Presence of Ginsenoside Re during in vitro maturation protects porcine oocytes from heat stress

Heat stress (HS) affects the development of porcine gametes and embryos negatively, induces the decrease of reproductive ability significantly, threatens global pig production. Ginsenoside Re (GRe), is a main bioactive component of ginseng, shows very specific anti-apoptotic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. To investigate the alleviating effect of GRe on the in vitro maturation of porcine oocyte under the HS, the polar body extrusion rate, intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and glutathione (GSH), ATP content, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were assessed. For the current study, porcine cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) randomly divided into four groups: the control, GRe, HS and HS+GRe group. The results showed that HS inhibited the cumulus cell expansion and polar body extrusion rate, the levels of GSH and MMP, the ATP content, the gene expression of Nrf2 of porcine oocytes and the parthenogenetic activation (PA) embryo development competence, but GRe treatment could partly neutralize these adverse effects. Moreover, HS increased the ROS formation and percentage of apoptosis, the gene expression of HSP90, CASP3 and CytoC of porcine oocytes, but GRe could weaken the effect on Cyto C and BAX expression induced by HS. Taken together, these results showed that the presence of GRe during in vitro maturation protects porcine oocytes from HS. These findings lay a foundation for GRe may be used as a potential protective drug to protect porcine oocytes against HS damage.

Effects of in ovo Injection of Astragalus Polysaccharide on the Intestinal Development and Mucosal Immunity in Broiler Chickens

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of in ovo injection of Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) on hatchability, body weight (BW), intestinal histomorphology, the number of IgA⁺ cells and sIgA content in intestine, and the expression of intestinal immune-related genes in broiler chickens. On day 18 of the incubation, a total of 960 live embryo eggs were weighed and randomly divided into 4 treatment groups: a control group and three APS groups. The eggs in the control group were injected with 0.5 mL physiological saline. The eggs in the APS groups were injected with 3 different amounts of APS in 0.5 mL physiological saline: 1 mg (APS_L), 2 mg (APS_M) and 4 mg (APS_H). The solution was injected into the amnion of each egg. The results showed that in ovo injection of APS did not affect the hatchability but increased the body weight of the 14 d and 21 d chickens, with a significant increase observed in the APS_M group (P < 0.05). At most time points, the villus height (VH) was increased (P < 0.05) and the crypt depth (CD) was decreased (P < 0.05) in the small intestine of the broilers, with higher VH/CD ratios in the APS_L and APS_M groups compared with the control group. The number of IgA⁺ cells in the mucosa and the secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) levels in the intestinal washings were higher in the APS_M and APS_H groups than in the APS_L and control groups. The gene expression levels of interleukin (IL)-2, interleukin (IL)-4, interferon gamma (IFN-γ), and Toll-like receptor (TLR)-4 were significantly enhanced by APS stimulation at most time points (P < 0.05). These results indicated that in ovo injection of APS has the potential of promoting intestinal development and enhancing intestinal mucosal immunity of broiler chickens in the early stage after hatching.

The Effects of In Ovo Injection of Synbiotics on the Early Growth Performance and Intestinal Health of Chicks

In this study, the effects of synbiotic inclusion at the intra-amniotic stage in layer chicks were evaluated with different parameters, such as performance, immunological function, intestinal development, and cecal microflora content. A total of 1,200 eggs with fertile embryos were allocated into four treatment groups. For every treatment, five replicates were used, and 60 eggs were included in each replicate. The following four treatment groups were established: the non-injected group, 0.9% physiological saline injection (saline) group, 1 × 10⁶ CFU/egg Lactobacillus plantarum injection (probiotic) group, and 1 × 10⁶ CFU/egg L. plantarum + 2 mg/egg Astragalus polysaccharide injection (synbiotic) group. In ovo injection was carried out at 18.5 days of incubation. The results showed that in ovo injection of probiotics or synbiotics did not affect the hatching or growth performance of the chicks but significantly increased their feed intake (FI), body weight (BW), and the feed conversion ratio (FCR). Additionally, in ovo injection of synbiotics enhanced the levels of serum interleukin-2 (IL-2), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), and secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) in intestinal lavage fluid and the histomorphological development of the small intestine. Our results also indicated that intra-amniotic synbiotic injection significantly increased Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium colonization while decreasing the relative abundance of Escherichia coli in the chicken cecum (P < 0.05). In summary, in ovo injection of synbiotics had positive impacts on the performance, immunological function, gut development, and microbiota of growing chicks.

