Xanthophylls increased HDLC level and nuclear factor PPARγ, RXRγ and RARα expression in hens and chicks.

This study was designed to investigate effects of xanthophylls on serum lipid profile (triglyceride, TG; cholesterol, CHO; high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, HDLC; and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, LDLC) and nuclear factor (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, PPARγ; PPAR gamma coactivator 1 alpha, PGC1α; retinoid X receptor gamma, RXRγ; and retinoic acid receptor alpha, RARα) gene expression of breeding hens and chicks. In experiment 1, 432 hens were divided into three groups and fed diets supplemented with 0 (as control group), 20 or 40 mg/kg xanthophylls. Blood was sampled at 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35 days of trial. Liver, duodenum, jejunum and ileum were sampled at 35 days of trial. Results showed that serum HDLC level of hens was increased after dietary 40 mg/kg xanthophyll addition for 21, 28 and 35 days, while serum TG, CHO and LDLC were not affected. Xanthophyll addition also increased PPARγ expression in jejunum, RXRγ expression in duodenum and jejunum, and RARα expression in liver and duodenum. Experiment 2 was a 2 × 2 factorial design. Male chicks hatched from 0 or 40 mg/kg xanthophyll diet of hens were fed diet containing either 0 or 40 mg/kg xanthophylls. Liver, duodenum, jejunum and ileum were sampled at 0, 7, 14 and 21 days after hatching. Blood samples were also collected at 21 days. Results showed that in ovo xanthophylls elevated PPARγ in duodenum and jejunum, and RXRγ and RARα in liver of chicks mainly within 1 week after hatching, while dietary xanthophylls increased serum HDLC level and PPARγ and RXRγ in liver from 2 weeks onwards. In conclusion, our research suggested xanthophylls can regulate serum lipid profile and nuclear factor expression in hens and chicks.

Xanthophyll supplementation reduced inflammatory mediators and apoptosis in hens and chicks.

This study investigated effects of xanthophylls (containing 40% lutein and 60% zeaxanthin) on gene expression of inflammatory mediators ( [] and []) and apoptosis ( [] and ) of breeding hens and chicks. In Exp. 1, 432 hens were divided into 3 groups and fed diets supplemented with 0 (as the control group), 20, or 40 mg/kg xanthophylls. The liver, duodenum, jejunum, and ileum were sampled after 35 d. Results showed that 40 mg/kg of xanthophyll addition decreased in the liver, in the liver and duodenum, and in the liver and jejunum while increasing level in the liver and jejunum. Experiment 2 was a 2 × 2 factorial design. Male chicks hatched from hens fed 0 or 40 mg/kg xanthophyll diets were fed diets containing either 0 or 40 mg/kg xanthophylls. The liver, duodenum, jejunum, and ileum were sampled at 0, 7, 14, and 21 d after hatching. Results showed that in ovo xanthophylls reduced inflammatory mediators and apoptosis in the liver, duodenum, and jejunum of chicks mainly within 1 wk after hatching, whereas dietary xanthophylls only decreased expression in the liver from 2 wk onward. These results underlined important anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic effects of maternal but not progeny dietary xanthophylls. In conclusion, xanthophylls can suppress inflammatory mediators and apoptosis in different tissues of hens and chicks.

Antitumour and antimicrobial activities of endophytic streptomycetes from pharmaceutical plants in rainforest.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to screen antitumour and antimicrobial activities of endophytic actinomycetes isolated from pharmaceutical plants in rainforest in Yunnan province, China. METHODS AND RESULTS: Antitumour activity was studied by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and antimicrobial activity was determined by agar well diffusion method. The high bioactive endophytic isolates were identified and further investigated for the presence of polyketide synthases (PKS-I, PKS-II) and nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS) sequences by specific amplification. The molecular identification confirmed that the 41 isolates showed significant activities were members of the genus Streptomyces. Among them, 31.7% of endophytic streptomycete cultures were cytotoxic against A549 cells, 29.3% against HL-60 cells, 85.4% against BEL-7404 cells, 90.2% against P388D1 cells, 65.9% were active against Escherichia coli, 24.4% against Staphylococcus aureus, 31.7% against Staphylococcus epidermidis, 12.2% against Candida albicans and no strain displayed antagonistic activity against Klebsiella pneumoniae. High frequencies of positive PCR amplification were obtained for PKS-I (34.1%), PKS-II (63.4%) and NRPS (61.0%) biosynthetic systems. CONCLUSIONS: Many endophytic streptomycetes isolated from pharmaceutical plants in rainforest possess remarkable and diverse antitumour and antimicrobial bioactivities. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: These endophytic streptomycetes are precious resources obtained from rainforests, and they could be a promising source for bioactive agents.

Hypothalamic and gastric myoelectrical responses during vection-induced nausea in healthy Chinese subjects.

The physiology of nausea, a uniquely human symptom, is poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to measure the temporal sequences of neurohormonal responses and gastric myoelectrical activity in healthy subjects during the rotation of an optokinetic drum that produced nausea and other symptoms of motion sickness. Plasma catecholamines, vasopressin, and cortisol were measured at baseline, during minutes 1-5, 6-10, and 11-15 of drum rotation, and after rotation stopped. Electrogastrograms were recorded throughout the study. Twelve subjects (80%) developed nausea and 4-9 cycles/min of gastric tachyarrhythmias; three subjects had no nausea and no gastric dysrhythmias. Tachyarrhythmias began 3.4 +/- 0.8 min after the onset of drum rotation, and nausea was reported, on average, 3 min later. During minutes 6-10 of drum rotation, vasopressin levels significantly increased in the subjects with nausea compared with subjects without nausea (P < 0.04). In the subjects with nausea, epinephrine and vasopressin increased significantly (P < 0.05) compared with baseline during minutes 6-10 and 11-15 of drum rotation. As nausea resolved during recovery, vasopressin decreased by 74%, whereas epinephrine increased 13%. We conclude that 1) in nauseated subjects, endogenous vasopressinergic and sympathetic circuits are activated before hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal pathways, 2) plasma vasopressin levels correlate most closely with the temporal onset and resolution of nausea, and 3) peripheral gastric dysrhythmias may have a role in activating central vasopressinergic neurons.