In Vitro Anthelmintic Activity of Saponins from Medicago spp. against Sheep Gastrointestinal Nematodes

Gastrointestinal strongyle nematodes (GIS) are included among the most important parasites of small ruminants. The widespread drug resistance and drug residues in products of animal origin have increased the interest in the search for natural compounds with anthelmintic activity as a valid alternative to current synthetic drugs. The aim of the present investigation was to test the \u2018in vitro\u2019 anthelmintic activity of saponins and prosapogenins from different Medicago species, selected for their importance as a forage crop worldwide for animal feeding. From these plants, saponin mixtures were extracted, purified and used at scalar concentrations to evaluate their anthelmintic activities against sheep gastrointestinal strongyles (GISs), by the egg hatch test. Treated and untreated controls were used as the comparison. Data were statistically analyzed, and EC50 and EC90 were also calculated. All saponins and prosapogenins showed inhibiting effects on GIS eggs in a concentration-dependent manner. At higher concentrations, most of them showed an efficacy comparable to the reference drug (Thiabendazole 3 \u3bcg/mL) (P < 0.001). With 1.72 mg/mL EC50 and 3.84 mg/mL EC90, saponin from M. polymorpha cultivars Anglona was the most active. Obtained results encourage further studies aimed at evaluating the efficacy \u2018in vivo\u2019 of saponins which resulted as most effective \u2018in vitro\u2019 in this study

Proanthocyanidins from \u3ci\u3eHedysarum, Lotus\u3c/i\u3e and \u3ci\u3eOnobrychis\u3c/i\u3e spp. Growing in Sardinia and Sicily and Their Antioxidant Activity

Proanthocyanidins (PA), or condensed tannins, are a class of natural polyphenolic compounds, occurring in numerous plant species, including a number of economically significant forage legumes. These compounds are polymers of flavan-3-ols, and typically contain from 2 to 20 units. Their biological significance is still being debated and, in recent years, a great deal of attention has been focused on their role in ruminant nutrition. Evidence has indicated that PA, in a moderate concentration (0.5-5% DM), may have considerable importance in protecting dietary proteins against microbial degradation in the rumen, and in preventing bloat. The antioxidant activity (AA) is also an important feature for animal well-being (Barry & McNabb, 1999). In order to study the PA content related to the antioxidant activity, samples of Hedysarum, Lotus and Onobrychis spp. from Mediterranean environments have been considered and investigated

Proanthocyanidins from \u3cem\u3eHedysarum, Lotus\u3c/em\u3e and \u3cem\u3eOnobrychis\u3c/em\u3e spp. Growing in Sardinia and Sicily and Their Antioxidant Activity

Proanthocyanidins (PA), or condensed tannins, are a class of natural polyphenolic compounds, occurring in numerous plant species, including a number of economically significant forage legumes. These compounds are polymers of flavan-3-ols, and typically contain from 2 to 20 units. Their biological significance is still being debated and, in recent years, a great deal of attention has been focused on their role in ruminant nutrition. Evidence has indicated that PA, in a moderate concentration (0.5-5% DM), may have considerable importance in protecting dietary proteins against microbial degradation in the rumen, and in preventing bloat. The antioxidant activity (AA) is also an important feature for animal well-being (Barry & McNabb, 1999). In order to study the PA content related to the antioxidant activity, samples of Hedysarum, Lotus and Onobrychis spp. from Mediterranean environments have been considered and investigated

Genetic reduction of antinutrients in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) seed, increases nutrients and in vitro iron bioavailability without depressing main agronomic traits

In common bean, lectins, phytic acid, polyphenols and tannins exert major antinutritional effects when grains are consumed as a staple food. Reduced iron and zinc absorption, low protein digestibility and high toxicity at the intestinal level are the causes of their antinutritional effect. To improve grain nutritional characteristics, the “low phytic acid” (lpa) trait recently obtained in bean and carried by the bean mutant lpa-280-10, was introgressed into different lectin-free (lf) lines, a few of which were white-seeded. The “white seed coat” (wsc) trait is correlated with a reduced amount of tannins and polyphenols in bean seed, and thus higher Fe bioavailability. Lf + lpa bean lines producing colored and white seeds, were developed. Three of these lines were submitted to a first field performance test carried out in two Italian locations, and two of them to biochemical analyses that evaluated fourteen nutritional parameters. Seedling emergence and grain yield of lf + lpa beans were statistically comparable to those of wild type cultivars, confirming the absence of major agronomic defects associated with the lpa trait. The presence of the three genetic traits lf, lpa and wsc in the same genetic background leads to a significant increase of the content of important nutrients such as crude proteins, total zinc, free phosphorus, and, in part, total iron. Iron bioavailability (as measured in vitro via a Caco-2 cell model) in lf + lpa brown and black seeds, was not significantly different from that surveyed in the wild type colored parents, while, it was on average twelve times higher in lf + lpa white bean seeds. Up to now, the white-seeded lf + lpa beans seem thus to be the only materials having really improved nutritional qualities

Microalgal biostimulants and biofertilisers in crop productions

Microalgae are attracting the interest of agrochemical industries and farmers, due to their biostimulant and biofertiliser properties. Microalgal biostimulants (MBS) and biofertilisers (MBF) might be used in crop production to increase agricultural sustainability. Biostimulants are products derived from organic material that, applied in small quantities, are able to stimulate the growth and development of several crops under both optimal and stressful conditions. Biofertilisers are products containing living microorganisms or natural substances that are able to improve chemical and biological soil properties, stimulating plant growth, and restoring soil fertility. This review is aimed at reporting developments in the processing of MBS and MBF, summarising the biologically-active compounds, and examining the researches supporting the use of MBS and MBF for managing productivity and abiotic stresses in crop productions. Microalgae are used in agriculture in different applications, such as amendment, foliar application, and seed priming. MBS and MBF might be applied as an alternative technique, or used in conjunction with synthetic fertilisers, crop protection products and plant growth regulators, generating multiple benefits, such as enhanced rooting, higher crop yields and quality and tolerance to drought and salt. Worldwide, MBS and MBF remain largely unexploited, such that this study highlights some of the current researches and future development priorities

