The ratios of dietary non-fibrous carbohydrate (NFC) to neutral detergent fiber (NDF) influence intestinal immunity of rabbits by regulating gut microbiota composition and metabolites

Carbohydrate is the most common macronutrient consumed across all phases of the diet and acts as a potential regulator in modulating the gut microbiota in animals. However, the influences of dietary non-fibrous carbohydrate (NFC) to neutral detergent fiber (NDF) in different ratios on gut microbiota, metabolites, intestinal immunity, and growth performance have not been fully explored. A total of 135 healthy weaned rabbits (45.1 ± 0.7 d of age) with an average body weight of 1.08 ± 0.07 kg were randomly divided into five groups. Under the same other nutrient levels, rabbits were fed diets with NFC/NDF ratios of 0.7 (T1), 1.0 (T2), 1.3 (T3), 1.6 (T4), and 1.9 (T5). During the 28-day experiment, T3 rabbits showed the highest final body weight and the lowest feed-to-weight ratio than T5 rabbits (P < 0.05) but no significant difference with T1 or T2 rabbits. The expression of cecal pro-inflammatory factors IL-1β and TNF-α was increased in the T4 and T5 than in those of other groups (P < 0.05). Conversely, the tight junction proteins (ZO-1, Claudin-1, and Occludin) were decreased to varying degrees in the T4 and T5 groups. The pH value in the cecal digesta of T5 rabbits was lower than that of T1, T2, and T3 (P < 0.05), while the concentration of volatile fatty acids and propionate was higher than those of T1, T2, and T3 rabbits (P < 0.05). In terms of gut microbiota, at the phylum level, the relative burden of Firmicutes and Actinobacteria in T2 rabbits was the highest (P < 0.05), and the relative burden of Proteobacteria in T5 rabbits was higher than that of other groups (P < 0.05). At the genus level, the relative burden of Ruminococcus was higher in T2 and T3 rabbits than that of other groups, and T5 rabbits have the lowest relative burden of Ruminococcus. Combination analysis showed that cecal metabolites were positively associated with fermentation-related phenotypes and the burden of Firmicutes (P < 0.05). In conclusion, different dietary NFC/NDF ratios can affect the intestinal immune response and growth performance of rabbits, and there was a positive effect when dietary NFC/NDF = 1.0–1.3

Antioxidant Capacity and Proanthocyanidin Composition of the Bark of Metasequoia glyptostroboides

Metasequoia glyptostroboides Hu et Cheng is the only living species in the genus Metasequoia Miki ex Hu et Cheng (Taxodiaceae), which is well known as a “living fossil” species. In the Chinese folk medicine, the leaves and bark of M. glyptostroboides are used as antimicrobic, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory drug for dermatic diseases. This study is the first to report the free radical scavenging capacity, antioxidant activity, and proanthocyanidin composition of the bark of M. glyptostroboides. We observed total of six extracts and fractions, which were easily obtained by water-ethanol extraction and followed by a further separation with D101 resin column chromatography, had significant DPPH radical, superoxide anion radical, and hydroxyl radical scavenging capacity, total antioxidative capacity (T-AOC), lipid peroxidation inhibitory activity, and metal ions chelating capacity. The fraction MGEB, which was obtained by 60% ethanol extraction and followed by a further separation with D101 resin column chromatograph, possessed the highest proanthocyanidin content and the highest free radical scavenging and antioxidant activities. Furthermore, MGEB could significantly protect against CCl4 induced acute liver injury through inhibition of oxidative stress in mice. In addition, ten proanthocyanidins were isolated from MGEB, and six of them were firstly reported from this plant

Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity of ursolic acid: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction: There is currently evidence suggesting that ursolic acid may exert a favorable influence on both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant impact. Nevertheless, the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of ursolic acid have not been systematically evaluated. Consequently, this study aims to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis regarding the impact of ursolic acid on markers of inflammatory and antioxidant activity in both animal models and in vitro systems.Methods: The search encompassed databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect, up until May 2023. All eligible articles in English were included in the analysis. Standard mean difference (SMD) was pooled using a random-effects model, and the included studies underwent a thorough assessment for potential bias.Results: The final review comprised 31 articles. In disease-model related studies, animal experiments have consistently shown that ursolic acid significantly reduced the levels of inflammatory parameters IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α in mouse tissues. In vitro studies have similarly showed that ursolic acid significantly reduced the levels of inflammatory parameters IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α. Our results showed that ursolic acid could significantly elevate SOD and GSH levels, while significantly reducing MDA levels in animal tissues. The results of in vitro studies shown that ursolic acid significantly increased the level of GSH and decreased the level of MDA.Discussion: Findings from both animal and in vitro studies suggest that ursolic acid decreases inflammatory cytokine levels, elevates antioxidant enzyme levels, and reduces oxidative stress levels (graphical abstract). This meta-analysis furnishes compelling evidence for the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of ursolic acid

