The study was designed to investigate the effects of dietary Selenium-enriched radish sprouts (Se-RS), Vitamin E (Vit E), and Rhodobacter capsulatus (RC) on immunity, cholesterol concentration, and fatty acid composition in broiler meat. A total of 100 two-week-old male broiler chicks were randomly assigned into five dietary groups: I) Control; II) Se-RS (5 μg/kg Se-RS); III) Se-RS+RC (5 μg/kg Se-RS + 0.2 g/kg RC); IV) Se-RS+Vit E (5 μg/kg Se-RS + 50 mg/kg Vit E) and V) Se-RS+RC+Vit E (5 μg/kg Se-RS + 0.2 g/kg RC + 50 mg/kg Vit E). Diets and clean drinking water were offered ad libitum. After the end of 3-wk of feeding period, serum cholesterol and triglycerides concentrations were lower (P < 0.05) in broilers fed Se-RS + RC + Vit E supplemented diet compared to the control diet. At the end of the 6-wk feeding period, birds fed the Se-RS+RC+Vit E diet significantly (P < 0.05) reduced cholesterol and triglycerides concentrations and improved the ratio of unsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acids in broiler meat. The highest (P < 0.05) number of leukocytes was observed in broilers fed Se-RS+RC+Vit E supplemented diet. Foot web index and weights of spleen, bursa, and thymus were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in birds fed Se-RS+RC+Vit E compared to the control diet. Our findings suggest that there are dual benefits of supplementing broiler diets with Se-RS+RC+Vit E because of improvements in the bird’s immunity and meat quality that is important for health conscious consumers.

The study was designed to investigate chromium (Cr) uptake by plants, hypoglycemic effect of the organic trivalent Cr(3+) on sreptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mouse and the accumulation efficiency of Cr from dietary inorganicCr(3+), yeast-Cr, Cr-picolinate and organic-Cr(3+) in rabbit tissues. Radish sprouts was grown in the presence of Cr rich liquid fertilizers (Cr-gluconic-1, Cr-gluconic-2, Cr-picolate, Cr-glutamate and Cr-glycine). In addition, soybean, mung bean and alfalfa were also cultivated using Cr-glycine and Cr-picolinate liquid fertilizer to study the efficiency of Cr(3+) uptake. Sreptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mouse were administrated organic-Cr(3+) for10 days and examined their blood glucose level. On the other hand, rabbits were allowed to take 200 μg/head/day of CrCl3.6H2O, yeast-Cr, Cr-picolinate or organic-Cr supplemented in diets for 14 days. Body weight, liver and kidney weight, and accumulation of Cr in blood, kidney and liver were examined. Radish sprouts uptake hexavalent Cr (Cr6+) in case of all liquid fertilizer, but the mung bean was grown with Cr-glycine liquid fertilizer without uptake of Cr (6+). Mung bean grown with Cr-glycine liquid fertilizer uptake a higher (P<0.05) level of organic-Cr(3+). The dietary organic-Cr significantly (P<0.05) reduced blood glucose level in STZ-induced diabetic mouse. The administration of organicCr(3+) was safety for rabbit and Cr accumulation was higher (P<0.05) in the rabbits fed organic-Cr(3+) diet compared to other Cr supplements. The sequential order of the Cr accumulation in serum, kidney and liver of these rabbit were inorganic-Cr<yeast-Cr<Cr-picolinate<organic-Cr(3+). The study concludes that mung bean plants grown with Cr-Gly liquid fertilizer may uptake non-toxin organic-Cr3+ potentially which have the hypoglycemic effect and may be considered as a safe and excellent element for animal physiology compared to any other Cr supplements.

