A bioactive extract from Olea europaea protects newly weaned beef heifers against experimentally induced chronic inflammation1

Polyphenols and Triterpenes Combination in an In Vitro Model of Cardiac Damage: Protective Effects

Olive products contain high levels of monounsaturated fatty acids as well as other minor components such as triterpenic alcohols and other pentacyclic triterpenes, which together form the main triterpenes of virgin olive oil. Olive fruits and leaves contain significant amounts of hydrophilic and lipophilic bioactives including flavones, phenolic acids and phenolic alcohols, amongst others. Several studies have shown the benefits of these substances on the cardiovascular system. Regardless, little is known about the specific combination of bioactive compounds in cardiovascular health. Thus, we aimed to test the combination of a triterpenes (TT70) and a polyphenols (HT60) olive oil bioactive extract in H9c2 cells under stress conditions: LPS and H2O2 stimulation. To evaluate the effectiveness of the combination, we measured cell viability, superoxide production and protein expression of caspase 3, eNOS, peNOS, TNF-α and Il-6. Overall, cells stimulated with LPS or H2O2 and co-incubated with the combination of triterpenes and polyphenols had increased cell survival, lower levels of superoxide anion, lower protein expression of eNOS and higher expression of peNOS, increased protein expression of SOD-1 and lower protein expression of TNF-α and Il-6. The specific combination of HT60+TT70 is of great interest for further study as a possible treatment for cardiovascular damage.

Effect of Immune Stress on Growth Performance and Immune Functions of Livestock: Mechanisms and Prevention

Simple Summary

Immune stress is an important stressor in domestic animals that leads to decreased feed intake, slow growth, and reduced disease resistance of pigs and poultry. Especially in high-density animal feeding conditions, the risk factor of immune stress is extremely high, as they are easily harmed by pathogens, and frequent vaccinations are required to enhance the immunity function of the animals. This review mainly describes the causes, mechanisms of immune stress and its prevention and treatment measures. This provides a theoretical basis for further research and development of safe and efficient prevention and control measures for immune stress in animals.

Abstract

Immune stress markedly affects the immune function and growth performance of livestock, including poultry, resulting in financial loss to farmers. It can lead to decreased feed intake, reduced growth, and intestinal disorders. Studies have shown that pathogen-induced immune stress is mostly related to TLR4-related inflammatory signal pathway activation, excessive inflammatory cytokine release, oxidative stress, hormonal disorders, cell apoptosis, and intestinal microbial disorders. This paper reviews the occurrence of immune stress in livestock, its impact on immune function and growth performance, and strategies for immune stress prevention.

Informal nutrition symposium: leveraging the microbiome (and the metabolome) for poultry production

Knowledge of gut microbiology of poultry has advanced from a limited ability to culture relatively few microbial species, to attempting to understand the complex interactions between the bird and its microbiome. The Informal Nutrition Symposium 2021 was intended to help poultry scientists to make sense of the implications of the vast amounts of information being generated by researchers. This paper represents a compilation of the talks given at the symposium by leading international researchers in this field. The symposium began with an overview of the historical developments in the field of intestinal microbiology and microbiome research in poultry. Next, the systemic effects of the microbiome on health in the context of the interplay between the intestinal microbiota and the immune system were presented. Because the microbiome and the host communicate and influence each other, the novel field of kinomics (the study of protein phosphorylation) as used in the study of the poultry microbiome was discussed. Protein phosphorylation is a rapid response to the complex of signals among the microbiome, intestinal lumen metabolites, and the host. Then, a description of why an understanding of the role of microbial endocrinology in poultry production can lead to new understanding of the mechanisms by which the gut microbiota and the host can interact in defined mechanisms that ultimately determine health, pathogenesis of infectious disease, and behavior was given. Finally, a view forward was presented underscoring the importance of understanding mechanisms in microbiomes in other organ systems and other species. Additionally, the importance of the development of new -omics platforms and data management tools to more completely understand host microbiomes was stressed.

A Bioactive Extract Rich in Triterpenic Acid and Polyphenols from Olea europaea Promotes Systemic Immunity and Protects Atlantic Salmon Smolts Against Furunculosis

In the present study, the modulation of the transcriptional immune response (microarray analysis) in the head kidney (HK) of the anadromous fish Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) fed a diet supplemented with an olive fruit extract (AQUOLIVE^®) was evaluated. At the end of the trial (133 days), in order to investigate the immunomodulatory properties of the phytogenic tested against a bacterial infection, an in vivo challenge with Aeromonas salmonicida was performed. A total number of 1,027 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (805 up- and 222 downregulated) were found when comparing the transcriptomic profiling of the HK from fish fed the control and AQUOLIVE^® diets. The HK transcripteractome revealed an expression profile that mainly favored biological processes related to immunity. Particularly, the signaling of i-kappa B kinase/NF-kappa and the activation of leukocytes, such as granulocytes and neutrophils degranulation, were suggested to be the primary actors of the innate immune response promoted by the tested functional feed additive in the HK. Moreover, the bacterial challenge with A. salmonicida that lasted 12 days showed that the cumulative survival was higher in fish fed the AQUOLIVE^® diet (96.9 ± 6.4%) than the control group (60.7 ± 13.5%). These results indicate that the dietary supplementation of AQUOLIVE^® at the level of 0.15% enhanced the systemic immune response and reduced the A. salmonicida cumulative mortality in Atlantic salmon smolts.

