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Could Dietary Supplementation with Different Sources of N-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Modify the Rabbit Gut Microbiota? Antibiotics (Basel) 2022; 11:antibiotics11020227. [PMID: 35203829 PMCID: PMC8868100 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11020227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Revised: 02/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study evaluated the effects of feed supplemented with two dietary sources of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs; fish oil and extruded flaxseed) on the gut microbiota, caecal fermentations, gastrointestinal histology, and histochemistry in rabbits. Fifteen male New Zealand White rabbits were divided into three groups (n = 5/group) and fed with different diets from weaning (35 days of age) until slaughtering (90 days of age): C group, fed with a commercial diet; F group, supplemented with 10% of extruded flaxseed; and O group, supplemented with 3.5% of fish oil. At slaughter, the content of the stomach, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, caecum, and colon was collected and analyzed by Next Generation 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Tissue samples of the same tracts were evaluated with histological and histochemical analysis. Ammonia and lactic acid in the caecum were also quantified. Twenty-nine operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were significantly different between groups. Groups receiving n-3 PUFAs supplementation showed an increase in Bacteroidetes and Lachnospiraceae in several gastrointestinal tracts, while Bacilli abundance, as well as Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio, were reduced compared to the control group (for all p < 0.05). Caecal ammonia was lower in the F than C group (p < 0.032), whereas no difference was found for lactic acid. Finally, histological evaluations revealed a mild hemorrhagic infiltration and vessels ectasia in the stomach mucosa of both F and O groups, but no effect of nutritional treatment was evidenced by the histochemical analyses. In conclusion, n-3 PUFAs supplementation could modify the rabbit gut microbiota and fermentation. The increase in beneficial bacterial populations may, at least partially, explain the positive effects of n-3 PUFAs diet supplementation on human and animals’ health, although the appropriate dosage should be established.
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Agradi S, Draghi S, Cotozzolo E, Barbato O, Castrica M, Quattrone A, Sulce M, Vigo D, Menchetti L, Ceccarini MR, Andoni E, Riva F, Marongiu ML, Curone G, Brecchia G. Goji Berries Supplementation in the Diet of Rabbits and Other Livestock Animals: A Mini-Review of the Current Knowledge. Front Vet Sci 2022; 8:823589. [PMID: 35174242 PMCID: PMC8841604 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2021.823589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In the last decades, several nutraceutical substances have received great attention for their potential role in the prevention and treatment of different diseases as well as for their beneficial effects in promoting the health of humans and animals. Goji berries (GBs) are the fruit of Lycium barbarum and other species of Lycium, used in traditional Chinese medicine, and they have recently become very popular in the Occidental world because of their properties, such as anti-aging, antioxidant, anticancer, neuroprotective, cytoprotective, antidiabetic, and anti-inflammatory activities. These effects are essentially evaluated in clinical trials in humans; in experimental animal models, such as mice and rats; and in cell lines in in vitro studies. Only recently has scientific research evaluated the effects of GBs diet supplementation in livestock animals, including rabbits. Although studies in the zootechnical field are still limited and the investigation of the GB mechanisms of action is in an early stage, the results are encouraging. This review includes a survey of the experimental trials that evaluated the effects of the GBs supplementation on reproductive and productive performances, immune system, metabolic homeostasis, and meat quality principally in the rabbit with also some references to other livestock animal species. Evidence supports the idea that GB supplementation could be used in rabbit breeding, although future studies should be conducted to establish the optimal dose to be administered and to assess the sustainability of the use of GBs in the diet of the rabbit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stella Agradi
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Milan, Lodi, Italy
| | - Susanna Draghi
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Milan, Lodi, Italy
| | - Elisa Cotozzolo
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Olimpia Barbato
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Marta Castrica
- Department of Health, Animal Science and Food Safety “Carlo Cantoni”, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Alda Quattrone
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Majlind Sulce
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Agricultural University of Tirana, Tirana, Albania
| | - Daniele Vigo
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Milan, Lodi, Italy
| | - Laura Menchetti
- Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- *Correspondence: Laura Menchetti ;
| | | | - Egon Andoni
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Agricultural University of Tirana, Tirana, Albania
| | - Federica Riva
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Milan, Lodi, Italy
| | | | - Giulio Curone
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Milan, Lodi, Italy
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London S, Volkoff H. Effects of fasting on the central expression of appetite-regulating and reproductive hormones in wild-type and Casper zebrafish (Danio rerio). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2019; 282:113207. [PMID: 31202720 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2019.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2018] [Revised: 06/12/2019] [Accepted: 06/12/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Appetite and reproduction are closely related functions that are both regulated by brain hormones. Appetite stimulators include orexin and neuropeptide Y (NPY), and reproductive hormones include gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH), kisspeptin, and neurokinin B (NKB). GnRH stimulates the secretion of pituitary gonadotropes, and kisspeptin and GnIH modulate this action. Kisspeptin secretion is further controlled by neurokinin B (NKB) and dynorphin A (Dyn). To better understand the mechanisms regulating appetite and reproduction in fish, we examined the effects of fasting, reproductive stage, gender, and strain on the brain mRNA expression of appetite (orexin and NPY) and reproductive (GnRH, kisspeptin, GnIH, and NKB) hormones in zebrafish. In order to compare strains, we used both wild-type and transparent Casper zebrafish. In female wild-type zebrafish, fasting increased the expression of all hormones investigated, with the exception of Kiss2. Only NPY and Kiss2 were increased in male wild-type zebrafish during fasting. In Casper zebrafish, only GnIH and NKB in males were affected by fasting, suggesting that Casper fish may be more resistant to fasting than wild fish. Fasting increased expressions of orexin, GnRH2, Kiss1, GnIH and NKB in wild-type females with more eggs or larger eggs relative to body weight, compared to those with fewer or smaller eggs, suggesting that more mature females are more affected by fasting. No significant interactions of fasting and reproductive stage were noted in female Casper fish. To investigate whether differences between Casper and wild-type fish were due to genes involved in pigmentation, we compared the brain mRNA expressions of enzymes involved in melanin synthesis (tyrosinase and tyrosine hydroxylase - TH), melanocortin receptors (MC3R and MC4R), and the melanocortin precursor (proopiomelanocortin - POMC) between the two strains. Casper zebrafish had lower levels of MC3R, tyrosinase, TH1, TH2, and POMC than wild-type fish. Overall, our results suggest the existence of gender- and reproductive stage-specific, as well as strain-specific variations in the mechanisms regulating feeding and reproduction in zebrafish, and that the melanocortin system and melanin pathways may be in part responsible for these differences between strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sydney London
- Departments of Biology and Biochemistry, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Hélène Volkoff
- Departments of Biology and Biochemistry, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL A1B 3X9, Canada.
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Parillo F, Sylla L, Palombi C, Monaci M, Stradaioli G. Immunocytochemical Localisation of Phospholipid Hydroperoxide Glutathione Peroxidase in Bull’s Spermatogenic Cells. ITALIAN JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE 2014. [DOI: 10.4081/ijas.2014.3483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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