Alterations in metabolome and microbiome: new clues on cathelicidin-related antimicrobial peptide alleviates acute ulcerative colitis.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic and recurrent inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract. This study aimed to determine the effect of cathelicidin-related antimicrobial peptide (Cramp) on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced acute experimental colitis in mice and to investigate the underlying mechanisms. Acute UC was induced in C57BL/6 mice with 3% DSS for 7 days, 4 mg/kg b.w. synthetic Cramp peptide was administrated once daily starting on day 4 of the experimental period. Mice were evaluated for body weight, colon length, colon histopathology, and inflammatory cytokines in colon tissue. Using 16 s rRNA sequencing, the composition structure of gut microbiota was characterized. Metabolomic profiling of the serum was performed. The results showed that DSS treatment significantly induced intestinal damage as reflected by disease activity index, histopathological features, and colon length, while Cramp treatment significantly prevented these trends. Meanwhile, Cramp treatment decreased the levels of inflammatory cytokines in both serum and colonic tissue on DSS-induced colitis. It was also observed that DSS damaged the integrity of the intestinal epithelial barrier, whereas Cramp also played a protective role by attenuating these deteriorated effects. Furthermore, Cramp treatment reversed the oxidative stress by increasing the antioxidant enzymes of GSH-PX and decreasing the oxidant content of MDA. Notably, compared to the DSS group, Cramp treatment significantly elevated the abundance of Verrucomicrobiota at the phylum level. Furthermore, at the genus level, Parasutterella and Mucispirllum abundance was increased significantly in response to Cramp treatment, although Roseburia and Enterorhabdus reduced remarkably. Metabolic pathway analysis of serum metabolomics showed that Cramp intervention can regulate various metabolic pathways such as α-linolenic acid, taurine and hypotaurine, sphingolipid, and arachidonic acid metabolism. The study concluded that Cramp significantly ameliorated DSS-induced colonic injury, colonic inflammation, and intestinal barrier dysfunction in mice. The underlying mechanism is closely related to the metabolic alterations derived from gut microbiota.

Effects of dietary Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG supplementation on the production performance, egg quality, eggshell ultrastructure, and lipid metabolism of late-phase laying hens.

BACKGROUND: Toward the late phase of laying, the production performance of laying hens decreases, egg quality deteriorates, lipid metabolism weakens, and hepatic lipid accumulation is exacerbated. Probiotics as an alternative to antimicrobials have been employed in poultry-related industries. Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) is currently the most researched and clinically validated probiotic, showing promising effects in multiple application areas. However, few studies have been conducted on livestock (including poultry) production. RESULTS: Compared with the CON group, the feed conversion ratio (P < 0.01) declined significantly in the LGG group. Eggshell strength (P < 0.001) and eggshell thickness (P < 0.001) were significantly increased by supplementation with LGG in the diet. The height (P < 0.001) and proportion (P < 0.05) of the effective layer and the mammillary knob density (P < 0.01) in the eggshell ultrastructure of the LGG group increased significantly, while the mammillary layer (P < 0.05) and knob width (P < 0.01) decreased significantly. The LGG-treated hens had significantly lower serum concentrations of low-density lipoprotein (P < 0.05), free fatty acids (P < 0.01), and liver triglyceride (P < 0.05) levels than those in the CON group. CONCLUSIONS: LGG supplementation significantly decreases the feed conversion ratio, improves eggshell quality by altering the ultrastructure, and improves lipid metabolism in the late laying period.

Analysis of m6A methylation in skin tissues of different sex Liaoning cashmere goats.

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most frequent internal modification of mRNA and lncRNA in eukaryotes. We used two high-throughput sequencing method, m6A-seq and RNA-seq to identify pivotal m6A-modified genes in cashmere fineness and fiber growth. 8062 m6A peaks were detected by m6A-seq, including 2157 upregulated and 6445 downregulated. Furthermore, by comparing m6A-modified genes of the male Liaoning Cashmere Goat (M-LCG) and female Liaoning Cashmere Goat (F-LCG) skin tissues, we get 862 differentially expressed m6A-modified genes. To identify differently expressed m6A genes associated with cashmere fineness, 11 genes were selected for validation using real time fluorescent quantitative PCR in M-LCG and F-LCG. This study provides an acadamic basis on the molecular regulation mechanism of m6A modification in cashmere growth process.