Preliminary proteomic characterisation of primodia and vegetative dikaryotic mycelial cells from tiger’s milk mushroom (Lignosus rhinocerus)

Tiger’s Milk mushrooms (Lignosus rhinocerus) are polypores with three distinct parts: cap (pileus), stem (stipe) and tuber (sclerotium). The stem of this medicinal mushroom is centrally connected to the brownish woody cap that grows out from the tuber underground rather than from the wood. To date, the biotic and abiotic factors that induce the growth of this mushroom are unclear and information regarding its development is scanty. Hence, the differential protein expressions of vegetative dikaryotic mycelial and primordial cells of this mushroom were investigated. Six two dimensional-sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-SDS-PAGE) of 13 cm with pH3-10 containing the intracellular proteins of vegetative mycelial and primordial cells of L. rhinocerus were obtained. Analysis of 2D-SDS-PAGE using Progenesis Samespot version 4.1 yielded approximately 1000 distinct protein spots in the proteome of vegetative mycelial cells, while primordial proteome contained nearly 100 spots. Further comparison between the vegetative mycelial and primordial proteomes yielded significant up-regulation of protein expression of 5 primordial cells proteins that were labeled as P1, P2, P3, P4 and P5. These protein spots were excised, trypsin digested and submitted to mass spectrometry. Protein identification through MASCOT yielded significant identification with P1 and P2 as DnaJ domain protein, P3 and P5 as hypothetical protein while P4 as AP-2rep transcription factor. The present results suggested that P3, P4 and P5 are novel proteins that involved in the initiation of L. rhinocerus primordia. Our findings also suggested that stress response mechanism is present during fruitification of this mushroom

Effects of corn supplementation on the antioxidant activity, selected minerals, and gene expression of selenoprotein and metallothionein in serum, liver, and kidney of sheep-fed palm kernel cake: urea-treated rice straw diets

This study aimed to determine influence of corn inclusion on glutathion peroxidase (GPx) activity, selected minerals concentration, and gene expression in sheep-fed palm kernel cake (PKC) and urea-treated rice straw. Twenty-seven of Dorper sheep were divided into three groups and fed a basal diet of (20% rice straw and 80% concentrate) with addition of ground corn at either 0% (T1), 5% (T2), or 10% (T3), respectively. After 120 days feeding trial, all animals were slaughtered and tissue samples of kidney, liver, and muscles were taken for enzyme and mineral analyses. The results showed that Cu concentration in the liver was lower treatment T3 compared to the control and T2. The serum activity of GPx was higher in T2 than in T3 at day 120 of experiment. Serum malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations decreased at day 80 in sheep on T3, whereas MDA of liver increased linearly with increasing corn supplementation. The qRT-PCR analyses revealed significant up-regulation of ATP7A and MIa genes in T3, while hepatic Cu/Zn SOD, GPx1, and GPx4 mRNA showed a higher expression in lamb hepatocytes in T3 compared to those on T1. Present study results suggest that feeding PKC as basal diet can increase antioxidant activity, but cause liver dysfunction in sheep. Inclusion corn was found to regulate transcriptional levels of the GPx family and metallothionein genes. These genes may play a role in the antioxidant protection response and reduce incidence of toxicity associated with Cu

Pre-rigor beef quality assessment of Bali cattle subjected to different finishing systems in Malaysia

The study was carried out in an attempt to assess meat quality of Bali cattle finished in 3 different systems. Twenty one bulls were selected from an existing herd under an oil palm plantation and randomly assigned to 120 days of feeding in; Integration-INT (n = 8), basal energy Feedlot-F (n = 6) and high energy Feedlot-FB (n = 7) System. All animals were humanely slaughtered at a commercial abattoir. Samples of Longissimus Dorsi (LD), Supra Spinatus (SS) and Semi Membranosus (SM) muscles were collected and prepared accordingly for the determinations of pH, cooking loss, shear force and color (L* and a*) values. The animals finished on Integration (TNT) demonstrated higher L* values (p<0.05) in SS muscle and lower L* values (p<0.05)inbothLD and SM muscles. Lower cooking losses (p<0.05) were observed in LD and SM muscles from the INT group. However, there was no difference in pH, a* (redness) and shear force values among the treatments and these were consistently shown in all three muscles. The results from this study demonstrate the influence of finishing system on Bali cattle meat quality

An evaluation on growth performance and carcass characteristics of integration (oil palm plantation) and feedlot finished Bali cattle