Impacts of polyclonal antibody preparations from avian origin as a feed additive to beef cattle: immune responses during the step-up transition diets

This study investigated the effects of feeding an avian-derived polyclonal antibody preparation (PAP; CAMAS, Inc.) against Streptococcus bovis, Fusobacterium necrophorum, and lipopolysaccharides (LPS; 40%, 35%, and 25% of the preparation, respectively) on immune responses (haptoglobin [Hp], serum amyloid A [SAA], rectal temperature [RT], leukocyte counts, and expression of cell adhesion molecules cluster of differentiation [CD] CD11b, CD14, and CD62L) of beef steers during a 21-d step-up adaptation to a high-grain diet. Eight ruminally cannulated Angus crossbred beef steers (658 ± 79 kg of BW) were assigned in a cross-over design and transitioned from a diet containing bermudagrass hay (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.) ad libitum plus 0.45 kg/d of molasses with 0 (CON) or 3 g of PAP to a high-grain diet. Transition consisted of three 7-d steps of increased inclusion of cracked corn (35%, 60%, and 82% of the diet dry matter for STEP1, STEP2, and STEP3, respectively). On each transition day and 7 d after STEP3 (STEP3-7d), RT was obtained every 3 h for a total of 24 h, whereas blood was collected on days 0, 1, and 3, relative to diet transition. There were no effects of PAP inclusion in any of the blood parameters (P > 0.11). However, a tendency for day effect (P = 0.10) was observed for concentrations of Hp, which were greater on days 3 and 7 vs. day 0 relative to the second diet transition (STEP2). Plasma concentrations of SAA were greater on days 1, 3, and 7 compared to day 0 during STEP1 (P = 0.01), while during STEP2 and STEP3, SAA concentrations increased (P < 0.01) from day 0 to 3. During STEP2, PAP steers tended to have lower (P = 0.08) RT than CON steers. Neutrophil and monocyte counts were the least during STEP3 (P < 0.01), whereas expression of CD11b and CD62L was the least through forage feeding (P < 0.01). Concentration of starch in the diet was correlated to all the variables tested (P ≤ 0.01), except for the percentage of B cells (P = 0.22). Yet only ruminal pH, RT, monocyte, and neutrophil counts presented strong correlation coefficients. In conclusion, the step-up transition from forage to high-grain diets triggered systemic inflammation in beef steers as observed by increased plasma concentrations of Hp, SAA, and expression on adhesion molecules in leukocytes. However, feeding polyclonal antibody preparations against S. bovis, F. necrophorum, and LPS did not provide benefits to mitigate inflammation.

Biological Evaluation of Azetidine-2-One Derivatives of Ferulic Acid as Promising Anti-Inflammatory Agents

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the in vivo biological potential of new azetidine-2-one derivatives of ferulic acid (6a–f). First, the in vivo acute toxicity of azetidine-2-one derivatives of ferulic acid on Swiss white mice was investigated and, based on the obtained results, it can be stated that the studied derivatives belong to compounds with moderate toxicity. The in vivo anti-inflammatory potential of these derivatives was determined in a model of acute inflammation induced by carrageenan in rats and in a chronic inflammation model induced in rats using the granuloma test. In the acute inflammation model, all the studied compounds had a maximum anti-inflammatory effect 24 h after administration, which suggests that these compounds may be classified, from a pharmacokinetic point of view, in the category of long-acting compounds. The most active compound in the series was found to be compound 6b. In the case of the chronic inflammation model, it was observed that the studied compounds (6a–f) reduced the formation of granulation tissue compared to the control group, having an intense effect of inhibiting the proliferative component. The most important inhibitory effect of inhibiting the proliferative component was recorded for compound 6b. Additionally, the investigation of liver function was performed by determining the serum levels of liver enzymes aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and bilirubin (total and direct). The results showed that, in the series of azetidin-2-one derivatives, the liver enzymes concentration values were close to those recorded for the reference anti-inflammatories (diclofenac sodium and indomethacin) and slightly higher compared to the values for the healthy control group. At the end of the experiment, the animals were euthanized and fragments of liver, lung, and kidney tissue were taken from all groups in the study. These were processed for histopathological examination, and we noticed no major changes in the groups treated with the azetidine 2-one derivatives of ferulic acid compared to the healthy groups.