Hormonal Management for the Induction of Luteolysis and Ovulation in Andalusian Jennies: Effect on Reproductive Performance, Embryo Quality and Recovery Rate

Two prostanglandins (luprostiol, LUP, and dinoprost, DIN) and two ovulation-inducing agents (human Chorionic Gonadotropin, hCG, and deslorelin, DES) were evaluated for luteolysis and estrus induction, and for ovulation induction, respectively, in embryo donor jennies. Twenty-six fertile Andalusian jennies were used. In Experiment 1, jennies (n = 112 cycles) were randomly treated with either LUP or DIN after embryo flushing. In Experiment 2, donors (n = 84 cycles) were randomly treated with either hCG or DES to induce ovulation. No differences were found between prostaglandins for all variables studied (prostaglandin–ovulation interval (POI), interovulatory interval (IOI), embryo recovery rate (ERR), positive flushing rate (PFR) and embryo grade (EG)). The ovulation rate was similar for hCG and DES (60.9% vs. 78.7%). However, the interval to ovulation (ITO) was affected (62.61 ± 7.20 vs. 48.79 ± 2.69 h). None of the other variables studied (ERR, PFR and EG) were affected (p > 0.05), except for embryo quality (p = 0.009). In short, both prostaglandins evaluated are adequate to induce luteolysis and estrus. Both ovulation-inducing agents hastened ovulation, but DES seems to be more effective than hCG. Follicular diameter affected the interval from treatment to ovulation, and high uterine edema was related to low embryo quality

One-step warming does not affect the in vitro viability and cryosurvival of cryotop-vitrified donkey embryos

The objective of this study was to compare the effects of two warming protocols (three-step vs. one-step dilution) on embryo quality, post-warming embryo survival and embryo cell viability of donkey embryos vitrified by the Cryotop method. Twenty, Day 7–8, grade 1–2 donkey embryos were measured, morphologically evaluated and vitrified using the Cryotop technique. Embryos were then randomly warmed using two different warming procedures: (i) W3 (three-step dilution; n = 11): embryos were warmed in 1 M, 0.5 M and 0 M sucrose, and (ii) W1/0.5 (one-step dilution; n = 9): embryos were warmed directly in 0.5 M sucrose. After 3 and 24 h of warming, the embryos were measured and evaluated for their morphology, developmental stage and viability (Propidium Iodide-Hoechst 33,342 dyes). Although both treatments decreased embryo quality after warming (P 0.05) were observed between protocols in terms of post-warming embryo quality, diameter and embryo survival. Greater percentages of dead cells (P < 0.001) were observed when embryos were warmed directly in 0.5 M sucrose (one-step dilution) when compared to the three-step protocol. The percentage of ruptured embryos was 27.3% and 0% in W3 and W1/0.5 protocols (P = 0.0893), respectively. In conclusion, warming Cryotop-vitrified donkey embryos directly in 0.5 M sucrose had no negative effects on embryo quality and post-warming embryo survival. Moreover, one-step protocol may help to prevent rupture when donkey embryos warmed directly in 0.5 M sucrose. These results observed in vitro must be verified by embryo transfer

The cryoprotective effect of Ficoll 70 on the post-warming survival and quality of Cryotop-vitrified donkey embryos

Many domestic donkey breeds are at risk of extinction, there is a critical urgency for genome resource banking. In the present study, we examined whether the use of Ficoll 70 added to the vitrification medium containing ethylene glycol (EG), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and sucrose improves the cryotolerance of donkey in vivo derived embryos. Day 7–8, grade 1–2 donkey embryos were measured and morphologically evaluated and then vitrified-warmed using the Cryotop technique. Before vitrification, embryos were randomly distributed into two groups: (i) VS1 (n = 14): vitrified using 15% EG + 15% DMSO + 0.5 M sucrose; and (ii) VS2 (n = 10): vitrified in the same medium supplemented also with 18% of Ficoll 70. After 24 h of warming, the embryos were measured and evaluated for their morphology, development and viability (Propidium Iodide-Hoechst 33342 dyes). Post-warming survival was numerically higher but not significantly different (P > 0.05) when embryos were vitrified in VS2 (70%) compared to VS1 (57.1%). Embryo rupture was only observed in the VS1 group (21.4%, 3/14). Higher embryo diameter was observed in all groups after 24 h culture (P  0.05) were observed among treatments in terms of percentages of cell death. These results demonstrate that the addition of Ficoll 70 to the vitrification medium is not a pre-requisite for successful vitrification of donkey embryos. However, its addition seems to enhance some of the post-warming embryo quality characteristics. Since no statistically significant evidence was found, further studies should be conducted in order to confirm our findings

Factors Affecting Embryo Recovery Rate, Quality, and Diameter in Andalusian Donkey Jennies

