Effects of traditional Chinese herbal feed supplement on growth performance, immunity, antioxidant levels, and intestinal health in chickens: a study on Ningdu yellow chickens

ABSTRACT: Traditional Chinese herbs have been widely researched as a green, safe, and effective feed additive for poultry. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of traditional Chinese prescription (TCP) based on various herbs in a specific ratio on the growth performance, carcass traits, immunity, antioxidant level, and intestinal health of Ningdu yellow chickens. A total of 420 female Ningdu yellow chickens were randomly divided into 5 groups, with 6 replicates of 14 each. The chickens were fed with a basal diet supplemented with 0 (CON), 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, or 0.8% TCP from d 43 to 105. Body weight, feed intake, and serum biochemical indicators were recorded at d 70 and 105, intestinal morphology and microflora of the carcass were determined at d 105. Compared to the control group, chickens fed with TCP, particularly at the level of 0.6%, showed improved average daily gain and breast muscle percentage, as well as a lower feed-to-gain ratio with statistical significance (P < 0.05). Between 43 and 70 d of age, chickens fed with TCP exhibited higher levels of serum glutathione peroxidase activity, total antioxidant capacity, and superoxide dismutase, particularly in the group fed with the 0.6% level of TCP (P < 0.05). Between 43 and 105 d of age, feeding chickens with 0.4 and 0.6% TCP resulted in a decrease in serum IL-2 concentration, and increase in the IL-4 content (P < 0.05). Chickens fed with 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8% TCP had significantly higher jejunum villous height (P < 0.05), TCP supplementation also led to a marked increase in the relative abundance of Bacteroidota compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Collectively, the study suggests that TCP supplementation can enhance immune and antioxidant functions, improve jejunum morphology, and positively impact cecum microflora in chickens. Based on these results, a level of 0.6% TCP could be considered an optimum level as a feed supplement for Ningdu yellow chickens aged 43 to 105 d

Genetic Mutations of Tim-3 Ligand and Exhausted Tim-3+ CD8+ T Cells and Survival in Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma

Tim-3 is a promising target for antitumor immunotherapy. A number of clinical trials are evaluating the efficacy of anti-Tim-3 therapies as a single agent or combinations in solid tumors and haematologic malignancies. However, there remains a considerable lack of data on Tim-3 signalling, especially the genetic characteristics and immune microenvironment, in diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Herein, we identified three genetic mutations in galectin-9, a major ligand of Tim-3, in six patients with DLBCL (6/188, 3.2%) that were not detected in the COSMIC database. The Oncomine database showed that the mRNA levels of Tim-3 were higher in DLBCL cells than those in normal B cells. Multiplexed immunofluorescence revealed that patients with Tim-3-expressing tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (Tim-3+ TILs) exhibited poor outcomes than those with Tim-3- TILs (p=0.041). The median survival times of these patients were 65.0 (95% confidence interval (CI): 71.2–88.6) and 79.9 months (95% CI: 54.4–75.6), respectively. Furthermore, we defined a novel subtype of exhausted T cells, named as exhausted Tim-3+ CD8+ T cells, and found that patients with exhausted Tim-3+ CD8+ T cells (median survival, 62.8 months, 95% CI: 50.0–75.6) exhibited shorter survival than those with nonexhausted Tim-3- CD8+ T cells (median survival, 82.5 months, 95% CI: 72.0–92.9; p=0.034). Overall, these findings provide the genetic status of the Tim-3 ligand in DLBCL. Patients with Tim-3+ TILs and exhausted Tim-3+ CD8+ T cells exhibited inferior survival, thus highlighting the possibility of potential therapeutic applications of the inhibition of Tim-3 alone or in combination with other immune checkpoints for treatment of patients with DLBCL