Effect of Low-Frequency Ultrasonic-Assisted Enzymolysis on the Physicochemical and Antioxidant Properties of Corn Protein Hydrolysates

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of low-frequency ultrasound on the enzymolysis of corn protein. A L9 (34) orthogonal design was used to optimize ultrasound pretreatment conditions. Degree hydrolysis (DH), conversion rate of protein (CR), and DPPH IC50 were selected as analytical indicators. Under the optimal ultrasound conditions (5 W/L power, 2 s/2 s on/off time, 50°C temperature, and 25 min time), the DH, CR, and radical (DPPH∙, OH∙) scavenging capacities were significantly increased. Molecular weight distribution and amino acid profile analysis showed that ultrasound pretreatment enhanced the formation of short-chain peptides with molecular weight of 200–3000 Da, especially the peptides containing hydrophobic amino acids. Moreover, 40 potential antioxidant peptides were purified by C18 semipreparative column and identified by UPLC-ESI-MS. The results suggest that the optimal ultrasonic-assisted enzymolysis technology could be useful for preparation of antioxidant peptides from corn

A Novel CD105 Determination System Based on an Ultrasensitive Bioelectrochemical Strategy with

sensor

Host Differences Affecting Resistance and Susceptibility of the Second Generation of a Pekin Duck Flock to Duck Hepatitis A Virus Genotype 3

Earlier work suggested the possibility to anti duck hepatitis A virus genotype 3 (DHAV-3) using the resistance breeding strategy. Here, we report the creation of the second generations of a resistant Pekin duck flock (designated Z8R2) and a highly susceptible Pekin duck flock (designated Z8S2) and the investigation of their responses to DHAV-3. Experimental infection with DHAV-3 at 7 days of age resulted in a high mortality (66.3%) in 11 susceptible Z8S2 families and an extremely low mortality rate (2.67%) in 32 Z8R2 families, indicating that Z8R2 exhibits strong resistance to DHAV-3, while Z8S2 is highly susceptible to the virus. Detection of DHAV-3 in the liver between 1 and 60 hours post inoculation (hpi) suggests that DHAV-3 can be replicated rapidly and efficiently in the liver of Z8S2, whereas the replication of the virus in the liver of Z8R2 is suppressed greatly. High levels of serum biochemical markers (e.g., ALT, AST, ALP and GGT) were detected in Z8S2 at 24 hpi, which were significantly higher than those in Z8R2. Analysis of transcripts in the liver revealed that the expression levels of several pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) (e.g., TLR4/7, RIG-1 and MDA5) and cytokines (e.g., IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IFN-α, and IFN-γ) in Z8S2 were significantly higher than those in Z8R2 at 12 and 24 hpi. Together these findings suggest that Z8R2 and Z8S2 Pekin ducks, which were derived from the same Z8 line, exhibit disparate pathogenic outcomes following DHAV-3 infection. Therefore, it is possible to select a Pekin duck flock resistant to DHAV-3 employing the strategy described here. It is likely that the high viral load and the strong inflammatory response correlate with the high susceptibility of Z8S2 Pekin ducks to DHAV-3

Fetal Calf Serum Exerts an Inhibitory Effect on Replication of Duck Hepatitis A Virus Genotype 1 in Duck Embryo Fibroblast Cells

Among the causative agents of duck viral hepatitis, duck hepatitis A virus genotype 1 (DHAV-1) is the most common virus reported in most outbreaks worldwide. How to propagate DHAV-1 in cell cultures efficiently remains a problem to be explored. Here, we aimed to test the effect of serum type on DHAV-1 replication in duck embryo fibroblast (DEF) cells. Comparative studies involved virus culture and passage, observation of cytopathic effect (CPE), virus quantification, and plaque formation assay. From the results of these investigations, we conclude that use of chicken serum (CS) in maintenance medium allows DHAV-1 to establish productive, cytocidal infection in DEF cells, whereas FCS exerts inhibitory effects on DHAV-1 replication, CPE development, and plaque formation. By using a neutralization test, we found that the direct action of FCS on virions is likely to play a key role in inhibiting DHAV-1 replication in DEF cells. Mechanism analyses revealed that FCS inhibits DHAV-1 replication at virus adsorption and reduces extracellular virus yields. The present work may shed light on a new perspective for antiviral agent development, and have provided a virus–host cell system for further studies on molecular mechanism involved DHAV-1 replication and pathogenesis