Highly active Pd catalysts supported on surface-modified cobalt-nickel mixed oxides for low temperature oxidation of lean methane

A highly active palladium catalyst supported on SiO2-modified cobalt-nickel mixed oxide (denoted as 0.5Pd/MCo1Ni4) was prepared and used for lean methane combustion. It was found that such a surface modification strategy enhanced the synergistic interaction between deposited palladium phase and reactive cobalt-nickel oxide, leading to substantial improvement in performance towards methane combustion. Over 0.5Pd/M-Co1Ni4, 90% methane conversion was realized at 323℃ and a space velocity of 60,000 mLg−1 h−1, which is 62 °C lower than that required for its untreated counterpart, 0.5Pd/Co1Ni4. The results of XRD, TEM, transmission FTIR and XPS demonstrated that the introduced SiO2, which was presented as an amorphous phase covering the carrier surface, could effectively tune the electronic structure of both Co1Ni4 support and palladium entities. More importantly, H2-TPR and O2-TPD results of 0.5Pd/M-Co1Ni4 revealed that the presence of SiO2 could enhance the low-temperature redox capability and increase the supply of oxygen species during the reaction process. We believe that the combination of PdOx (1 < x < 2) phase and modified Co1Ni4 oxide with low Co3+/Co2+ ratio was responsible for such an excellent performance of 0.5Pd/M-Co1Ni4. This work provides a feasible method for the design of efficient CCM catalysts with reduced palladium content by maximizing the palladium species and reactive host materials

Palladium Nanoparticles Supported on Surface‐Modified Metal Oxides for Catalytic Oxidation of Lean Methane

Palladium nanoparticles (NPs) were successfully deposited on surface‐modified metal oxides (mod‐ MOx, M = Hf, Ti, Zr, Ce, and Al) and applied as catalyst materials for lean methane combustion. It was found that the surface modification of support materials improved the light‐off performance of 1.0Pd/mod‐HfO2 (palladium catalyst supported on surface‐modified HfO2 with a content of 1.0 wt %), 1.0Pd/mod‐ZrO2, and 1.0Pd/mod‐CeO2, but lowered the purification efficiency of 1.0Pd/mod‐ TiO2 and 1.0Pd/mod‐Al2O3 when compared with their 1.0Pd/MOx counterparts. Over the bestperforming 1.0Pd/mod‐HfO2 material, 90% of methane was removed at 317 °C and a space velocity of 60 000 mL g–1 h–1, which was 120 °C lower than that required for the untreated 1.0Pd/HfO2 sample. Detailed characterization of representative HfO2‐related materials showed that the introduced silicon modifier materials, which existed as an amorphous phase covering the HfO2 surface, could improve the dispersion of palladium nanoparticles due to their steric confinement and strengthen the generation of surface‐adsorbed oxygen species via electron transfer. We believe that this surface modification strategy, which could promote the catalytic performance of palladium nanoparticles supported on other cost‐effective host materials as well, provides a feasible method for the design of methane combustion catalysts with excellent lowtemperature performance

Highly Active and Stable Palladium Catalysts Supported on Surfacemodified Ceria Nanowires for Lean Methane Combustion

An efficient strategy was presented to synthesize highly active palladium catalyst supported on ceria nanowires modified by organosilanes (abbreviated as Pd/CeO2NWs@SiO2) for lean methane combustion. It is found that such a surface-modified strategy can significantly improve the dispersion of surface palladium species and strengthen the concentration of active surfaceadsorbed oxygen species via reconstructing the surface microenvironment, invoking an efficient performance for methane oxidation. Under the space velocity of 60,000 mLg−1h−1, 0.5 wt% Pd/CeO2NWs@SiO2 displayed extraordinary catalytic activity with 90 % conversion rate at a temperature of around 327 °C, far lower than that of pristine Pd/CeO2NWs (378 °C) under the same conditions. What's more, unexpected stability was observed under high temperature and the presence of water vapor conditions owing to the intense metal support interaction of Pd/CeO2NWs@SiO2 catalyst. The possible reaction mechanism of lean methane oxidation was probed by in situ DRIFT spectra. It is observed that the pivotal intermediate products (carbonate and carbon oxygenates) generated on Pd/CeO2NWs@SiO2 surface are more readily decomposed into CO2. Importantly, the silicon hydroxyl groups (Si−OH) formed during the reaction can efficiently restrict the generation of the stable Pd(OH)x phase and release more active sites to facilitate the catalytic performance. This study provides a convenient method to design the highly reactive and durable palladium-based catalyst for methane combustion

Integrated mRNA-seq and miRNA-seq analysis of goat fibroblasts response to Brucella Melitensis strain M5-90

