Grape seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE) is a natural polyphenolic compound, which plays an important role in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of GSPE supplementation on the cholesterol metabolism and antioxidant status of finishing pigs. In longissimus dorse (LD) muscle, the data showed that GSPE significantly decreased the contents of total cholesterol (T-CHO) and triglyceride (TG), and decreased the mRNA expression of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoAR) and Fatty acid synthase (FAS), while increased the mRNA expression of carnitine palmitoyl transferase-1b (CPT1b), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARα) and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α). GSPE also reduced the enzyme activities of HMG-CoAR and FAS, and meanwhile amplified the activity of CPT1b in LD muscle of finishing pigs. Furthermore, dietary GSPE supplementation increased the serum catalase (CAT) and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), serum and liver total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) levels, while reduced serum and liver malondialdehyde (MDA) level in finishing pigs. In the liver, Superoxide Dismutase 1 (SOD1), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPX1), Nuclear Factor erythroid 2-Related Factor 2 (NRF2) mRNA levels were increased by GSPE. In conclusion, this study showed that GSPE might be an effective dietary supplement for improving cholesterol metabolism and antioxidant status in finishing pigs.

M. japonicus is an important specie for factory farming, and factory farming requires an environment with sand at the bottom of the pond. However, the physiological responses as well as survival in the process of factory farming without laying sand are currently unknown. In the present study, we explored the effect of sand substrate removal on the intestinal histomorphology, antioxidant enzyme activity, and metabolic profile of M. japonicus. Our results indicate a gradual increase in the mortality rate of kuruma shrimp in ponds lacking sand substrate. The intestinal mucosa exhibited necrosis and the presence of vacuoles, with their number gradually increasing over time. The intestinal villi showed significant erosion, accompanied by a decrease in intestinal superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and catalase (CAT) activity, and consistent with an upregulation in the expression of apoptosis-related genes such as caspase-3, indicating an adaptive response to the adverse environmental conditions. Additionally, the metabolomic analysis revealed that most significantly differential metabolites were linked to amino acid and lipid metabolism. These findings enhance our understanding of the sand substrate removal on the intestinal health of kuruma shrimp, which provides a basis for the factory farming.

This study sought to determine the effects of rosemary leaf powder (RP) on laying performance, egg quality, serum indices, gut barrier function, and cecal microbiota and metabolites of late-phase laying hens. A total of 84 \"Jing Tint 6\" laying hens at 65-week old were randomly divided into 2 groups and fed either a basal diet (CON) or a basal diet supplemented with 0.3% RP. Our study revealed that RP improved the Haugh unit and decreased yolk n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) ratio of laying hens, increased serum superoxide dismutase (SOD), jejunal activities of SOD and catalase (CAT), and jejunal zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) expression, as well as decreased serum tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) level and jejunal TNF-α mRNA expression. Rosemary leaf powder markedly enhanced (P < 0.05) cecal abundances of Rikenellaceae, Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group, and Turicibacter, tended to promote (P = 0.076) butyrate concentration, and reduced (P < 0.05) cecal abundances of Erysipelatoclostridiaceae, Sutterellaceae, Fusobacteriaceae, Campylobacteraceae, Sutterella, Campylobacter, and Fusobacterium, which were closely linked with Haugh unit, yolk n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio, serum SOD and TNF-α. In addition, RP altered the metabolic functions of cecal microbiota and enhanced the abundances of butyrate-synthesizing enzymes, including lysine 2,3-aminomutase, β-lysine 5,6-aminomutase, and 3-oxoacid CoA-transferase. Together, 0.3% RP has the potential to enhance egg quality by partially modulating serum antioxidant status, jejunal barrier function, and cecal microbiota structure and metabolites, indicating that RP could be considered a promising feed additive to promote the production performance of late-phase laying hens.