Rhodobacter capsulatus (RC) is a photosynthetic purple bacterium that able to reduce serum cholesterol and triglycerides concentrations in rats and pigs as well as egg-yolk of laying hens and Japanese quails and in broiler meat. The study was designed to investigate the hypochlesterolemic effects of Rhodobacter capsulatus on rats as experimental animal. Total 63 Wistar-Imamichi male rats were randomly divided into three dietary groups. The rats were fed a basal diet (BD), high cholesterol (1%) diet (HCD) and HCD plus 0.02% RC (HCD+RC) diet for 4 weeks. Enzymatic analysis of serum, liver tissues and faces samples, bile acid determination, histological study of hepatic lipid accumulation, and incorporation of C-glucose into lipid fractions were performed. The concentration of LDLcholesterol and triglycerides in serum were significantly (P<0.05) reduced in the rats fed HCD+RC than HCD diet. However, there was no significant (P>0.05) difference in case of total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and glucose concentrations in serum of the rats fed experimental diets. Compared to the other experimental diets, the HCD+RC potentially counteracted the accumulation of lipid droplets in the liver cells observed after staining by Oil Red O and Sudan III stains. Total cholesterol and triglycerides concentrations were significantly decreased (P<0.05) in liver and increased in faces of the rats fed HCD+RC than that of HCD diet. The concentrations of bile acids were increased in both liver and faces of the rats fed HCD+RC diet. Incorporation of C-glucose among into lipid fractions of liver tissues, triglycerides were increased (P<0.05) where cholesterol, cholesterol esters, fatty acids and phospholipid were slightly (P>0.05) decreased in the rats fed HCD+RC diet. Therefore, the study concludes that the dietary RC has the overall potential hypocholesterolemic effects on rats.

The effects of amino acids and dipeptides on in vitro production of porcine embryos and accumulation of ammonia in culture medium during developmental stages were examined in this study. The maturation, fertilization and development of embryonic cultures were performed in modified Tissue culture medium (mTCM)-199 supplemented with 10% (v/v) porcine follicular fluid, modified Tyrode’s albumin lactate pyruvate (mTALP) medium, and modified North Carolina State University (mNCSU)-23 medium, respectively. In addition, amino acids and dipeptides of different concentrations and combinations were used to treat the embryos. The addition of L-alanyl-L-glutamine (AlnGln)+L-glycyl-L-glutamine (GlyGln) significantly (p<0.05) improved oocyte maturation, fertilization and the incorporation and oxidation of 14C(U)-glucose when compared to the control group and other treatment groups. Additionally, 2–4 cell, 8–16 cell, morula and blastocyst development increased significantly (p<0.05) following treatment with AlnGln+GlyGln when compared to the control group and other treatment groups, while this treatment reduced the accumulation of ammonia. Taken together, these findings suggest that treatment with AlnGln+GlyGln may play an important role in increasing the rate of porcine oocyte maturation, fertilization and embryonic development by reducing the level of accumulated ammonia measured in the culture media.

Selenium (Se) and vitamin E (Vit-E), as integral parts of antioxidant systems, play important roles for sperm and embryos in vitro. In this study, the effects of Se and Vit-E on the maturation, in vitro fertilization and culture to blastocysts of porcine oocytes and accumulation of ammonia in the culture medium during different development stages were investigated. The maturation was performed in modified tissue culture medium (mTCM)-199 supplemented with 10% (v/v) porcine follicular fluid, the fertilization medium was modified Tyrode's albumin lactate pyruvate (mTALP), and the embryo culture medium was modified North Carolina State University (mNCSU)-23. Se in the form of sodium selenite (SS) and seleon-L-methionine (SeMet) and Vit-E at different concentrations were also used. The incorporation and oxidation of (14)C(U)-glucose were assessed with a liquid scintillation counter. In this study, SeMet and SeMet+Vit-E increased oocyte maturation, fertilization and incorporation and oxidation of (14)C(U)-glucose significantly (P<0.05) compared with the control and other treatments. In addition, embryo development, specifically in terms of the numbers of morulae and blastocysts, significantly increased (P<0.05) with SeMet and SeMet+Vit-E. In contrast, the accumulation of ammonia was reduced with SeMet and SeMet+Vit-E compared with other treatments. These findings indicate that SeMet and SeMet+Vit-E may play important roles in reducing the accumulation of ammonia and subsequently in increasing the rate of maturation of porcine oocytes and fertilization, as well as development of the blastocyst and utilization of glucose in in vitro maturation, fertilization and culture to blastocysts of porcine oocytes.

