Effects of Dietary Modified Bazhen on Reproductive Performance, Immunity, Breast Milk Microbes, and Metabolome Characterization of Sows.

Bazhen is a classic prescription used for the prevention of qi and blood deficiency. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with modified Bazhen powder (MBP) on sows during lactation. Forty pure-bred Yorkshire sows on day 100 of gestation were randomly fed a standard diet supplemented with 20 g MBP per sow per day (MBP group) or without (control group) during -14 to 7 days relative to parturition. Results showed that the serum levels of interleukin 2 (IL-2), immunoglobulin A (IgA), and IgG were higher, whereas IL-10 level was lower in sows fed with MBP diet than in controls on day 7 postpartum. A significantly elevated proportion of serum CD4+ T cells and a slight increase in the ratio of CD4+ to CD8+ T cells in the MBP group were also observed. Furthermore, MBP supplementation improved gastrointestinal function of postpartum sows, evidenced by increased levels of motilin, gastrin, and nitric oxide. Ultra high-performance liquid chromatography combined with a quadrupole time of flight and tandem mass spectrometer identified a total of 21 absorbed milk components. 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing data revealed that the microbiota diversity of the colostrum and transitional milk in the MBP group was increased. At the genus level, relative abundances of Enterococcus and Anaerostipes were significantly lower in the MBP group on day 0 of lactation. Metabolomic analysis showed that 38 metabolites were upregulated, and 41 metabolites were downregulated in the transitional milk; 31 metabolites were upregulated and 8 metabolites were downregulated in the colostrum in response to MBP. Metabolic pathways, protein digestion and absorption, and biosynthesis of amino acids were enriched in the colostrum and transitional milk. Our findings provide new insights into the beneficial effects of MBP, highlighted by the changes to the microbiota and metabolomic profile of breast milk from sows fed with an MBP-supplemented diet. Thus, MBP should be considered as a potential dietary supplement for lactating sows in pork production.

Yak interferon-alpha loaded solid lipid nanoparticles for controlled release.

To explore the potential of a novel animal interferon formulation for controlled release, the yak interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion protein was expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli) and the purified recombinant IFN-alpha was encapsulated into solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) by double emulsion solvent evaporation (w/o/w) method. The particle size and zeta potential of IFN-alpha-loaded SLN were 124.2+/-10.2 nm and -11.2+/-0.6 mV. The encapsulation efficiency of IFN-alpha and loading capacity of the SLN were 83.7+/-4.5% and 1.73+/-0.15%, respectively. In vitro release study and antiviral assay demonstrated that the IFN-alpha released from the SLN in a 16-day period exhibited antiviral activity in Madin-Darby bovine kidney (MDBK) cells against vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), and showed a release pattern of an initial burst release followed by a sustained and slow release. Cytotoxicity assay in cell culture demonstrated that the SLN were not toxic. The results of this exploratory study suggest that the IFN-alpha-loaded SLN could be a useful formulation for controlled release in veterinary therapeutics.

Effect of PLGA as a polymeric emulsifier on preparation of hydrophilic protein-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles.

Most proteins are hydrophilic and poorly encapsulated into the hydrophobic matrix of solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN). To solve this problem, poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) was utilized as a lipophilic polymeric emulsifier to prepare hydrophilic protein-loaded SLN by w/o/w double emulsion and solvent evaporation techniques. Hydrogenated castor oil (HCO) was used as a lipid matrix and bovine serum albumin (BSA), lysozyme and insulin were used as model proteins to investigate the effect of PLGA on the formulation of the SLN. The results showed that PLGA was essential for the primary w/o emulsification. In addition, the stability of the w/o emulsion, the encapsulation efficiency and loading capacity of the nanoparticles were enhanced with the increase of PLGA concentration. Furthermore, increasing PLGA concentration decreased zeta potential significantly but had no influence on particle size of the SLN. In vitro release study showed that PLGA significantly affected the initial burst release, i.e. the higher the content of PLGA, the lower the burst release. The released proteins maintained their integrity and bioactivity as confirmed by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and biological assay. These results demonstrated that PLGA was an effective emulsifier for the preparation of hydrophilic protein-loaded SLN.