Effects of Feeding Oxidized Fat With or Without Dietary Antioxidants on Nutrient Digestibility, Microbial Nitrogen, and Fatty Acid Metabolism

Effects of wheat bran replacement with pomegranate seed pulp on rumen fermentation, gas production, methanogen and protozoa populations of camel and goat rumen using competitive PCR technique: An in vitro study

BACKGROUND

Microbial populations in the rumen play an essential role in the degradation of Cellulosic dietary components and in providing nutrients to the host animal.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to detect the effect of pomegranate seed pulp (PSP) on rumen fermentation, digestibility and methanogens and the protozoa population (by competitive polymerase chain reaction [PCR]) of the camel and goat rumen fluid.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

PSP was added to the experimental treatments and replaced by wheat bran (0%, 5% and 10%). Rumen fluid was collected from three goats and two camels according to the similarity of sex, breed, origin and time and used for three gas production studies. DNA extraction was performed by the RBB + c method, the ImageJ programme calculated band intensities (target and competing DNA), and line gradients were plotted based on the number of copies and intensity.

RESULTS

Our result showed that diets did not significantly affect the methanogen and protozoa population. Animal species affected microbial populations so that both populations in camels were less than goats. The production of gas and volatile fatty acids was not affected by diets. These two parameters and NH3 concentration and methane production in goats were higher than in camel. The pH of digested dry matter and microbial protein in camels was higher than in goats.

CONCLUSIONS

Therefore, the competitive PCR technique is an effective method for enumerating rumen microbiota. This supplementation can be considered a strategy to achieve performance and environmental benefits.

Substitution of raw lucerne with raw citrus lemon by-product in silage: In vitro apparent digestibility and gas production

Fruit pomace addition to lucerne silage could rapidly reduce silage pH creating an acidic environment and thus maybe preventing spoilage. However, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of different rates of inclusion of citrus lemon by-products on lucerne. In this study, the following five different treatments were prepared: L0 (control) with 100% lucerne; L25 (75% lucerne with 25% lemon pomace); L50 (50% lucerne with 50% lemon pomace); L75 (25% lucerne with 75% lemon pomace); and L100 (100% lemon pomace). After ensiling, the chemical composition, nutritive value, stability, in vitro apparent digestibility, and gas production of silage were determined. The dry matter (DM) content was higher for lemon pomace substitution equal to or exceeded 50% (P < 0.01). Crude protein, on the contrary, decreased (P < 0.01) over the same percentage of substitution. The L100 and L75 treatments showed higher DM apparent disappearance rate and lower (P < 0.05) crude protein and neutral detergent fiber apparent degradation rate vs. L0. Lemon pomace could be used at high inclusion level in lucerne silage, allowing the preservation of this by-product all the year, improving some chemical silage characteristics, and reducing proteolytic processes that usually happen on lucerne silage. Moreover, the in vitro apparent digestibility and gas production results showed that a partial substitution of lucerne with lemon pomace is able to improve silage digestibility.

R- Is Superior to S-Form of α-Lipoic Acid in Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Effects in Laying Hens

The development of single enantiomers with high efficiency and low toxic activity has become a hot spot for the development and application of drugs and active additives. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of the application of α-lipoic acid with a different optical rotation to alleviate the inflammation response and oxidative stress induced by oxidized fish oil in laying hens. Sixty-four 124-week-old Peking Red laying hens were randomly allocated to four groups with eight replicates of two birds each. The normal group was fed basal diets supplemented with 1% fresh fish oil (FO), and the oxidative stress model group was constructed with diets supplemented with 1% oxidized fish oil (OFO). The two treatment groups were the S-form of the α-lipoic acid model with 1% oxidized fish oil (OFO + S-LA) and the R-form of the α-lipoic acid model with 1% oxidized fish oil (OFO + R-LA) added at 100 mg/kg, respectively. Herein, these results were evaluated by the breeding performance, immunoglobulin, immune response, estrogen secretion, antioxidant factors of the serum and oviduct, and pathological observation of the uterus part of the oviduct. From the results, diets supplemented with oxidized fish oil can be relatively successful in constructing a model of inflammation and oxidative stress. The OFO group significantly increased the levels of the serum inflammatory factor (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IFN-γ) and the oxidative factor MDA and decreased the activity of the antioxidant enzyme (T-AOC, T-SOD, GSH-Px, GSH, and CAT) in the oviduct. The addition of both S-LA and R-LA significantly reduced the levels of serum inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IFN-γ), increased the activity of antioxidant indexes (T-AOC, T-SOD, GSH-Px, GSH, and CAT), and decreased the MDA contents in the serum and oviduct. Meanwhile, the supplementation of S-LA and R-LA also mitigated the negative effects of the OFO on the immunoglobulins (IgA and IgM) and serum hormone levels (P and E2). In addition, it was worth noting that the R-LA was significantly more effective than the S-LA in some inflammatory (IL-1β) and antioxidant indices (T-SOD, GSH, and CAT). Above all, both S-LA and R-LA can alleviate the inflammation and oxidative damage caused by oxidative stress in aged laying hens, and R-LA is more effective than S-LA. Thus, these findings will provide basic data for the potential development of α-lipoic acid as a chiral dietary additive for laying hens.