The objective of this study was to evaluate the differences in growth performance and carcass characteristics of Bali cattle subjected to oil palm integration and two different feedlot finishing systems (basal vs. high energy). Eighteen, 24-30 months old male Bali cattle were involved in this study. The animals were randomly allotted into 3 feeding groups: Integration (INT), (n = 6 animals), Feedlot A (FA) with basal energy (n = 6 animals) and Feedlot B (FB) with high energy (n = 6 animals). The animals assigned to the integration system were allowed to graze on the native forages and legumes available under the oil palm plantation. The basal energy diet consisted of 5 kg Palm Kernel Cake (PKC) pellets + ad libitum corn stover and the high energy diet which consisted of 5 kg Palm Kernel Cake (PKC) pellets + ad libitum corn stover + 400 g calcium soap of palm oil fatty acids (Megalac®, Volac International Limited, UK) were fed to the animals in FA and FB, respectively. The feeding trial was conducted for 120 consecutive days excluding 3 weeks of adaptation period. The present data suggest that some of the growth parameters and carcass traits in Bali cattle can be enhanced through the feedlot finishing system

Naturally produced lovastatin modifies the histology and proteome profile of goat skeletal muscle

Enteric methane formation in ruminants is one of the major contributors to climate change. We have reported that supplementation of naturally produced lovastatin reduced methane emissions in goats without adversely affecting rumen fermentation and animal performance, except that at higher level, lovastatin can have a negative effect on the palatability of the formulated diet. As statins are associated with the development of muscle-related adverse effects at higher than recommended therapeutic doses, this study was conducted to examine the effects of lovastatin on the histology and proteome profile of goat skeletal muscle. A total of 20 intact male Saanen goats were randomly assigned in equal numbers to 4 groups, and fed with a total mixed ration containing 50% rice straw, 22.8% concentrates and 27.2% of various proportions of untreated or treated palm kernel cake (PKC) to achieve the target daily intake levels of 0 (Control), 2 (Low), 4 (Medium) or 6 (High) mg lovastatin/kg body weight (BW). Histological examination discovered that the longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle of animals from the Medium and High treatment groups showed abnormalities in terms of necrosis, degeneration, interstitial space and vacuolation. Western blot analysis conducted on the myosin heavy chain showed that the immunoreactivity of myosin heavy chain in the High treatment group was significantly lower than the Control, Low and Medium treatment groups. Comparisons between control and lovastatin-treated groups demonstrated that lovastatin supplementation induced complex modifications to the protein expression patterns of the longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle of the goat. There were 30, 26 and 24 proteins differentially expressed in Low, Medium and High treatment groups respectively, when compared to the Control group. Supplementation of lovastatin down-regulated proteins involved in carbohydrate and creatine metabolism, indicative of reduced energy production, and may have contributed to the skeletal muscle damage. Supplementation of naturally produced lovastatin induced muscle damage in longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle of goats with increasing dosages, particularly at 6mg/kg BW. In addition, proteomics analysis revealed that lovastatin supplementation induced complex modifications to the protein expressions of skeletal muscle of goats which may have contributed to the observed skeletal muscle damage. Present study suggested that supplementation of naturally-produced lovastatin at 6mg/kg BW could adversely affecting health and wellbeing of the animals

Effects of corn supplementation on the antioxidant activity, selected minerals and genes expression of selenoprotein and metallothionein in serum, liver and kidney of sheep fed Palm Kernel Cake - urea-treated rice straw diets

This study aimed to determine influence of corn inclusion on glutathion peroxidase (GPx) activity, selected minerals concentration, and gene expression in sheep-fed palm kernel cake (PKC) and urea-treated rice straw. Twenty-seven of Dorper sheep were divided into three groups and fed a basal diet of (20% rice straw and 80% concentrate) with addition of ground corn at either 0% (T1), 5% (T2), or 10% (T3), respectively. After 120 days feeding trial, all animals were slaughtered and tissue samples of kidney, liver, and muscles were taken for enzyme and mineral analyses. The results showed that Cu concentration in the liver was lower treatment T3 compared to the control and T2. The serum activity of GPx was higher in T2 than in T3 at day 120 of experiment. Serum malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations decreased at day 80 in sheep on T3, whereas MDA of liver increased linearly with increasing corn supplementation. The qRT-PCR analyses revealed significant up-regulation of ATP7A and MIa genes in T3, while hepatic Cu/Zn SOD, GPx1, and GPx4 mRNA showed a higher expression in lamb hepatocytes in T3 compared to those on T1. Present study results suggest that feeding PKC as basal diet can increase antioxidant activity, but cause liver dysfunction in sheep. Inclusion corn was found to regulate transcriptional levels of the GPx family and metallothionein genes. These genes may play a role in the antioxidant protection response and reduce incidence of toxicity associated with Cu

Protein expression patterns in HEK-blue-cells treated with Clinacanthus nutans extracts

Background: Clinacanthus nutans (CN) is a small shrub native to tropical Asia known for their anti-oxidant, anti-inflammation, anti-cancer, and anti-viral activities. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effect of CN extract on human embryonic kidney cell line (HEK-Blue™-4) in a proteomic perspective. Materials and Methods: Comparative proteomic profiling through two-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis was performed on HEK-Blue™-4 treated with CN leaf polar extract. Results: We successfully identified seven upregulated proteins, of which five promoted the growth of the HEK-Blue™-4 cells. Interestingly, a potent antioxidant enzyme which neutralizes reactive oxygen or nitrogen species, peroxiredoxin-1 was also upregulated in HEK-Blue™-4 cell lines after treatment with CN leaf polar extract. Conclusion: CN leaf polar extract promotes the growth of HEK-Blue™-4 cells and induced the expression of peroxiredoxin-1, which protects the cells from reactive oxygen species during the inflammation process