Growth performance and quality traits of siberian sturgeon (A. baerii) juveniles fed diets including Nannochloropsis gaditana and Scenedesmus almeriensis microalgae meal

The demand for aquafeed grown exponentially in the last decade and is expected to increase further in the coming years (FAO 2018). The wild fish used for the fish meal and oil, currently used in feed formulated for carnivorous species, will be used in human consumption and less available for aquaculture. Among the potential ingredients of future use in aquafeed, microalgae represent a promising matrix, as characterized by nutritional, nutraceuticals and immunostimulant properties ( Camacho-Rodr\uedguez et al., 2017) . However the high production cost is a limiting factor for their use. The development of a microalgae-based biorefinery, able to use some by-products and agro-industrial waste to produce biomass would enable to limit the disposal costs sustained by the companies and to lower the production costs of the microalgae. The present research was undertaken to evaluate effect on growth response and fillet quality traits of sturgeon ( A. baerii) fed with two microalgae freeze-dried biomass Nannochloropsis gaditana and Scenedesmus almeriensis grown in Sinthetic Medium (SM) or in diluted Pig Manure (PM) and included in partial substitution of dietary fish meal and oil. Materials and methods Four complete diets were formulated to be grossly iso-proteic and iso-lipidic . A control diet (C ) was prepared using a blend of conventional animal and vegetal protein sources. The test diets coined respectively N. gaditana grown o n Synthetic Medium (NSM ), N. gaditana growno in pig manure (NPM), S. almeriensis grown on Synthetic Medium (SSM) and S. almeriensis grown on Pig Manure (SPM) were prepared by replacing the 10% of protein and lipid supplied by the blend of conventional protein and lipid-rich ingredients with microalgae . All the ingredients are mixed and pelleted by a cold extrusion process (70\ub0C). Each diet were randomly assigned to tank and tested in triplicate according to a monofactorial design. Microalgae dried biomass and diets were analized microbiologically and verified for nutritional quality. To carried out the feeding trials 240 j uvenile A. baerii ( average 12.8\ub10.3g each ) were randomly allocated among 15 circular tanks (16 fish/tank) in RAS system under controlled rearing conditions (temperature, 19\ub0C, DO 9.6 mg/L, artificial daylenght, 12h). Diets were offered in two daily meals with a fixed feed ratio (3 % body mass) over 6 weeks and each group were weighted every week under moderate anaesthesia. At the end of the trial, survival rate (%), Final Body Weight (FBW), Specific Growth Rate (SGR), Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR), Feed Intake (FI), were evaluated. Furthermore, nine fish per feed treatment were analized to determine the biometric indeces , fillet proximate composition and oxidation parameters (SOD, CAT, GPX, 8-isoprostanes). Data were subjected to ANOVA and differences tested by the Tukey's test (P < 0.05). Results The macronutrient composition of the dried micoalgae biomass are reported in Table I. Microbiological analysis of microalgae biomass showed no difference in TBC (Total Bacterial Count) among the different thesis (average 5.9\ub10. 07 log CFU/g). E. coli were found below the detection limits of the method (< 2 log CFU/g) in N. gaditana grown on P M and S. almeriensis grown in both SM and PM, while its value was 3log CFU/g in N.gaditana grown on SM. Enterobacteriaceae resulted respectively 2.7 and 2.0 log CFU/g in N. gaditana and S. almeriensis grown on SM and under detection limits of the method (< 2 log CFU/g) in N. gaditana and S. almeriensis grown on PM . Salmonella resulted absent in all the microagae biomass. All the diets used in feeding trial resulted similar for their proximate, fatty acid composition and microbiological quality (data not reported). Dietary treatments significantly affected FBW that resulted sim ilar in the groups C (44.2g), NSM (44.7g) e NPM (43.9g), while it was significantly lower (P<0.05) in the SSM (40.8g) and SPM (40.5g) groups. However, did not result in significant changes in survival rate, SGR, FCR and of the biometric index (K), nor fillet composition. Also oxidation parameters (SOD, CAT, GPX, 8-isoprostanes) of fillet were not significantly affected by dietary treatments (P>0.05). Discussion and Conclusion Very few data are available on the use of microalgae biomass in acipenserids diet . Spirulina meal integrated with plant oils was found to be a good alternative to replace fish oil in white ( A. transmontanus) and siberian ( A. baerii ) sturgeon diet (Palmegiano et al., 2008; 2002) . The data observed in this study confirm the potential use of the microalgae N. gaditana and S. almeriensis in the siberian sturgeon diet, in fact all the experimental diets tested, both based on microalgae grown o n SM and o n PM ensure a balanced and complete level of the nutrient s, suitable for the gr owth of sturgeon juveniles and nutritional quality of the fillet , analogous to the control group fed with a fish meal/oil-based diet . Moreover the use of agrozootenic by-products, such as pig manure, for the growth of microalgae, appears to be a good alternative to common fertilizers, to reduce production costs. Acknowledgments This work has received funding from the European Union HORIZON 2020 Research and Innovation Program under the Grant Agreement No. 727874 (project SABANA)