Due to the limited bioavailability of inorganic trace minerals, their utilization in poultry production has led to problems such as environmental contamination and inefficient resource utilization. It was investigated whether replacing inorganic trace minerals (ITM) with a blend of organic small peptide-chelated trace minerals (MIX) would improve production performance, selected biochemical parameters, antioxidant capacity, mineral deposition in liver, heart, and tibia, as well as mineral content in feces of broilers. A total of 432 healthy 21-day-old 817 broilers were randomly divided into 4 groups with 6 replicates per group and 18 chickens per replicate. The control group received a basal diet supplemented with 1,000 mg/kg of inorganic trace minerals as sulfate. The experimental groups received basal diets supplemented with 200, 400, and 600 mg/kg of mixed trace mineral elements (50% sulfate +50% small peptide-chelate) for a trial period of 30 days, divided into two stages: 21-35 days and 36-50 days. The results indicate that on the 50th day, compared with the 1,000 mg/kg ITM group, the levels of serum cholesterol, urea nitrogen, and malondialdehyde in the 200, 400, and 600 mg/kg MIX groups decreased (p < 0.01), while the levels of serum glutathione peroxidase in the 200, 400, and 600 mg/kg MIX groups increased (p < 0.05). Compared to the ITM group, the addition of organic small peptide chelated trace minerals mixed with inorganic trace minerals can reduce the levels of zinc and manganese in feces (p < 0.01). Furthermore, the iron content in the heart and tibia of the 600 mg/kg MIX group also significantly decreased (p < 0.05). There were no differences in growth performance and slaughter performance among the groups (p > 0.05). This study shows that replacing inorganic minerals with low-dose MIX (200, 400, and 600 mg/kg) can reduce the levels of zinc and manganese in feces, with no negative impact on growth and slaughter performance.

This examined the effects of Lonicera japonica extract (LJE) with different chlorogenic acid (CGA) contents on lactation performance, antioxidant status and immune function and rumen fermentation in heat-stressed high-yielding dairy cows. In total, 45 healthy Chinese Holstein high-yielding dairy cows, all with similar milk yield, parity, and days in milk were randomly allocated to 3 groups: (1) the control group (CON) without LJE; (2) the LJE-10% CGA group, receiving 35 g/(d·head) of LJE-10% CGA, and (3) the LJE-20% CGA group, receiving 17.5 g/(d·head) of LJE-20% CGA. The results showed that the addition of LJE significantly reduced RT, and enhanced DMI, milk yield, milk composition, and improved rumen fermentation in high-yielding dairy cows experiencing heat stress. Through the analysis of the serum biochemical, antioxidant, and immune indicators, we observed a reduction in CREA levels and increased antioxidant and immune function. In this study, while maintaining consistent CGA content, the effects of addition from both types of LJE are similar. In conclusion, the addition of LJE at a level of 4.1 g CGA/(d·head) effectively relieved heat stress and improved the lactation performance of dairy cows, with CGA serving as the effective ingredient responsible for its anti-heat stress properties.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary Eucommia ulmoides leaf extract (ELE) on meat quality, antioxidant capacity, and lipid metabolism in finishing pigs. A total of 240 \"Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire\" crossbred pigs with an initial weight of 74.70 ± 0.77 kg were randomly assigned to two groups: control group and 0.2% ELE group, with each group containing 10 replicates of 12 pigs per pen (half barrows and half gilts). The data showed dietary 0.2% ELE supplementation did not affect growth performance but tended to reduce the backfat thickness of the finishing pigs (p = 0.07). ELE diets increased pH value (p < 0.05) and meat color score (p = 0.01) and decreased 45 min L* value (p < 0.05), 24 h L* value (p = 0.01), pressurization loss (p = 0.01), and 24 h drip loss (p < 0.05) in longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle, accompanied by an increased (p < 0.05) proportion of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and decreased polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) (p = 0.06) and n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio (p = 0.05) compared to controls. In addition, ELE supplementation increased inosine monophosphate (IMP) (p = 0.01), sweet amino acids (AAs) (p < 0.05), and total free AA content (p = 0.05) in LD. Meanwhile, increased activity of glutathione peroxidase (p < 0.05) and superoxide dismutase (p < 0.01) in both serum and LD muscle and decreased malondialdehyde content (p < 0.01) in LD muscle were detected with ELE treatment. Moreover, pigs fed ELE had a higher total protein (p < 0.01), albumin (p < 0.05), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p < 0.05) and a lower total cholesterol (p < 0.01) and triacylglycerols (p = 0.06) in serum. Consistently, significant effects of dietary ELE were observed on the relative mRNA expression of lipid metabolism in the backfat and the LD muscle, respectively. ELE attenuated lipogenic processes in backfat, decreasing the relative expression of acetyl-CoA carboxylase and upregulating the relative expression of adipose triacyl glyceride lipase, carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1B, and fatty acid-binding protein 4 (p < 0.05). ELE also decreased the relative expression of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein α (p < 0.05), fatty acid translocase (p < 0.05), carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1B (p < 0.01), and adipose triacyl glyceride lipase (p < 0.05) in LD muscle (p < 0.05). More specifically, lipogenesis appeared to be inhibited in both LD muscle and backfat, with the difference being that lipolysis was enhanced in backfat and inhibited in LD muscle. In conclusion, dietary ELE supplementation can potentially enhance carcass traits, sensory quality, and nutritional value of pork without negatively affecting intramuscular fat content. The underlying mechanism for these positive effects may be linked to the alterations in lipid metabolism and increased antioxidant capacity induced by ELE.

