Effects of alginates on the growth, haematological, immunity, antioxidant and pro-inflammatory responses of rabbits under high temperature

Heat stress (HS) is one of the most severe hurdles impacting rabbit growth, immunity, homeostasis, and productivity. Alginate oligosaccharides (AOS) have considerable beneficial effects due to their plausible antioxidant and immune-stimulatory properties. This work was planned to explore the preventive function of AOS as a new bio-feed additive against the harmful effects caused by environmental HS on growing rabbits. Rabbits were allotted in four experimental groups (25 animals in each group) and fed on a basal diet supplemented with 0.0 (AOS0), 50 (AOS50), 100 (AOS100), and 150 (AOS150) mg AOS/kg diet reared under summer conditions. Dietary AOS supplementation improved significantly (P ≤ 0.001) feed conversion rate, while both AOS100 and AOS150 significantly (P ≤ 0.001) enhanced the final body weight and body weight gain. All AOS addition significantly increased nitric oxide and lysosome activity and significantly reduced interferon-gamma (IFNγ) compared with those in the control group. Tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), interleukin1β (IL-1β), myeloperoxidase and protein carbonyl levels were significantly reduced in rabbits fed diets containing AOS (100 and 150 mg/kg) compared with those in the control group under heat stress conditions. In addition, glutathione (GSH) and catalase (CAT) were significantly (P ≤ 0.001) improved with increasing AOS dietary levels compared with the control group. Still, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), malondialdehyde (MDA), hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), eosinophils, and lymphocytes did not change. Erythrocyte's indices improved significantly (P ≤ 0.001), while neutrophils and white blood cell counts were decreased by dietary AOS inclusion. Immunological (IgM and IgG) were markedly reduced in AOS-treated groups compared with the control group. The current investigation exemplified that AOS as a novel bio-feed additive that could be an effective strategy to extenuate prejudicial effects in heat-stressed rabbits via enhancing immunity, and antioxidant defence system, further regulating the inflammation cytokines.Universidad King Saud, Riad, Arabia Saudita | Ref. RSP2023R439Universidade de Vigo/CISU

DMTs and Covid-19 severity in MS: a pooled analysis from Italy and France

We evaluated the effect of DMTs on Covid-19 severity in patients with MS, with a pooled-analysis of two large cohorts from Italy and France. The association of baseline characteristics and DMTs with Covid-19 severity was assessed by multivariate ordinal-logistic models and pooled by a fixed-effect meta-analysis. 1066 patients with MS from Italy and 721 from France were included. In the multivariate model, anti-CD20 therapies were significantly associated (OR = 2.05, 95%CI = 1.39–3.02, p < 0.001) with Covid-19 severity, whereas interferon indicated a decreased risk (OR = 0.42, 95%CI = 0.18–0.99, p = 0.047). This pooled-analysis confirms an increased risk of severe Covid-19 in patients on anti-CD20 therapies and supports the protective role of interferon

Protective Effect of Pomegranate Peels Extracts Against Stomach Peptic-Ulcer Induced By Brexin In Albino Rats

Abstract Background: Pomegranate peel extract (PPE) is known to possess bioactive compounds such as phenolics and flavonoids, considered among the more potent antioxidants and anti-inflammatory sources.Aims: This study was designed to evaluate PPE activity's protective effect as a natural therapeutic against peptic ulcers induced by Brexin.Methods: 40 rats were divided into four groups: Control group: ten rats received normal saline treatment; Brexit group: ten rats received a single oral dose of Brexit to induce the stomach ulcer; Antodine group: ten rats received Antodine (50 mg/kg) as a commercial drug for the peptic ulcer treatment once for two weeks following a peptic ulcer; Pomegranate group: ten rats of the group received PPE (43 mg/kg) treatments. Histological, histochemical, immunohistochemical techniques were used to detect histopathological damages in stomach rats in all groups.Results: The histopathological results showed that PPE treatments following Brexin-induced peptic ulcer ameliorated histological degenerative changes in the gastric glandular. Chief and surface mucous cells that are lining gastric mucosa were regained when compared with the other groups. The histochemical results showed that PPE treatment following ulcer provided an improvement in the secretion and distribution of the polysaccharides in the epithelial cells when compared with the other groups. Also, immunohistochemical results indicated a significant decrease in immunoreactivity of cytokeratin-20, cyclooxygenase-2, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in epithelial cells of rats in ulcer-model when compared with the other groups.Conclusion: PPE revealed its antiulcer activity and is recommended as a natural remedy against gastric mucosal injury induced by Brexin. </jats:p

Potential of Caffeic Acid and 10-Dehydrogingerdione as Lipid Regulators Relevant to Their Inhibitory Effect on miR-122 and ATP Citrate Lyase Activity in Diabetic Hyperlipidemic Rats

The present study aimed to illustrate the hypolipemic effect of 10-Dehydrogengardione (10-DHG) or caffeic acid (CA) with reference to the role of microRNA-122 (miR-122) and ATP citrate lyase (ACLY) activity. Diabetic hyperlipidemia was induced in rats, and then randomly classified into three groups. The first one received only a CCT-diet for 6 weeks and was referred to as the positive control. The other two groups received 10-DHG (10 mg/kg/day) or CA (50 mg/kg/day), orally for 6 weeks along with a CCT-diet. Another group of normal rats was included, received a normal diet, and was referred to as the negative control. Either 10-DHG or CA significantly decreased MiR-122 expression and appeared more remarkable in the CA group by 15.5%. The 10-DHG greatly enhanced phosphorylated form of AMP activated protein kinase (p-AMPK) activity, more than CA by 1.18-fold, while the latter exerted more inhibitory effect on ACLY, and fatty acid synthase (FAS) activities compared with 10-DHG (p &lt; 0.05). Both drugs significantly decreased hydroxy methyl glutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-COA) reductase activity, which appeared more remarkable in 10-DHG, and significantly decreased triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) along with a high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) increase. The 10-DHG ameliorated the hepatic tissue lesions greatly, more than CA. The 10-DHG or CA significantly inhibited MiR-122, hepatic FAS, and ACLY levels along with p-AMPK activation. This subsequently led to reduced plasma TG, cholesterol levels, and blood glucose improvement and, indeed, may explain their mechanisms as hypolipemic agents.</jats:p

Dietary probiotic supplementation with Lactococcus lactis and Bacillus velezensis enhances growth performance, meat quality, blood profiles, and cecal and feed microbiota in growing rabbits

This study explored the effects of dietary supplementation with a probiotic blend of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis and Bacillus velezensis on the performance and health of growing rabbits. Ninety-six rabbits were allocated into three groups and fed for eight weeks on diets containing either no probiotic (control), a low-dose probiotic (1 ml/kg of each probiotic strain), or a high-dose probiotic (2 ml/kg of each probiotic strain). Probiotic inclusion, particularly at the higher level, significantly enhanced final body weight, feed conversion ratio, and overall performance. Improvements were also noted in carcass characteristics, with greater yields in both forequarters and hindquarters. Blood biochemical analysis revealed elevated antioxidant enzyme activity and immunoglobulin levels, alongside reductions in lipid fractions and better liver and kidney function indicators. Meat quality also benefited, as shown by lower pH, reduced water holding capacity and cooking loss, and more favorable color metrics. Microbial analysis of cecal and feed samples indicated a notable increase in beneficial bacteria and a decline in pathogenic species in the probiotic-treated groups. These findings suggest that combined probiotic supplementation is a promising strategy for enhancing growth performance, meat quality, and gut health in rabbit production systems to produce a good final meat product