Glutamine and cystine-enriched diets modulate aquaporins gene expression in the small intestine of piglets

Exploring the Link between Oxidative Stress, Selenium Levels, and Obesity in Youth

Obesity is a worldwide increasing concern. Although in adults this is easily estimated with the body mass index, in children, who are constantly growing and whose bodies are changing, the reference points to assess weight status are age and gender, and need corroboration with complementary data, making their quantification highly difficult. The present review explores the interaction spectrum of oxidative stress, selenium status, and obesity in children and adolescents. Any factor related to oxidative stress that triggers obesity and, conversely, obesity that induces oxidative stress are part of a vicious circle, a complex chain of mechanisms that derive from each other and reinforce each other with serious health consequences. Selenium and its compounds exhibit key antioxidant activity and also have a significant role in the nutritional evaluation of obese children. The balance of selenium intake, retention, and metabolism emerges as a vital aspect of health, reflecting the complex interactions between diet, oxidative stress, and obesity. Understanding whether selenium status is a contributor to or a consequence of obesity could inform nutritional interventions and public health strategies aimed at preventing and managing obesity from an early age.

Aquaporins Transcripts with Potential Prognostic Value in Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer is anticipated to be the second leading cause of cancer-related death by 2030. Aquaporins (AQPs), a family of water channel proteins, have been linked to carcinogenesis. The aim of this study was to determine AQP gene expression in pancreatic cancer tissues and to validate aquaporins as possible diagnosis and/or prognosis genes. The relative gene expression levels of AQP1, AQP3, AQP5, and AQP9 were analyzed using real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) in 24 paired pancreatic tumors and adjacent healthy tissues according to variables such as age, gender, and tumor invasiveness and aggressiveness. AQPs transcripts were detected in both healthy and tumor tissues. While AQP1 was downregulated in the tumor samples, AQP3 was particularly overexpressed in low-grade invasive tumors. Interestingly, most of the strong positive Pearson correlation coefficients found between AQPs in healthy tissues were lost when analyzing the tumor tissues, suggesting disruption of the coordinated AQP-gene expression in pancreatic cancer.

Peculiarities in the Amino Acid Composition of Sow Colostrum and Milk, and Their Potential Relevance to Piglet Development

The composition of mother's milk is considered the ideal diet for neonates. This study investigated how conserved or variable the amino acid profile of sow colostrum and milk is throughout lactation, compared with other studies in sows and other species. Twenty-five sows (parity one to seven) from one farm with gestation lengths of 114 to 116 d were sampled on d 0, 3, and 10 after parturition. The total amino acid profile of the samples was analyzed through ion-exchange chromatography, and the results were displayed as the percentage of total amino acid and compared with literature data. Most of the amino acid concentrations in sow milk decreased significantly (p < 0.05) throughout the lactation period, while the amino acid profile generally showed a conserved pattern, especially from d 3 to d 10, and was rather similar across different studies. Glutamine + glutamate was the most abundant amino acid in milk at all sampling moments, accounting for 14-17% of total amino acids. The proportions of proline, valine, and glycine in sow milk nearly accounted for 11%, 7%, and 6% respectively, and were higher compared to human, cow, and goat milk, while the methionine proportion was less than the other three. Compared to the large variations often reported in macronutrient concentrations, the amino acid profile of sow milk in the present study, as well as in others, seems well conserved across the lactation period. Similarities with characteristic differences were also observed between sow milk and piglet body composition, which might reflect the nutrition requirements of preweaning piglets. This study warrants further research exploring the link between the whole amino acid profile and the particular amino acids for suckling piglets and could facilitate insight for optimizing creep feed.

Repeated injection of multivitamins and multiminerals during the transition period enhances immune response by suppressing inflammation and oxidative stress in cows and their calves

Periparturient dairy cows undergo major physiological and metabolic changes as well as immunosuppression, associated with decrease in plasma concentrations of various minerals and vitamins. The present study was conducted to investigate effects of repeated injections of vitamins and minerals on oxidative stress, innate and adaptive immune response in periparturient dairy cows and their offspring. Experiment was carried out on 24 peripartum Karan-Fries cows, randomly divided into four groups (n=6): control, Multi-mineral (MM), Multi-vitamin (MV) and Multi-minerals and Multi-vitamin (MMMV). Five ml of MM (Zinc 40 mg/ml, Manganese 10 mg/ml, Copper 15 mg/ml, Selenium 5 mg/ml) and five ml of MV (Vitamin E 5 mg/ml, Vitamin A 1000 IU/ml, B-Complex 5 mg/ml, and Vitamin D₃ 500 IU/ml) were injected intramuscularly (IM) to the MM and MV groups. MMMV group cows were injected with both. In all treatment groups, injections and blood sampling were carried out on 30^th, 15^th, 7^th days before and after expected date of parturition and at calving. In calves, blood was collected at calving and on 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 15, 30 and 45 days post-calving. Colostrum/milk were collected at calving and at days 2, 4, and 8 post-calving. A lower percentage of total neutrophils and immature neutrophils, higher percentage of lymphocytes together with increased phagocytic activity of neutrophils and proliferative capacity of lymphocytes found in blood of MMMV cows/calves. Lower relative mRNA expression of TLRs and CXCRs and higher mRNA expression of GR-α, CD62L, CD11b, CD25 and CD44 found in blood neutrophils of MMMV groups. Total antioxidant capacity was higher, activity of antioxidant enzymes (SOD and CAT), TBARS levels were lower in the blood plasma of treated cows/calves. In both cows/calves, plasma pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-17A, IFN-γ and TNF-α) increased, whereas anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-4 and IL-10) decreased in MMMV groups. Total immunoglobulins increased in colostrum/milk of MMMV injected cows and plasma of their calves. Results indicate that repeated injections of multivitamins and multiminerals to peripartum dairy cows could be a major strategy to improve immune response and decrease in inflammation and oxidative stress in transition dairy cows and their calves.

Pre-Weaning Inulin Supplementation Alters the Ileal Transcriptome in Pigs Regarding Lipid Metabolism

Prebiotics, such as inulin, are non-digestible compounds that stimulate the growth of beneficial microbiota, which results in improved gut and overall health. In this study, we were interested to see if, and how, the ileal transcriptome altered after inulin administration in the pre-weaning period in pigs. Seventy-two Piétrain–Landrace newborn piglets were divided into three groups: (a) a control (CON) group (n = 24), (b) an inulin (IN)-0.5 group (n = 24), and (c) an IN-0.75 group (n = 24). Inulin was provided as a solution and administered twice a day. At week 4, eight piglets per group, those closest to the average in body weight, were sacrificed, and ileal scrapings were collected and analyzed using 3′ mRNA massively parallel sequencing. Only minor differences were found, and three genes were differentially expressed between the CON and IN-0.5 group, at an FDR of 10%. All three genes were downregulated in the IN-0.5 group. When comparing the CON group with the IN-0.75 group, five genes were downregulated in the IN-0.75 group, including the three genes seen earlier as differentially expressed between CON and IN-0.5. No genes were found to be differential expressed between IN-0.5 and IN-0.75. Validation of a selection of these genes was done using qRT-PCR. Among the downregulated genes were Angiopoietin-like protein 4 (ANGPTL4), Aquaporin 7 (AQP7), and Apolipoprotein A1 (APOA1). Thus, although only a few genes were found to be differentially expressed, several of them were involved in lipid metabolism, belonging to the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling pathway and known to promote lipolysis. We, therefore, conclude that these lipid metabolism genes expressed in the ileum may play an important role when supplementing piglets with inulin early in life, before weaning.