Lipoamide Alleviates Oxidized Fish Oil-Induced Host Inflammatory Response and Oxidative Damage in the Oviduct of Laying Hens

Fish oil (FO) is an important source of lipid in functional food and aquafeeds. However, the harmful effects of oxidized fish oil (OFO) on host metabolism and reproductive health are not yet clear. In addition, lipoamide (LAM) has been widely studied as an agent for alleviating various diseases associated with oxidative disruption. Therefore, in the current study, to investigate the effects of LAM in alleviating OFO-induced decline in reproductive performance and oxidative damage to the oviduct in laying hens. We constructed a 1% fresh FO model, a 1% OFO model, and a LAM model with 1% OFO (OFO + LAM) added at 100 mg/kg to explore the antioxidant effect of LAM. Herein, these results were evaluated by breeding performance, immune responses, estrogen, and antioxidant indices of serum samples, as well as the number of follicles and antioxidant parameters of oviducts. From the results, compared with the FO group, OFO significantly decreased the egg-laying rate, increased the contents of total protein (TP) and inflammatory factors [tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and interferon γ (INF-γ)], and reduced the concentrations of anti-oxidation [total antioxidant (T-AOC), total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), glutathione (GSH), glutathione reductase (GR), catalase (CAT), and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity (HRSA)] in serum samples, as well as reduced the levels of anti-oxidation indexes in oviduct tissues (p < 0.05). Of note, the supplementation of LAM could significantly increase the laying performance, improve the levels of serum immunoglobulins (IgA, IgG, and IgM), serum estrogen [progesterone (P) and estradiol (E2)], and serum antioxidant parameters (T-AOC, T-SOD, GSH-Px, GSH, GR, CAT, and HRSA) and decrease the concentrations of serum inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, and INF-γ) in laying hens following OFO administration (p < 0.05). In addition, LAM could dramatically increase the contents of antioxidant factors (p < 0.05) in oviducts and enhance the secretion capacity of the uterine part. Taken together, OFO caused host metabolic dysfunction, oxidative damage, uterine morphological abnormalities, and alterations of ovarian function. These results suggested that LAM administration could alleviate host metabolic dysfunctions and inflammatory damage, and then ameliorate oxidative damage in the oviduct induced by OFO, ultimately improving reproductive function.

Effect of dietary inclusion of antioxidants and organic trace minerals on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality of finishing pigs with pre-slaughter transportation

A total of 320 pigs (body weight = 98 ± 4 kg) were assigned to four treatments, with eight replicates (pens) per treatment. Pigs were fed the following diets: a control diet (CON), the CON diet plus antioxidant blends (AOX), organic trace minerals (OTM), or both (AOX + OTM). After the feeding trial, two pigs from each pen were selected for slaughtering right away or after transportation. The inclusion of AOX, OTM, or AOX + OTM had no significant effect on feed intake, average daily gain, and feed efficiency compared with CON (P > 0.05). The pre-transportation significantly reduced the pH value of loin meat at 24 h post mortem and leg meat at 45 min post mortem (P < 0.05). The pigs in the AOX, OTM, and AOX + OTM group had significantly lower plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) content than the CON group (P < 0.05). Pre-transportation resulted in significantly higher meat MDA contents (P < 0.05), clearly influencing the oxidative stress of pigs. The inclusion of antioxidant blends or organic trace minerals had no significant effect on the growth performance and antioxidant capacity of finishing pigs.