Brucellosis is a globally zoonotic bacterial disease of humans and various animals including goats, sheep, and cattle. Brucella melitensis M5-90, a live attenuated vaccine strain, has been widely used to prevent brucellosis in goats and sheep. However, the molecular mechanisms governing protective immunity response in non-professional phagocytes infected with B. melitensis M5-90 have not been fully investigated, especially in goats. In our research, goat fibroblasts were used as in vitro models to determine these mechanisms by transcriptome analysis. After incubating with B. melitensis M5-90 3 h, the infected goat fibroblasts were collected at 0 h, 4 h, 24 h, 48 h and 72 h for RNA-seq. The results indicated that there were totally 11,819 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 777 differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs found in experiment groups compared with the control groups (|log2(Foldchange)|≥1, FDR<0.05). GO and KEGG enrichment analyses revealed that down-regulated genes were involved in the riboflavin metabolism and positive regulation of IL-8 secretion pathway. The up-regulated genes were mainly involved in adaptive immunity, including TNF signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway and JAK/STAT pathway. Additionally, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, natural killer cell mediated cytotoxicity and toll-like receptor signaling pathway, which associated with innate immunity pathways, were also induced. Based on the Pearson correlation coefficients and prediction results of TargetScan and miRanda, the miRNA-mRNA networks of NFKB1, IFNAR2 and IL10RB were constructed and verified in goat fibroblasts by qPCR, which demonstrated that goat fibroblasts displayed immunomodulatory properties. Our findings provide a deeper insight into the host miRNA-driven B. melitensis defense mechanism and reveal the transcriptome changes involved in the innate and adaptive immune response of the goats to B. melitensis infection

Genome-Wide Differential Expression Profiling of Pulmonary circRNAs Associated With Immune Reaction to Pasteurella multocida in Goats

Pasteurella multocida is a highly versatile pathogen that infects a wide range of animals, including goats, causing pneumonia and hemorrhagic septicemia. Circular RNA (circRNA) is a type of non-coding RNA that plays an important role in regulating cellular metabolism. However, whether and how circRNA is involved in regulating immune responses in the goat lung has not been reported. Thus, this study was designed to examine the function of circRNA in goats infected with Pasteurella multocida. Goats were assigned into one of two groups: an uninfected control group (CK) and an infected group challenged with P. multocida. Compared with the CK group, which remained healthy, the infected goats showed clinical signs of infection, including depression, cough, nasal discharge, and dyspnea, along with elevated body temperature and lesions in the lung. Whole-transcriptome sequencing and small RNA sequencing were then performed using lung samples from goats from each group. A total of 138 circRNA, 56 microRNAs (miRNA), and 2,673 messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules were significantly differentially expressed in the P. multocida-infected group compared with the CK group. Randomly selected differentially expressed circRNA, miRNA, and mRNA molecules (n = 5 per group) were then validated by quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis. Gene ontology (GO) analysis of the source genes indicated that six immune-related terms were enriched among the differentially expressed cirRNA molecules, including inflammatory response, immune effector process, cell activation involved in immune response, cytokine-mediated signaling pathway, response to endogenous stimulus, and immune response. The corresponding circRNA molecules were then selected for construction of a competitive endogenous RNA network to identify networks that may be involved in the immune response to P. multocida infection. The results indicated that P. multocida HN01 may cause pneumonia and stimulate an immune response in goats via regulation of circRNA expression. This study presents the first comprehensive circRNA profile in response to P. multocida infection in goats, thus, providing a basis for understanding the function of circRNA in the host immune response to P. multocida infection

Effects of zearalenone on vulva area, liver function, serum immunoglobulin, antioxidant capability and sex hormone secretion of prepubertal gilts

The study aimed to examine the multi-organs toxicity of zearalenone on prepubertal gilts. A total of 48 (Landrace × Yorkshire) prepubertal gilts were randomly divided into 4 groups with 12 replicates in each group. The control group were fed with basal diet, the experimental groups were fed test diets supplemented with 0, 200, 800 and 1600 μg/kg zearalenone in the basal diet. The experiment lasted for 28 days. The results showed that the average daily feed intake of prepubertal gilts in each group had no significant change (p > .05). Diets supplemented with zearalenone significantly reduced the serum immunoglobulin G, immunoglobulin M, follicle stimulating hormone concentrations and total antioxidant capacity activity of prepubertal gilts (p < .05). Diets supplemented with zearalenone significantly increased the vulva area, the serum concentration of interleukin-4 and activities of alanine aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase of prepubertal gilts (p < .05). In conclusion, dietary supplementation of zearalenone has no obvious effect on the average daily feed intake of prepubertal gilts. However, it can increase its vulva area, produce reproductive toxicity, cause liver damage, reduce the serum immunoglobulin concentrations and antioxidant capability and disrupt the secretion of sex hormones.HIGHLIGHTS Dietary supplementation of zearalenone significantly increases the vulva area of prepubertal gilts. Dietary supplementation of zearalenone significantly increases serum ALT and ALP activities of prepubertal gilts. Dietary supplementation of zearalenone reduce serum immunoglobulin levels and antioxidant capability of prepubertal gilts. Dietary supplementation of zearalenone decreased the secretion of FSH of prepubertal gilts. Zearalenone exerts its toxic effects in multiple ways simultaneously