Dietary Lasia spinosa Thw. Improves Growth Performance in Broilers

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary Lasia spinosa Thw. (LST) powder supplementation on growth performance, blood metabolites, antioxidant status, intestinal morphology, and cecal microbiome in broiler chickens. A total of 400 1-day-old male Guangxi partridge broilers (initial body weight: 42.52 ± 0.06 g) were randomly allotted to 4 dietary treatments: LST0 group (a basal diet), LST1 group (a basal diet with 1% LST powder), LST2 group (a basal diet with 2% LST powder), LST4 group (a basal diet with 4% LST powder), 10 replicates for each treatment, and 10 broilers in each treatment group. Results indicated that the average daily feed intake of broilers during 22–42 days and the average daily gain of chickens during 1–42 days significantly increased by dietary supplementation of LST powder (p < 0.01), while the feed conversion ratio during the overall periods was decreased by dietary supplementation of LST powder (p < 0.01). Except for the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in liver (p > 0.05), the levels of SOD, catalase (CAT) and GSH-Px in serum, liver, and breast muscle were significantly increased in the LST supplemented groups (p < 0.05), while the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in serum, liver, and breast muscle were significantly decreased in the LST supplemented groups (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the levels of triglyceride (TG) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were significantly decreased by the addition of dietary LST powder (p < 0.01), while the levels of HDL-C, Ca, Fe, Mg, and P were linearly increased by the addition of dietary LST powder (p < 0.01). With respect to the gut morphometric, crypt depth was significantly decreased by LST supplementation (p < 0.05), while villus height and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth were notably increased by LST supplementation (p < 0.05). Sequencing of 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) from the cecal contents of broilers revealed that the composition of the chicken gut microbiota was altered by LST supplementation. The α-diversity of microbiota in broilers was increased (p < 0.05) in the LST1 group, but was decreased (p < 0.05) in the LST2 and LST4 groups compared with the LST0 group. The differential genera enriched in the LST1 group, such as Bacillus, Odoribacter, Sutterella, Anaerofilum, Peptococcus, were closely related to the increased growth performance, antioxidant status, intestinal morphology, Ca, Mg, and reduced blood lipid in the treated broilers.

Comparison of Three Different Cord Clamping Techniques Regarding Oxidative-antioxidative Capacity in Term Newborns

Objective As newborns are exposed to oxidative stress during delivery, cord clamping techniques play significant role on antioxidant status. In this study, we aimed to show the relationship between early cord clamping (ECC), delayed cord clamping (DCC) and cut umblical cord milking (C-UCM) techniques with total oxidant capacity (TOC), total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and peroxynitrite levels. Study Design Sixty-nine term infants were selected with APGAR score of 7 and above in the first and fifth minutes. The mothers of all infants had uncomplicated pregnancy, had no congenital anomaly, and delivered by cesarean section. Newborns were randomised to one of three groups: ECC (n: 23), DCC (n: 23) or C-UCM (n: 23). After all newborn babies were taken under radiant heater, blood samples were collected from the umbilical cord. The plasma samples were then frozen and stored at -80 °C until analysis and TOC, TAC and peroxynitrite levels were studied. Results The ages of the mothers participating in the study were between 17 and 42, with an average of 29.14 ± 6.28. 30 (43.5%) of the babies were girls and 39 (56.5%) were boys. The 5th minute APGAR score of the babies in early cord clamping group was significantly lower than the babies in delayed cord clamping and cut cord milking group (p = 0.034; p = 0.034; p <0.05). The TOC, OSI and Peroxynitrite measurements of three groups did not differ statistically. The TAC value of the C-UCM group was significantly higher than the patients with the ECC and DCC group (p = 0.002; p = 0.019; p <0.05). Conclusion C-UCM and DCC would be feasible methods by increasing antioxidant status and providing protective effect on the future health of the term newborns,