Donkey milk is a traditional medicinal food with various biological activities. However, its production is very low, and lactating donkeys often experience oxidative stress, leading to a further decline in milk yield. In this study, we supplemented the diets of lactating donkeys with yeast selenium (SY) to investigate its effects on lactation performance, antioxidant status, and immune responses, and we expected to determine the optimum additive level of SY in the diet. For this study, 28 healthy lactating Dezhou donkeys with days in milk (DIM, 39.93 ± 7.02 d), estimated milk yield (EMY, 3.60 ± 0.84 kg/d), and parity (2.82 ± 0.48) were selected and randomly divided into 4 groups of 7 donkeys in each: Group SY-0 (control), Group SY-0.15, Group SY-0.3, and Group SY-0.5, with selenium supplementation of 0, 0.15, 0.3, and 0.5 mg of Se/kg DM (in form of SY) to the basal diet, respectively. The results showed a dose-dependent increase in milk yield, milk component yield, milk protein production efficiency, milk production efficiency, the activities of glutathione peroxidases (GSH-Px), catalase (CAT), and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), as well as the content of serum interleukin-10 (IL-10), white blood cells (WBC), lymphocytes (LYM), red blood cells (RBC), hematocrit, plasma selenium, and milk selenium. Conversely, it presented a dose-dependent decrease in the activity of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA), reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interferon-γ (IFN-γ). In conclusion, the results confirmed that dietary supplementation with SY can improve lactation performance, antioxidant status, and immune responses in lactating donkeys, and the recommended dose of SY was 0.3 mg/kg.

UNASSIGNED: Heat-killed probiotics, as a type of inactivated beneficial microorganisms, possess an extended shelf life and broader adaptability compared to their live counterparts. This study aimed to investigate the impact of heat-killed Lactobacillus acidophilus (L. acidophilus, LA) - a deactivated probiotic on the growth performance, digestibility, antioxidant status, immunity and cecal microbiota of rabbits.
UNASSIGNED: Two hundred weaned Hyla rabbits were randomly allocated into five equal groups (CON, L200, L400, L600, and L800). Over a 28-day period, the rabbits were fed basal diets supplemented with 0, 200, 400, 600, and 800 mg/kg of heat-killed LA, respectively.
UNASSIGNED: Results revealed a significant reduction in the feed-to-gain ratio (F/G) in the L600 and L800 groups (p < 0.05). Additionally, the L800 group exhibited significantly higher apparent digestibility of crude fiber (CF) and crude protein (CP) (p < 0.05). Regarding digestive enzyme activities, enhanced trypsin and fibrinase activities were observed in the L600 and L800 groups (p < 0.05). Concerning the regulation of the body\'s antioxidant status, the L800 group demonstrated elevated levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) in both serum and ileal tissue (p < 0.05). In terms of immune capacity modulation, serum tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels were significantly lower in the L600 and L800 groups (p < 0.05), while immunoglobulin A (IgA) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) levels were higher (p < 0.05). Additionally, the L800 group exhibited a substantial increase in secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) levels in the intestinal mucosa (p < 0.05). In comparison to the CON group, the L800 group exhibited a significant increase in the relative abundance of Phascolarctobacterium and Alistipes in the cecum (p < 0.05). Phascolarctobacterium demonstrated a positive correlation with SIgA (p < 0.05), IgM (p < 0.01), and Glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) (p < 0.05), while displaying a negative correlation with TNF-α levels (p < 0.05). Concurrently, Alistipes exhibited positive correlations with IgA (p < 0.05), IgM (p < 0.05), SIgA (p < 0.01), GSH-Px (p < 0.05), SOD (p < 0.05), and T-AOC (p < 0.01), and a negative correlation with TNF-α (p < 0.05).
UNASSIGNED: In conclusion, the dietary incorporation of 600 mg/kg and 800 mg/kg of heat-killed LA positively influenced the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, antioxidant status, immune capacity and cecal microbiota of rabbits. This highlights the potential benefits of utilizing heat-killed probiotics in animal nutrition.