The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary Rhodobacter capsulatus on lipid fractions and egg-yolk fatty acid composition in laying hens. Thirty-six laying hens (30 weeks old) were randomly assigned into two dietary groups fed diets with (0.04%) or without (control) R. capsulatus for a 60-day feeding trial. Dietary R. capsulatus decreased (p < 0.05) serum and hepatic cholesterol and increased (p < 0.05) the excreta cholesterol, and resultant lower (p < 0.05) cholesterol contents in egg yolk. The concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and ratio to saturated fatty acids in egg yolk was improved (p < 0.05) by dietary R. capsulatus. The concentration of hepatic bile acid was increased (p < 0.05) and excreta bile acid was decreased (p < 0.01) in the laying hens fed R. capsulatus diet. The incorporation of 1-(14) C-palmitic acid into hepatic lipids and lipid fractions was increased (p < 0.05) in laying hens fed R. capsulatus diet. Moreover, dietary R. capsulatus did not appear to cause any adverse effects on laying hen performances. Therefore, dietary supplementation of R. capsulatus in layer diets may be a feasible means of producing eggs with lower cholesterol and higher PUFA contents for health conscious consumers.

Relaxin is one of the 6-kDa peptide hormones, which acts as a pleiotropic endocrine and paracrine factor. Our previous studies revealed that sperm capacitating medium containing relaxin induced capacitation and acrosome reaction (AR) in fresh and frozen-thawed porcine or bovine spermatozoa. However, the intracellular signaling cascades involved with capacitation or AR induced by relaxin was unknown. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the intracellular signaling cascades involved with capacitation and AR induced by relaxin in fresh and frozen-thawed bovine spermatozoa. Spermatozoa were incubated in sperm Tyrode's albumin lactate pyruvate (Sp-TALP) medium supplemented with (40ngml−1) or without relaxin, and subjected to evaluation of chlortetracycline staining pattern, cholesterol efflux, Ca2+-influx, intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and protein tyrosine phosphorylation. Capacitation and AR were increased (P<0.05) in both fresh and frozen-thawed spermatozoa incubated with relaxin. Cholesterol effluxes were greater in the fresh (P<0.01) and frozen-thawed (P<0.05) spermatozoa incubated with relaxin than the spermatozoa incubated without relaxin. Ca2+-influxes were also significantly stimulated by relaxin in the fresh (P<0.01) and frozen-thawed (P<0.05) spermatozoa. The Sp-TALP medium containing relaxin influenced the generation of intracellular cAMP in the fresh (P<0.01) and frozen-thawed (P<0.05) spermatozoa, and exhibited higher exposure of protein tyrosine phosphorylation in both sperm types than the medium devoid of relaxin. Therefore, the results postulate that relaxin exerts the intracellular signaling cascades involved with capacitation and AR through accelerating the cholesterol efflux, Ca2+-influx, intracellular cAMP and protein tyrosine phosphorylation in fresh and frozen-thawed bovine spermatozoa.

The effect of karaya saponin supplementation on the serum and egg yolk cholesterol and fatty acid composition in egg yolk were investigated in Japanese quails. A total of 80 Japanese quails aged 5 weeks were equally divided into four groups of 20. Four levels (0, 25, 50 and 75 mg/kg feed) of karaya saponin were included in the basal diet and experiment was lasted for 6 weeks. The cholesterol fractions in the egg yolk and serum were measured by enzymatic assay, and the fatty acid composition in egg yolk was determined by gas chromatography. The results revealed that the supplementation of 75 mg/kg karaya saponin significantly reduced (p < 0.05) cholesterol and triglycerides concentration in serum and egg yolk. High-density lipoprotein-cholesterol was increased, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and the atherogenic index were decreased (p < 0.05) by the dietary supplementations. Hepatic cholesterol was reduced (p < 0.05) by the 25 mg/kg karaya saponin. A higher degree of yolk colour was improved (p < 0.05) when 75 mg/kg saponin was supplemented in the diet. The concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in egg yolk was increased (p < 0.05) in a dose-dependent manner in quails fed the supplemented diet than the control diet. The ratio of PUFA to saturated fatty acids in egg yolk was improved (p < 0.05) by 75 mg/kg feed karaya saponin-supplemented diet. Therefore, the dietary supplementation of 75 mg/kg karaya saponin may be a feasible means of producing quail eggs with lower cholesterol and higher PUFA content for health conscious consumers.

