A high-fat diet changes placental morphology but does not change biochemical parameters, placental oxidative stress or cytokine levels.

INTRODUCTION: The placenta is an organ that forms the bridge between mother and fetus during pregnancy. Changes in the intrauterine environment directly impact the fetus' health, with maternal nutrition determining its development. This study analyzed the effects of different diets and probiotic supplementation during pregnancy on the biochemical parameters of maternal serum and placental morphology, oxidative stress, and cytokine levels in mice. METHODS: Female mice were fed standard (CONT), restrictive (RD), or high-fat (HFD) diets before and during pregnancy. During pregnancy, the CONT and HFD groups were divided into two groups that received the Lactobacillus rhamnosus LB1.5 three times per week (CONT + PROB and HFD + PROB). The RD, CONT, or HFD groups received vehicle control. Maternal serum biochemical parameters (glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides) were evaluated. The morphology, redox profile (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, sulfhydryls, catalase, and superoxide dismutase enzyme activity), and inflammatory cytokines (interleukins 1α, 1ß, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha) were evaluated in the placenta. RESULTS: The serum biochemical parameters presented no differences between the groups. Regarding placental morphology, the HFD group showed an increased thickness of the labyrinth zone compared to the CONT + PROB group. However, no significant difference was found in the analysis of the placental redox profile and cytokine levels. DISCUSSION: RD and HFD, for 16 weeks before and during pregnancy, as well as probiotic supplementation during pregnancy, caused no change in serum biochemical parameters nor the gestational viability rate, placental redox state, and cytokine levels. However, HFD increased the thickness of the placental labyrinth zone.

High Levels of Resistance to Cephalosporins Associated with the Presence of Extended-Spectrum and AmpC ß-Lactamases in Escherichia coli from Broilers in Southern Brazil.

The clinical importance of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli has increased steadily over the years. The presence of the blaTEM, blaSHV, and blaCTX-M genes in the environment has been recently recognized as an important issue in the dissemination of resistance to cephalosporins. Food animals are considered important vectors for transfer of ESBL genes from the environment to humans. The objective of this study was to characterize the ESBL genes (blaTEM, blaSHV, and blaCTX-M types) that were most prevalent among 343 ceftazidime-resistant E. coli isolates (17 batches from 12 different farms) obtained from cloacal swabs of broiler chicken in southern Brazil. The blaSHV, blaCTX-M, blaTEM, blaIMP-type, blaVIM-type, blaNDM-1, blaKPC-type, blaGES-type, blaOXA-48, and mcr-1 genes were evaluated by polymerase chain reaction. A total of 27 (7.9%) E. coli isolates were positive for ESBL genes as follows: 24 for blaCTX-M (23 blaCTX-M-2 Group and 1 blaCTX-M-8) and 3 for blaSHV (2 blaSHV-2a and 1 blaSHV-18). A random sample of 32 ceftazidime/cefotaxime-resistant isolates that were negative for ESBL genes were evaluated for the presence of blaCMY-2 and 24 (75%) tested positive. We detected the blaCMY-2 gene in isolates from all farms. All isolates positive for ESBL or blaCMY-2 are considered multidrug resistant (resistant to at least three antibiotic classes). Our results suggest that broiler chickens are an important reservoir of blaCMY-2 and ESBL genes, including blaSHV-2a, described for the first time in animals originating from Brazil in this study, and blaSHV-18, which has never been described in Brazil before. This fact highlights the importance of controlling the use of antibiotics in animal production to reduce environmental sources of resistance genes.

Antiviral activity of a Bacillus sp. P34 peptide against pathogenic viruses of domestic animals.

P34 is an antimicrobial peptide produced by a Bacillus sp. strain isolated from the intestinal contents of a fish in the Brazilian Amazon basin with reported antibacterial activity. The aim of this work was to evaluate the peptide P34 for its in vitro antiviral properties against canine adenovirus type 2 (CAV-2), canine coronavirus (CCoV), canine distemper virus (CDV), canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2), equine arteritis virus (EAV), equine influenza virus (EIV), feline calicivirus (FCV) and feline herpesvirus type 1 (FHV-1). The results showed that the peptide P34 exhibited antiviral activity against EAV and FHV-1. The peptide P34 inhibited the replication of EAV by 99.9% and FHV-1 by 94.4%. Virucidal activity was detected only against EAV. When P34 and EAV were incubated for 6 h at 37 °C the viral titer reduced from 10(4.5) TCID50 to 10(2.75) TCID50, showing a percent of inhibition of 98.6%. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that P34 inhibited EAV and FHV-1 replication in infected cell cultures and it showed virucidal activity against EAV. Since there is documented resistance to the current drugs used against herpesviruses and there is no treatment for equine viral arteritis, it is advisable to search for new antiviral compounds to overcome these infections.

Essential oil of the leaves of Eugenia uniflora L.: antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.

Essential oil (EO) of the leaves of Eugenia uniflora L. (Brazilian cherry tree) was evaluated for its antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal properties. The acute toxicity of the EO administered by oral route was also evaluated in mice. The EO exhibited antioxidant activity in the DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assays and reduced lipid peroxidation in the kidney of mice. The EO also showed antimicrobial activity against two important pathogenic bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes, and against two fungi of the Candida species, C. lipolytica and C. guilliermondii. Acute administration of the EO by the oral route did not cause lethality or toxicological effects in mice. These findings suggest that the EO of the leaves of E. uniflora may have the potential for use in the pharmaceutical industry.

Evaluation of the in vitro cytotoxicity of the antimicrobial peptide P34.

The in vitro cytotoxicity of the antimicrobial peptide P34 was evaluated in different eukaryotic cells. The food-grade bacteriocin nisin was also analysed for comparison. Vero cells were treated with different concentrations (0.02-2.5 microg x ml(-1)) of antimicrobial peptide P34 and nisin. Cell viability and plasma membrane integrity were checked by MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide], NRU (Neutral Red dye uptake) and LDH (lactate dehydrogenase) assays. The EC50 values of the peptide P34 in MTT and NRU assays were 0.60 and 1.25 microg x ml(-1) respectively, while values of nisin found were 0.50 and 1.04 microg x ml(-1). In the LDH assay, the EC50 values were 0.65 and 0.62 microg x ml(-1) for P34 and nisin, respectively. The peptide P34 revealed similar haemolytic activity on human erythrocytes (5.8%) when compared with nisin (4.9%). The effects on viability, motility and acrosomal exocytosis of human sperm were also evaluated. Nisin and P34 showed similar effects on sperm parameters. The evaluation of cytotoxicity of antimicrobial peptides is a critical step to guarantee their safe use.