Effect of lactobacilli inoculation on protein and carbohydrate fractions, ensiling characteristics and bacterial community of alfalfa silage

IntroductionAlfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) silage is one of the major forages with high protein for ruminants.MethodsThe objective of this study was to investigate the effects of lactobacilli inoculants on protein and carbohydrate fractions, ensiling characteristics and bacterial community of alfalfa silage. Wilted alfalfa (35% dry matter) was inoculated without (control) or with Lactobacillus coryniformis, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Lactobacillus pentosus and ensiled for 7, 15, and 60 days.Results and discussionSilage inoculated with L. pentosus was superior to L. coryniformis, L. casei, L. plantarum in improving the fermentation quality of alfalfa silage, as indicated by the lowest ammonia nitrogen content and silage pH during ensiling. There was minor difference in water soluble carbohydrates content among all silages, but L. pentosus inoculants was more efficient at using xylose to produce lactic acid, with lower xylose content and higher lactic acid content than the other inoculants. Compared with the control, L. pentosus inoculants did not affect true protein content of silage, but increased the proportions of buffer soluble protein and acid detergent soluble protein. The L. pentosus inoculants reduced the bacterial diversity In alfalfa silage with lower Shannon, Chao1, and Ace indices, and promoted relative abundance of lactobacillus and decreased the relative abundance of Pediococcus compared with the control. As well as L. pentosus inoculants up-regulated amino acid, carbohydrate, energy, terpenoids, and polypeptides metabolism, and promoted lactic acid fermentation process. In summary, the fermentation quality and nutrient preservation of alfalfa silage were efficiently improved by inoculated with L. pentosus

Effect of lactic acid bacteria on the ensiling characteristics and in vitro ruminal fermentation parameters of alfalfa silage

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) inoculants on fermentation quality and subsequent in vitro gas production, ruminal fermentation parameters, cellulolytic bacteria and their activities of alfalfa silage. Primary growth of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) was harvested at 50% flowering stage, inoculated without (control) or with Lactobacillus plantarum, Enterococcus mundtii and Enterococcus faecalis at 1.0 × 106 cfu/g of fresh weight (FW) in quadruplicate laboratory silos for 45 d. The silage inoculated with LAB were well preserved, indicated by the lower (p < .05) pH and ammonia-N content and the higher (p < .05) dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein and lactic acid contents than the control silage. In vitro asymptotic gas and total volatile fatty acids production were higher in all LAB-treated silages (p < .05). All inoculants increased carboxymethyl-cellulase and β-glycosidase activities, and obtained higher DM and neutral detergent fibre degradability (p < .05) except E. mundtii. Similarly, L. plantarum and E. faecalis inoculants had higher (p < .05) Ruminococcus albus and Fibrobacter succinogenes relative proportions than the control. However, L. plantarum inoculants had lower (p < .05) percentage of methane (CH4) in 72 h gas production than the control and E. faecalis inoculants. These results suggested that L. plantarum were more effective in enhancing alfalfa silage utilisation by promoting forage digestibility and reducing ruminal CH4 emission than E. mundtii and E. faecalis.HIGHLIGHTS Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) inoculants improved alfalfa silage quality. Silage treated with Lactobacillus plantarum or Enterococcus mundtii increased gas production but reduced the percentage of methane in vitro. L. plantarum and Enterococcus faecalis promoted neutral detergent fibre digestibility by increased rumen cellulolytic bacteria proportion and cellulase activity

Hedgehog Signaling Activation in Hepatic Stellate Cells Promotes Angiogenesis and Vascular Mimicry in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

<p>Previous studies have established that hedgehog (Hh) signaling mediates tumor-stroma interaction and promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression. Here, we demonstrated that activation of Hh signaling in hepatic stellate cell (HSC) line LX-2 by Huh-7-derived sonic Hh led to increased secretion of angiogenic factors and promoted angiogenesis in vitro. The activated LX-2 also enhanced vascular mimicry of hepatoma cells. Furthermore, co-injection of Huh-7 and LX-2 significantly accelerated tumor growth with enhanced angiogenesis compared with Huh-7 alone, which could be partly abrogated by Hh signaling inhibitor. Collectively, our data showed that paracrine Hh signaling mediated pro-angiogenic function of HSC and enhanced hepatoma growth.</p