were reduced, whereas the protein levels of phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN) were increased. CONCLUSION: In conjunction with the high levels of DJ-1 expression in osteosarcoma tissues and cell lines, the present results suggested that RA exhibited anticancer effects in osteosarcoma cells by inhibiting DJ-1 via regulation of the PTEN-PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. Therefore, DJ-1 might be a biological target for RA in osteosarcoma cells.

Metabolic Effect of Dietary Taurine Supplementation on Grouper (Epinephelus coioides): A 1H-NMR-Based Metabolomics Study.

Taurine is an indispensable amino acid for many fish species and taurine supplementation is needed when plant-based diets are used as the primary protein source for these species. However, there is limited information available to understand the physiological or metabolic effects of taurine on fish. In this study, 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomic analysis was conducted to identify the metabolic profile change in the fish intestine with the aim to assess the effect of dietary taurine supplementation on the physiological and metabolomic variation of fish, and reveal the possible mechanism of taurine's metabolic effect. Grouper (Epinephelus coioides) were divided into four groups and fed diets containing 0.0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5% taurine supplementation for 84 days. After extraction using aqueous and organic solvents, 25 significant taurine-induced metabolic changes were identified. These metabolic changes in grouper intestine were characterized by differences in carbohydrate, amino acid, lipid and nucleotide. The results reflected both the physiological state and growth of the fish, and indicated that taurine supplementation significantly affects the metabolome of fish, improves energy utilization and amino acid uptake, promotes protein, lipid and purine synthesis, and accelerates fish growth.

Dietary yeast hydrolysate and brewer's yeast supplementation could enhance growth performance, innate immunity capacity and ammonia nitrogen stress resistance ability of Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei).

An 8-week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary yeast hydrolysate and brewer's yeast supplementation on growth, immune-related genes expression and ammonia nitrogen stress resistance of Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei). Three isonitrogenous and isolipidic practical diets were formulated to contain 0% (control diet), 1% yeast hydrolysate and 1% brewer's yeast, respectively. 360 juvenile L. vannamei with an initial weight (0.88 ±â€¯0.01 g) was randomly divided into 3 treatments in four replicates (30 shrimp per replicate). The results indicated that shrimp fed the diet containing 1% yeast hydrolysate had a significantly higher weight gain (WG), and specific growth rate (SGR) than that fed the control diet, and the lowest feed conversion ratio (FCR) was occurred in the 1% yeast hydrolysate supplementation group. Proximate composition in whole body and muscle among all treatments was not significantly influenced by the dietary yeast hydrolysate or brewer's yeast supplementation. The challenge test with ammonia nitrogen showed that lower cumulative survival was observed in those fed the control diet, and the highest cumulative survival was occurred at shrimp fed the 1% yeast hydrolysate supplementation. Shrimp fed the control diet had higher inflammation-related genes expression levels of tnf-α and il-1ß in the intestine than those fed the diets supplemented with 1% yeast hydrolysate or 1% brewer's yeast, however, there was no significant difference in expression level of alp in intestine among all treatments. The relative expression levels of mTOR signal pathway genes (eif4ebp, eif4e1a, eif4e2 and p70s6k) were significantly up-regulated in the shrimp fed the diets supplemented with 1% yeast hydrolysate, and the lowest gene expression levels of eif4ebp, eif4e1a, eif4e2 and p70s6k in the intestine were occurred at the control diet. The highest expression levels of the immune-related genes (dorsal, relish, and proPO) in the intestine were observed at shrimp fed the 1% yeast hydrolysate supplementation, and the lowest expression levels of these genes were occurred at shrimp fed the control diet, however, there was no significant difference in gene expression of lysozyme among all treatments. The expression levels of penaeidin3a, crustin, proPO, and IMD in the hepatopancreas were significantly influenced by the dietary yeast hydrolysate, brewer's yeast or no yeast product supplementation, shrimp fed the 1% yeast hydrolysate supplementation had higher expression levels of these genes than those fed the control diet. The present study indicated that dietary 1% yeast hydrolysate or brewer's yeast supplementation could improve growth performance, enhance innate immunity, and strengthen resistance of ammonia nitrogen stress, and dietary 1% yeast hydrolysate supplementation provides better immunostimulatory effects than brewer's yeast of L. vannamei.