Serum antioxidant status and mortality from influenza and pneumonia in US adults

Objective: We examined the association between serum antioxidant status and mortality from influenza and pneumonia in US adults. Design: Serum concentrations of antioxidants included vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, sum of α- and β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lutein+zeaxanthin, and lycopene. We computed total antioxidant capacity (TAC) as a measure of composite antioxidant status in serum. Survey-weighted Cox proportional hazard models were used to compute hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) comparing quartiles of each antioxidant and TAC. Setting: Data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)-III. Participants: A total of 7428 NHANES-III participants ≥45 years of age. Results: With a weighted-median follow-up of 16.8 years, 154 participants died from influenza/pneumonia. After adjustment for covariates, serum vitamin C, the sum of α- and β-carotene, and TAC were non-linearly associated with influenza/pneumonia mortality, with the statistically significant smallest HRs at the third quartile vs the first quartile [HRs=0.38 (95% CI: 0.19–0.77), 0.29 (0.16–0.51), and 0.30 (0.15–0.59), respectively]. HRs comparing the fourth vs the first quartiles were weaker and non-significant: 0.57 (95% CI: 0.27–1.17), 0.70 (0.41–1.19), and 0.65 (0.31–1.35), respectively. Serum lycopene had a monotonic association with influenza/pneumonia mortality [HR=0.43 (95% CI: 0.23–0.83) comparing the fourth vs the first quartile, P-for-trend=0.01]. Conclusions: The present study suggests that antioxidant intake as reflected by serum concentrations may reduce mortality risk from influenza or pneumonia in the US general population. These findings warrant further confirmation in other populations with different settings (e.g., a shorter-term association with influenza infection).

EFFECTS OF LEAD AND CADMIUM INTOXICATION ON ANTIOXIDANT STATUS OF BROILER CHICKENS AND ITS CORRECTION WITH SYNTHETIC PREPARATIONS

The authors present the results of a study of the effects of long-term (1.5 MPa) and short-term (5, 10 and 15 MPa) intoxication with heavy metals on the antioxidant status of broiler chickens. The authors found that the addition of increased concentrations of toxicants to the diet leads to their accumulation in poultry’s muscle, fat tissues, and skin. According to the study, lead content increases by 2.25 times, cadmium content increases by 6.5 times. Lipophilic compounds Tiofan and Tiofan M have the most pronounced detoxifying effect in chronic intoxication. Fantox 11-1 is the most pronounced detoxifying effect among hydrophilic compounds, which are inferior to lipophilic ones. Accumulation of heavy metals in the body led to a decrease in the antioxidant status of poultry. There was an acceleration of oxidative processes in long-term experimental toxicosis up to 3.10, up to 21.00 times in the short-term. The addition of 100 mg of lipophilic antioxidants per 1 kg of live weight to the diet with 7.5 mg of lead and 0.75 mg of cadmium per 1 kg of feed resulted in a decrease in the rate of oxidation reactions. The presence of lead and cadmium ions in the tissues of poultry caused a reduction of induction periods in the temperature-stabilized samples to 90 %. Enrichment of the diet with Thiophan and Fantox 11-1 increased this indicator up to 12.40 times. The hydrophilic antioxidant Fantox 11-1 dosage of 15 mg per 1 kg of live weight had a pronounced effect. Its introduction into the diet will correct the lack of endogenous antioxidants and increase the body’s antioxidant status under the influence of heavy metals.

Oxidative Stress and Metabolism: A Mechanistic Insight for Glyphosate Toxicology

Glyphosate (GLYP) is a widely used pesticide; it is considered to be a safe herbicide for animals and humans because it targets 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase. However, there has been increasing evidence that GLYP causes varying degrees of toxicity. Moreover, oxidative stress and metabolism are highly correlated with toxicity. This review provides a comprehensive introduction to the toxicity of GLYP and, for the first time, systematically summarizes the toxicity mechanism of GLYP from the perspective of oxidative stress, including GLYP-mediated oxidative damage, changes in antioxidant status, altered signaling pathways, and the regulation of oxidative stress by exogenous substances. In addition, the metabolism of GLYP is discussed, including metabolites,metabolic pathways, metabolic enzymes, and the toxicity of metabolites. This review provides new ideas for the toxicity mechanism of GLYP and proposes effective strategies for reducing its toxicity.