Photodynamic therapy in the treatment of xeroderma pigmentosum: A case report

Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is a rare autosomal recessive dermatosis that is often complicated by multiple skin tumours at exposed locations, which are difficult to treat. We report a case of a 12-year-old girl with XP treated with oral retinoic acid and photodynamic therapy (PDT) with good clinical results. She had an 8-year history of multiple skin lesions that first appeared on her nasal dorsum, but gradually increased in size and spread to her entire face, neck, and upper limbs. Notably, the lesions became evidently aggravated after sun exposure. When she was 6 years old, sesame-seed-sized papules and plaques appeared, which were fragile and irregular in shape and would self-rupture, accompanied with slight itchiness and bloody exudate. Examination revealed multiple basal cell carcinomas. The tumours were treated with local carbon dioxide laser therapy combined with PDT. On the follow-up visit 2 months after the surgery, most of the skin lesions on her face had subsided. In cases of multiple tumours, PDT can be the treatment method of choice because it is less invasive, has less side effects, and does not damage the surrounding normal tissues.

Construction and immune efficacy of recombinant Lactobacillus casei strains expressing Malt from Aeromonas veronii

Aeromonas veronii is an important zoonotic pathogen that causes significant economic losses in the aquaculture industry. The use of probiotics in aquaculture is a practical alternative to antibiotics to promote animal health and aid in disease prevention. In the present study, we aimed to construct a recombinant Lactobacillus casei(surface-displayed or secretory) strain containing Malt from A. veronii TH0426 and assess its potential as an oral vaccine. A 1314-bp Malt gene fragment was successfully amplified and cloned into a prokaryotic protein expression system. Protein expression in resulting recombinant strains Lc-MCS-Malt (surface-displayed) and Lc-pPG-Malt (secretory) was then verified by Western blotting and indirect immunofluorescence. A single band was observed on the Western blots, with the molecular weight of the corresponding protein shown to be 48 kDa. Furthermore, a fluorescent signal for Lc-MCS-Malt was observed by fluorescence microscopy. At 0, 7, 16, 25, and 34 days post-immunization, tissue and blood samples were collected from common carp orally administered with the recombinant L. casei strains for immune-related index analyses. Treatment of common carp with the recombinant vaccine candidate stimulated high serum or skin mucus specific antibody titers and induced a higher lysozyme, ACP, SOD activity, while fish fed with Lc-pPG or PBS had no detectable immobilizing immune responses. Expression of IL-10, IL-1β, TNF-α, and IFN-γ genes in the group immunized with recombinant L. casei were significantly (P < 0.05) up regulated as compared with control groups, indicating that inflammatory response and cell immune response were triggered. Results also showed that recombinant L. casei could stimulate the mucosa through colonization of the intestine, resulting in increased transcription of IL-10, IL-1β, TNF-α, and IFN-γ. Immunity and colonization assays also showed that after 34 days of fasting, recombinant L. casei were still present in the intestines of the immunized fish. Common carp that received Lc-MCS-Malt(53.3%) and Lc-pPG-Malt (46.7%) exhibited higher survival rates than the controls after challenge with the pathogen A. veronii. Our findings suggested that recombinant L. casei can adequately protect fish and improve immunity, providing a theoretical basis for the future development of an oral Lactobacillus vaccine for use in aquaculture.