Supplementation of protected energy in growth performance and carcass quality in Bali Cattle (Bos javanicus d'Alton)

Bali cattle (Bos javanicusd’Alton) which are reared for meat production have been considered as superior meat animals with their reasonably high dressing percentage. In this study, a 120 days feeding trial was conducted to examine the effects of calcium soap of fatty acids as protected energy supplementation on growth performance, carcass characteristics, rumen fermentation and meat fatty acid composition of Bali cattle subjected to feedlot system. Twelve male Bali cattle of 24 to 30 months old were randomly selected and assigned to 2 groups of 6 animals in each and fed with basal and protected energy supplemented diets. The basal diet consisted of 43.75% (of dry matter, DM) palm kernel cake (PKC) pellets + 56.25 % (of DM) corn stover, whiletheprotected energy supplemented diet consisted of 40.62 % (of DM) PKC pellets + 3.13 % (of DM) calcium soap of palm oil fatty acids + 56.25 % (of DM) corn stover. Theanimals subjected to protected energy supplemented diet yielded significantly (p0.05) in carcass length, carcass circumference and carcass compactness measured between the dietarygroups. In addition, carcass composition, rumen fermentation and fatty acid composition of skeletal muscles (supraspinatus, longissimus dorsiand semimembranosus)did not differ(p>0.05)between the two dietarygroups. In conclusion, the inclusion of calcium soap of palm oil fatty acids as protected energy supplement in thefinishing diet had improvedgrowth performance and carcass quality of Bali cattle without affecting the rumen fermentation and fatty acid composition of skeletal muscles when subjected to feedlot system

Effect of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Ceramides Supplementation on Improving Skin Barrier Functions and Depigmentation: An Open-Label Prospective Study

Ceramides plays a crucial role in maintaining skin barrier function. Although foregoing evidence supported beneficial effects of topical ceramides for restoration of the skin barrier, studies on oral ceramides are extremely scarce, with most published data collected from in vivo and in vitro models. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of rice ceramides (RC) supplementation to improve skin barrier function and as a depigmenting agent through comprehensive clinical assessments. This study investigated the beneficial effects of orally administered RC supplementation in 50 voluntary participants. Skin hydration, firmness and elasticity, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), melanin index (MI), erythema index (EI), sebum production, pH, and wrinkle severity were assessed at baseline and during monthly follow-up visits. RC supplementation was found to significantly (p &lt; 0.01) improve skin hydration, sebum production, firmness and elasticity, and wrinkle severity for three assessed areas, namely the left cheek, dorsal neck, and right inner forearm. Additionally, RC significantly (p &lt; 0.01) reduced the rates of TEWL, levels of MI and EI. Analyses of data indicated that participants at older age were more responsive towards the effect of RC supplementation. Our findings suggest that RC supplementation can effectively improve skin barrier function, reduce wrinkle severity, and reduce pigmentation

Characterization of gelatin from bovine skin extracted using ultrasound subsequent to bromelain pretreatment

Bovine skin was pretreated with bromelain enzyme and ultrasound (53 kHz and 500 W) was used to extract gelatin for the time durations of 2, 4 and 6 h at 60 °C (samples were referred as UB2, UB4 and UB6, respectively). Control (UBC) gelatin was extracted using ultrasound for 6 h at 60 °C without enzymatic pretreatment. Gelatin yield increased significantly (P < 0.05) as the time duration of ultrasound treatment increased with UB6 giving the highest yield of 19.71% followed by UBC (18.67%). Gel strength and viscosity of UBC were 603.24 g and 16.33 mPa s, respectively. The corresponding values for UB6 were 595.51 g and 16.37 mPa s, respectively. The amino acids content increased with longer duration of ultrasonic treatment and UBC exhibited the highest content of the glycine (27.06%) and hydroxyproline (17.21%) compared to other samples. Protein pattern of the gelatin samples showed the progressive degradation of polypeptide chains as the time duration of ultrasound extraction increased. As demonstrated by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, amide I band of gelatins extracted by ultrasound treatment exhibited higher wavenumbers than the commercial gelatin (CG) suggesting greater loss of molecular order in these samples. Longer duration of ultrasonic treatment resulted in denser, irregular, disorganized and more interconnected structure with increased porosity as revealed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) but structural integrity was retained in UBC indicating degradation effect of bromelain enzyme in other samples. Finally, it was concluded that the ultrasound assisted gelatin extraction using bromelain enzyme produced high yield with good quality gelatin