Cold conditions in northern China during winter may reduce sheep growth and affect their health, especially if they are young, unless housing is provided. We allocated 45 two-month-old female lambs to be housed in an enclosed building, a polytunnel, or kept outdoors, for 28 days. The daily weight gain and scalp and ear skin temperature of outdoor lambs were less than those of lambs that were housed in either a house or polytunnel; however, rectal temperature was unaffected by treatment. There was a progressive change in blood composition over time, and by the end of the experiment, outdoor lambs had reduced total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) and increased malondialdehyde compared to those in the house or polytunnel. In relation to immune responses in the lambs\' serum, in the polytunnel, immunoglobulin A (IgA), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) were higher and immunoglobulin G (IgG) lower compared with the concentrations in lambs that were outdoors. Over the course of the experiment, genes expressing heat shock proteins and antioxidant enzymes increased in lambs in the outdoor treatment, whereas they decreased in lambs in the indoor treatments. It is concluded that although there were no treatment effects on core body temperature, the trends for progressive changes in blood composition and gene expression indicate that the outdoor lambs were not physiologically stable; hence, they should not be kept outdoors in these environmental conditions for long periods.

Mastitis, the inflammatory condition of mammary glands, has been closely associated with immune suppression and imbalances between antioxidants and free radicals in cattle. During the periparturient period, dairy cows experience negative energy balance (NEB) due to metabolic stress, leading to elevated oxidative stress and compromised immunity. The resulting abnormal regulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS), along with increased non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and β-hydroxybutyric acid (BHBA) are the key factors associated with suppressed immunity thereby increases susceptibility of dairy cattle to infections, including mastitis. Metabolic diseases such as ketosis and hypocalcemia indirectly contribute to mastitis vulnerability, exacerbated by compromised immune function and exposure to physical injuries. Oxidative stress, arising from disrupted balance between ROS generation and antioxidant availability during pregnancy and calving, further contributes to mastitis susceptibility. Metabolic stress, marked by excessive lipid mobilization, exacerbates immune depression and oxidative stress. These factors collectively compromise animal health, productive efficiency, and udder health during periparturient phases. Numerous studies have investigated nutrition-based strategies to counter these challenges. Specifically, amino acids, trace minerals, and vitamins have emerged as crucial contributors to udder health. This review comprehensively examines their roles in promoting udder health during the periparturient phase. Trace minerals like copper, selenium, and calcium, as well as vitamins; have demonstrated significant impacts on immune regulation and antioxidant defense. Vitamin B12 and vitamin E have shown promise in improving metabolic function and reducing oxidative stress followed by enhanced immunity. Additionally, amino acids play a pivotal role in maintaining cellular oxidative balance through their involvement in vital biosynthesis pathways. In conclusion, addressing periparturient mastitis requires a holistic understanding of the interplay between metabolic stress, immune regulation, and oxidative balance. The supplementation of essential amino acids, trace minerals, and vitamins emerges as a promising avenue to enhance udder health and overall productivity during this critical phase. This comprehensive review underscores the potential of nutritional interventions in mitigating periparturient bovine mastitis and lays the foundation for future research in this domain.