Embryo transfer and the vitrification of embryos could be used for the conservation and recovery of endangered donkey breeds. It is important to develop techniques that optimize recovery rates and the cryotolerance of donkey embryos. This study evaluates factors affecting the recovery rate, quality, and diameter of embryos obtained from donor jennies as a starting point for the use of vitrification and embryo transfer in the conservation of the Andalusian donkey. A total of 100 embryos were recovered out of 124 estrous cycles (80.6%). The donor jenny affected the rates of positive flushings (PFR; p = 0.040) and embryo recovery (ERR; p < 0.05) as well as embryo quality (p = 0.004). ERR was also affected by the number of flushings (p < 0.001), donor age (p < 0.05), successive cycle within donor (p < 0.001), and jacks (p < 0.05). Number of flushings (p < 0.001) and jack (p < 0.05) had a significant effect on PFR, whereas the day of flushing influenced the developmental stage (p < 0.001), embryo quality (p < 0.05), and diameter of embryos (p < 0.001). The number of flushings significantly influenced the diameter (p = 0.038) and embryo developmental stage (p = 0.001), whereas the developmental stage was statistically different between herds (p = 0.020). The factors influencing the success of this assisted reproductive technique were donor jenny, donor age, successive cycle within donor, day of flushing, number of flushings, and jack. The identification of these key points is crucial to achieve a higher efficiency of embryo transfer and vitrification processes, before considering their application in the conservation of endangered donkey breeds

EFFECT OF THERMAL PROCESSING ON CHEMICAL COMPOSITIONS, BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS, AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITIES OF COWPEA CULTIVARS

This study aimed to determine the effect of cooking on the centesimal compositions, the content of bioactive compounds, and antioxidant activities in beans of the cowpea cultivars. The beans were cooked without soaking (1:5 w/v) in a pressure cooker for 780 seconds. Statistical analysis was performed using Student’s t-test to determine the difference between means of raw and cooked beans. One-way ANOVA: post-hoc Tukey’s test was applied at 5% to compare the data of the cultivars. Significant difference (p 0.05) was noted between the moisture contents of samples, with values ranging from 10.69 to 11.37% in the raw beans and 63.32 to 75.43% in the cooked ones. Only BRS Marataoã showed a slight reduction (1.24%) in the energy value. The total polyphenol content in cooked beans decreased on discarding the broth. BRS Marataoã showed the highest levels of total polyphenols and flavonoids in raw beans, cooked beans, and broth. The raw beans of the cultivar BRS Itaim had greater content of condensed tannins and total anthocyanins. The raw beans, cooked beans, and broth showed statistically significant differences between their antioxidant activities, and the best results were found in the samples not subjected to thermal processing, particularly in BRS Marataoã. In conclusion, cooking influenced the concentration of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activities of the beans. Therefore, it is recommended that cooked cowpea beans should be consumed with the cooking broth for optimization of antioxidants

Honey antioxidants against free radical damage

Movement as prevention and healt

Differentiated neuroblastoma F-11 cells as an alternative in-vitro model to dorsal root ganglion neurons

We induced differentiation in F-11 cells to verify if they could show similarities with sensory neurons, in order to develop an alternative to animal models for research studies in the biomedical field.</jats:p

Fruit and vegetable antioxidants in health.

In the history of human nutrition, one of the most widespread alimentary regimens linked to health protection is represented by the Mediterranean diet (MD). MD eating patterns consist of the wide use of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, fish, and olive oil. People obtain a wide range of antioxidants from the intake of a large variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. Investigations have shown that the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases is inversely related to the consumption of vegetables and fruits. Results are maximally oriented to attribute the highest protective role to the antioxidant compounds contained in fruits and vegetables. Processed fruits and vegetables show a wide range of phytochemical loss. The technology in the food industry should be used to reduce the loss of antioxidants and micronutrients to the minimum level by means of mild processes and the monitoring of each step of the transformation with due control assays. Functional foods, containing fruit and vegetable juices or extracts, are an important part of the healthy lifestyle, which includes a balanced diet and physical activity. To deliver their potential public health benefits, functional foods need to be quality controlled through the collaborative efforts of food-control organizations and the food industry, in order to market only those functional foods that are clearly supported with scientific evidence of nutritional value. The emerging field of nutrigenomics, or "personalized nutrition," provides individual dietary recommendations and may one day have a greater ability to reduce the risk of disease. © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

The cellular antioxidant activity in red blood cells (CAA-RBC): A new approach to bioavailability and synergy of phytochemicals and botanical extracts

In the present work, human red blood cells (RBC) were used to determine cellular antioxidant activity (CAA-RBC) of pure phytochemicals and botanical extracts, with the aim to predict their bioavailability. Amongst the pure flavonoids, isorhamnetin, tamarixetin, myricetin, and kaempferol showed the highest activity in the CAA-RBC assay; whereas, with the ‘‘chemical” oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay, the compounds that showed the highest activity were isorhamnetin, resveratrol, apigenin and catechin. When the CAA-RBC assay was applied to herbal extracts, the Vitis vinifera showed the highest value, a position that this extract maintained also when the ORAC assay was used. Other extracts showed a different order of effectiveness with the two methods. We also employed the CAA-RBC to assess synergistic or antagonistic effects of combinations of herbal extracts and we again compared the results with the ORAC assay. Punica granatum + Malus domestica synergized in the CAA-RBC assay, but not in the ORAC assay; Aspalathus linearis extract interacted positively with Vaccinium myrtillus, both in the ORAC assay and in the CAA-RBC assay. We concluded that the CAARBC assay, coupled with the ORAC assay, was useful for evaluating intracellular bioactivity and synergy amongst phytochemicals or extracts