Effects of age on differential resistance to duck hepatitis A virus genotype 3 in Pekin ducks by 16 S and transcriptomics

Duck hepatitis A virus genotype 3 (DHAV-3) is the major cause of viral hepatitis in ducks in Asia. Previous studies have shown that ducklings younger than 21 days are more susceptible to DHAV-3. To elucidate the mechanism by which age affects the differential susceptibility of Pekin ducks to DHAV-3, intestinal (n = 520), liver (n = 40) and blood (n = 260) samples were collected from control and DHAV-3-infected ducks at 7, 10, 14, and 21 days of age. Comparisons of plasma markers, mortality rates, and intestinal histopathological data showed that the resistance of Pekin ducks to DHAV-3 varied with age. 16 S sequencing revealed that the ileal microbial composition was influenced by age, and this correlation was greater than that recorded for caecal microbes. Candidatus Arthromitus, Bacteroides, Corynebacterium, Enterococcus, Romboutsia, and Streptococcus were the differntially abundant microbes in the ileum at the genus level after DHAV-3 infection and were significantly correlated with 7 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in 7- and 21-day-old ducklings. 3 immunity-related pathways were significantly different between 7- and 21-day-old ducklings, especially for IFIH1-mediated induction of the interferon-alpha/beta pathway, which induces differential production of CD8(+) T cells and was influenced by a combination of differentially abundant microbiota and DEGs. We found that microbes in the ileum changed regularly with age. The intestinal microbiota was associated with the expression of genes in the liver through IFIH1-mediated induction of the interferon-alpha/beta pathway, which may partially explain why younger ducklings were more susceptible to DHAV-3 infection

Enhanced Red Emissions of Europium (III) Chelates in RNA–OTMA Complexes

In recent years, biopolymers have been widely used in optoelectronic devices because of their unique structure, novel optical and physical properties. In this paper, novel RNA-based photofunctional materials were fabricated by associating an RNA–OTMA (octadecyltrimethylammonium chloride) lipid complex with a luminescent Eu (III) complex. The fluorescence emission intensity, fluorescence quantum yield and fluorescence lifetime were characterized in both solution and thin film states, and the interaction between the RNA–OTMA lipid complex and Eu (III) complexes was analyzed. This study suggests that the luminescence performance of the Eu (III) complexes doped with RNA–OTMARNA–OTMA was significantly enhanced compared with those of the complex in a conventional poly (methyl methacrylate) matrix, thereby providing an important basis for the application of biomaterials in optoelectronic devices

Effect of riboflavin deficiency on intestinal morphology, jejunum mucosa proteomics, and cecal microbiota of Pekin ducks

This study was to determine the effects of riboflavin deficiency (RD) on intestinal development, jejunum mucosa proteome, cecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) profiling, and cecal microbial diversity and community of starter Pekin ducks. Male white Pekin ducks (1 d old, n = 240) were allocated into 2 groups, with 12 replicates and 10 birds per replicate in each group. For 21 d, all ducks had ad libitum access to either an RD or a riboflavin adequate (control, CON) diet, formulated by supplementing a basal diet with 0 or 10 mg riboflavin per kg of diet, respectively. Compared to the CON group, growth retardation, high mortality, and poor riboflavin status were observed in the RD group. Furthermore, RD reduced the villus height and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth of jejunum and ileum (P < 0.05), indicating morphological alterations of the small intestine. In addition, dietary RD enhanced relative cecum weight and decreased cecal SCFA concentrations (P < 0.05), including propionate, isobutyrate, butyrate, and isovalerate. The jejunum mucosa proteomics showed that 208 proteins were upregulated and 229 proteins were downregulated in the RD group compared to those in the CON group. Among these, RD mainly suppressed intestinal absorption and energy generation processes such as glycolysis and gluconeogenesis, fatty acid beta oxidation, tricarboxylic acid cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation, leading to impaired ATP generation. In addition, RD decreased the community richness and diversity of the bacterial community in the cecum of ducks. Specifically, RD reduced the abundance of butyrate-producing bacteria in the cecum (P < 0.05), such as Eubacterium coprostanoligenes, Prevotella and Faecalibacterium. Dietary RD resulted in growth depression and intestinal hypofunction of Pekin ducks, which could be associated with impaired intestinal absorption and energy generation processes in intestinal mucosa, as well as gut microbiota dysbiosis. These findings contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms of intestinal hypofunction due to RD