Effect of feeding grape seed Proanthocyanidin extract on production performance, metabolic and anti-oxidative status of dairy cattle

ABSTRACT Aims to investigate the effects of grape seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE) on production performance, metabolism, and anti-oxidative status of Holstein dairy cattle in early lactation. Forty-eight multiparous Holstein dairy cattle were assigned to four groups (CON, G20, G40 and G80) and supplied with 0, 20, 40, and 80mg GSPE/kg of body weight/day. G20 significantly increased milk yield compared with other groups. Milk protein and non-fat-solids were increased in G20, G40 and G80 groups compared with the control group only at the 7th day during the experiment. No significant difference was observed in milk fat and somatic cell count, nor on parameters of energy metabolism in blood, liver function and kidney function between the four groups. There was no significant difference in glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, total antioxidant capacity, and hydrogen peroxide between the groups; but the malondialdehyde content of G20 significantly increased at day 14 in comparison with CON, and tended to increase at the 28th day. In conclusion, feeding 20mg GSPE/kg of body weight/day was associated with a significant increase in milk yield without detrimental effects on liver or kidney function and with substantial energy metabolism and antioxidant parameters improvement in early lactation dairy cattle.

Feeding heat-oxidized oil to dairy cows affects milk fat nutritional quality

Heating oil and oilseeds results in oxidation products that affect ruminal biohydrogenation of polyunsaturated fatty acids, altering milk fatty acids profile, and could be transferred to milk. An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of oil heating on rumen and milk fatty acids profile and the transfer of oxidation products to milk. Sunflower oil was heated at 150°C for 15 h and given to lactating dairy cows in a 2×2 arrangement: two groups of two cows, equipped with a ruminal cannula and receiving two diets (containing either heated or unheated oil) during two experimental periods. Oil heating generated hydroperoxides and/or hydroxyacids and aldehydes, in particular trans-2,trans-4-decadienal. In milk, heated oil only significantly decreased trans-11-C18:1 and cis-9,trans-11-CLA percentage compared to non-heated oil, and slightly increased cis-9,cis-12-C18:2 percentage, which was probably linked to an inhibition of the ruminal Δ12 isomerase by oxidative products in the rumen. However, feeding highly oxidized oil did not result in the appearance of hydroperoxides or hydroxyacids in milk and did not increase milk aldehydes content.

Effects of soybean isoflavone on intestinal antioxidant capacity and cytokines in young piglets fed oxidized fish oil

To investigate the effect of glycitein, a synthetic soybean isoflavone (ISF), on the intestinal antioxidant capacity, morphology, and cytokine content in young piglets fed oxidized fish oil, 72 4-d-old male piglets were assigned to three treatments. The control group was fed a basal diet containing fresh fish oil, and the other two groups received the same diet except for the substitution with the same dosage of oxidized fish oil alone or with ISF (oxidized fish oil plus ISF). After 21 d of feeding, supplementation of oxidized fish oil increased the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), oxidized glutathione (GSSG), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-2 (IL-2), nuclear factor κ B (NF-κB), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), NO, and Caspase-3 in jejunal mucosa, and decreased the villous height in duodenum and the levels of secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) and IL-4 in the jejunal mucosa compared with supplementation with fresh oil. The addition of oxidized fish oil plus ISF partially alleviated this negative effect. The addition of oxidized fish oil plus ISF increased the villous height and levels of sIgA and IL-4 in jejunal mucosa, but decreased the levels of IL-1β and IL-2 in jejunal mucosa (P<0.05) compared with oxidized fish oil. Collectively, these results show that dietary supplementation of ISF could partly alleviate the negative effect of oxidized fish oil by improving the intestinal morphology as well as the antioxidant capacity and immune function in young piglets.

Synthetic and natural polyphenols with antioxidant properties stimulate rumen microbial growth in vitro

