Effects of guar gum supplementation in high-fat diets on fish growth, gut histology, intestinal oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis in juvenile largemouth bass (<em>Micropterus salmoides</em>)

The present study aimed to investigate the influence of guar gum supplementation in high-fat diets on the growth performance and intestinal oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis of juvenile largemouth bass. Five isonitrogenous diets were prepared: a control diet (10% crude lipid, C), a high-fat diet (17% crude lipid, HF), and three high-fat diets supplemented with 0.3% guar gum (GG0.3), 1% guar gum (GG1), and 3% guar gum (GG3). Largemouth bass (3.1±0.2 g) were randomly assigned to fifteen tanks (30 fish/tank) and fed for 8 weeks. The results demonstrated that GG0.3 significantly increased specific growth rate (SGR) and increased feed conversion ratio (FCR) compared to HF (P < 0.05). For histology, high-fat diets containing guar gum significantly increased intestinal villus length, villus width, and perimeter ratio, compared with HF (P < 0.05). Compared with Control, HF significantly decreased reduced glutathione (GSH) contents and increased malondialdehyde (MDA) contents in the intestine (P < 0.05). Additionally, HF significantly increased the expression of interleukin 1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), and cysteine-aspartic proteases 9 (Caspase 9) in the intestine (P < 0.05). Compared to HF, GG0.3 significantly decreased MDA contents, increased GSH contents, and downregulated the expression of IL-1β, TNF-α, and Caspase 3 than diet HF in the intestine (P < 0.05). These results suggest that guar gum can alleviate the adverse effects of high-fat diets on growth and gut health in fish

The role of Chinese herbal medicine in the treatment of diabetic nephropathy by regulating endoplasmic reticulum stress

Diabetic nephropathy (DN), a prevalent microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus, is the primary contributor to end-stage renal disease in developed countries. Existing clinical interventions for DN encompass lifestyle modifications, blood glucose regulation, blood pressure reduction, lipid management, and avoidance of nephrotoxic medications. Despite these measures, a significant number of patients progress to end-stage renal disease, underscoring the need for additional therapeutic strategies. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response, a cellular defense mechanism in eukaryotic cells, has been implicated in DN pathogenesis. Moderate ER stress can enhance cell survival, whereas severe or prolonged ER stress may trigger apoptosis. As such, the role of ER stress in DN presents a potential avenue for therapeutic modulation. Chinese herbal medicine, a staple in Chinese healthcare, has emerged as a promising intervention for DN. Existing research suggests that some herbal remedies may confer renoprotective benefits through the modulation of ER stress. This review explores the involvement of ER stress in the pathogenesis of DN and the advancements in Chinese herbal medicine for ER stress regulation, aiming to inspire new clinical strategies for the prevention and management of DN

Virus-mediated chemical changes in rice plants impact the relationship between non-vector planthopper Nilaparvata lugens Stål and its egg parasitoid Anagrus nilaparvatae Pang et Wang.

In order to clarify the impacts of southern rice black-streaked dwarf virus (SRBSDV) infection on rice plants, rice planthoppers and natural enemies, differences in nutrients and volatile secondary metabolites between infected and healthy rice plants were examined. Furthermore, the impacts of virus-mediated changes in plants on the population growth of non-vector brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens, and the selectivity and parasitic capability of planthopper egg parasitoid Anagrus nilaparvatae were studied. The results showed that rice plants had no significant changes in amino acid and soluble sugar contents after SRBSDV infection, and SRBSDV-infected plants had no significant effect on population growth of non-vector BPH. A. nilaparvatae preferred BPH eggs both in infected and healthy rice plants, and tended to parasitize eggs on infected plants, but it had no significant preference for infected plants or healthy plants. GC-MS analysis showed that tridecylic aldehyde occurred only in rice plants infected with SRBSDV, whereas octanal, undecane, methyl salicylate and hexadecane occurred only in healthy rice plants. However, in tests of behavioral responses to these five volatile substances using a Y-tube olfactometer, A. nilaparvatae did not show obvious selectivity between single volatile substances at different concentrations and liquid paraffin in the control group. The parasitic capability of A. nilaparvatae did not differ between SRBSDV-infected plants and healthy plant seedlings. The results suggested that SRBSDV-infected plants have no significant impacts on the non-vector planthopper and its egg parasitoid, A. nilaparvatae

Amino acid and soluble sugar in infected and healthy rice plants.

<p>Amino acid and soluble sugar in infected and healthy rice plants.</p

Comparison of volatile compounds emitted from healthy and SRBSDV-infected plants.

<p>Note: “/” indicates not be detected.</p

Behavioral responses of <i>Anagrus nilaparvatae</i> to single substance at different concentrations.

<p>Behavioral responses of <i>Anagrus nilaparvatae</i> to single substance at different concentrations.</p

Effects of SRBSDV-infected rice plants on parasitic selectivity and parasitic capability of <i>Anagrus nilaparvatae</i>.

<p>Effects of SRBSDV-infected rice plants on parasitic selectivity and parasitic capability of <i>Anagrus nilaparvatae</i>.</p