This trial compared the effects of two antioxidant phenols, butyl-hydroxyl-toluene (BHT) and a blend of polyphenols extracted from red chicory, on in vitro degradability, gas production (GP), volatile fatty acids, and microbial nitrogen production, using meadow hay and corn grain as fermentation substrates. A batch culture system with automated gas pressure detectors was used. Four replicates of each feed were incubated for 72 h without additive (Control, CTL) or with the addition of low (0.15 mg/g feed) or high (1.5 mg/g feed) dosages of BHT or red chicory. GP curves were fitted to estimate the time at which half of total GP (t1/2) was achieved. The t1/2 values for meadow hay and corn grain were ~16 and 9 h, respectively. A second incubation, conducted using the same experimental design, was stopped at t1/2. Compared with CTL, degradability and GP kinetics were not affected by the two dosages of BHT, except for GP, which increased after 48 h of incubation (P < 0.01). In the second incubation, BHT increased acetate at the expense of butyrate proportion (P < 0.01). Red chicory extract did not influence GP, feed degradability, or volatile fatty acids production in either incubation. Both BHT and red chicory induced a dosage-dependent increase in microbial nitrogen production at t1/2 (P < 0.05), on average from 7.0 to 13.9 mg/g DM. Collectively, our data suggest that increasing dosages of the two additives with antioxidant properties could have induced a shift in the partition of energy, with a higher proportion of nutrients channelled towards microbial protein synthesis.

Effect of different rumen-inert fatty acids supplemented with a dietary antioxidant on performance and antioxidative status of early-lactation cows

The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of diets supplemented with fatty acids of different degrees of saturation, in the absence or presence of an antioxidant (AOX; Agrado Plus, Novus International Inc., St. Charles, MO), on dairy cow lactation performance. Calcium salts of long-chain fatty acids were supplemented as a source of lower saturation fatty acid, and a palm acid product was supplemented as the higher saturation fatty acid source. Sixty early-lactation Chinese Holstein cows (100+/-23 d in milk) were randomly allocated to 4 dietary treatments in a 2 x 2 factorial design: (1) lower saturation fatty acid (LS), (2) LS and AOX, (3) higher saturation fatty acid (HS), and (4) HS and AOX. The Ca salts of long-chain fatty acids and palm acid product were supplied at 1.8 and 1.5% on a dry matter basis, respectively, to form isoenergetic diets. The AOX was added at 0.025% in the ration. The experiment lasted 9 wk, including 1 wk for adaptation. Lactation performance was recorded and milk was sampled and analyzed weekly. Blood samples were taken from the coccygeal vein to determine metabolism parameters on d 16, 36, and 56 during the experiment. Neither fatty acid type nor AOX supplementation showed a significant effect on dry matter intake during the study. Milk yield was lower in the LS-fed cows compared with the cows fed HS. Milk fat and milk protein concentrations were not affected by fatty acid type or AOX supplementation. Adding AOX increased the yield of milk in the LS-fed cows, but did not affect those fed HS. Activity of plasma superoxide dismutase was significantly lower, plasma glucose tended to be lower, and plasma malondialdehyde was higher in the LS-fed animals compared with those fed HS. Addition of AOX decreased both plasma nonesterified fatty acids and hydrogen peroxide contents and increased total antioxidant capacity across the fatty acid types. Plasma beta-hydroxybutyrate was not affected by fatty acid type or AOX treatment. Cows fed LS had higher cis-9C(18:1) and trans-10, cis-12C(18:2) in milk at the expense of C(18:0), whereas AOX addition increased milk cis-9C(18:1) at the expense of milk C(12:0), C(16:0), and trans-10, cis-12C(18:2). It is inferred that feeding LS resulted in inferior lactation performance, whereas addition of antioxidant partially alleviated these negative effects.

Effects of Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) supplementation on the productive performance of dairy cows during mid-lactation

Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis), a tea known for its high antioxidant content, was fed (250 g/cow.day) to 8 of 16 Holstein cows for 6 weeks to assess its effect on their performance. Cows were weighed and blood samples were taken on Weeks 0, 3 and 6. Blood samples were centrifuged and plasma was analysed for reactive oxygen metabolites, biological antioxidant potential, advanced oxidation protein products and non-esterified fatty acids. Cows were milked two times daily and milk yields were recorded daily for individual cows. On Weeks 0 and 6, individual milk samples were collected from two consecutive milkings, composited, and analysed for somatic cell counts, fat and true protein concentrations. Plasma concentrations of reactive oxygen metabolites, biological antioxidant potential and non-esterified fatty acids were not affected by Yerba Mate supplementation. Similarly, no effect of Yerba Mate supplementation was noted on milk fat and protein content and on somatic cell counts. This study indicates that supplementation of dairy cows’ diet with Yerba Mate during mid lactation seems to improve milk yield when cows are fed with maize silage; however, even if the effect on milk yield was significant it was quite small and needs to be validated with further studies. Cows’ oxidative status was not affected by Yerba Mate supplementation indicating that the effect of Yerba Mate on their productive performances is not mediated by changes in redox status.