1. It has been reported that karaya saponin and Rhodobacter capsulatus individually have hypocholesterolaemic activity in laying hens. This study focuses on the effect of adding karaya saponin with R. capsulatus to hen's diet with regard to serum and egg yolk cholesterol and triglycerides. 2. A total of 56 Boris Brown laying hens were divided into 7 groups at 20 weeks of age. Combinations of 25, 50, 75 mg kg-1 karaya saponin and R. capsulatus 200 and 400 mg kg-1 were used as treatment groups. 3. After 8 weeks of supplementation, the effects of all the combinations of karaya saponin and R. capsulatus on serum and egg yolk cholesterol, triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol were greater than either karaya saponin or R. capsulatus alone. The combination of karaya saponin 50 mg kg-1+ R. capsulatus 400 mg kg-1 exhibited the greatest reduction of serum (325%) and yolk (225%) cholesterol and the greatest increase of faecal, liver bile acids and yolk fatty acid (oleic, linoleic and linolenic) concentrations. In addition, egg production and yolk colour were significantly improved by the combined use of karaya saponin and R. capsulatus supplementation. 4. Therefore, the dietary supplementation of karaya saponin and R. capsulatus may lead to the production of a low-cholesterol egg, with production performance maintained at a standard level.

Dietary karaya saponin and Rhodobacter capsulatus (R. capsulatus) are known to have hypocholesterolemic actions, as reported in our previous studies. This study examined possible synergistic hypocholesterolemic effects of karaya saponin and R. capsulatus in broilers. A total of 150 broilers were allocated into 10 treatments: control, saponin 25 mg, saponin 50 mg, saponin 75 mg, saponin 25 mg+R. capsulatus 0.2 g, saponin 25 mg+R. capsulatus 0.4 g, saponin 50 mg+R. capsulatus 0.2 g, saponin 50 mg+R. capsulatus 0.4 g, saponin 75 mg+R. capsulatus 0.2 g and saponin 75 mg+R. capsulatus 0.4 g. Feed intake and feed efficiency were improved when karaya saponin and R. capsulatus were synergistically supplemented in the diet. Combinations of karaya saponin, especially supplementation of karaya saponin 50 mg+R. capsulatus 0.4 g were shown to have potential hypolipidemic actions in breast and thigh muscle cholesterol and triglycerides, serum cholesterol, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol and triglycerides, as well as improved high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol (p<0.05). Compared to the control, almost all the treatments significantly increased serum, liver and fecal concentrations of bile acids (p<0.05). Supplementation of both karaya saponin (75 mg) and saponin 50 mg+R. capsulatus 0.4 g reduced palmitic acid (C16:0) and stearic acid (C18:0) in a similar fashion (p<0.05). The ratios of PUFA:SFA or PUFA+MUFA:SFA in the thigh and breast muscle of broilers were greater in karaya saponin and R. capsulatus supplemented groups than in the control group. Thus, our study concluded that supplementation of karaya saponin synergistically with R. capsulatus in the diet of broilers is an effective way to obtain low-cholesterol, low-triglyceride and high HDL-cholesterol enriched poultry meat with a unique fatty acid balance.

PURPOSE:Selenium (Se) and vitamin E (Vit-E), as an integral part of antioxidant systems, play an important role in the motility and acrosome reaction (AR) of mammalian spermatozoa. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Se and Vit-E on motility, viability, AR and accumulation of ammonia in the culture medium during different incubation periods in porcine sperm.METHODS:Sperm samples were washed, swum-up and incubated at 37°C for 1 and 3 h in Sp-TALP medium supplemented with sodium selenite (SS), seleon l-methionine (SeMet) and Vit-E in the presence or absence of ammonia. Sperm motility was determined on the basis of movement quality examined by phase microscopy. Viability and AR of spermatozoa were assessed by Hoechst 33258 and chlortetracycline (CTC) staining technique, and accumulation of ammonia was measured by the indophenol method. The incorporation of 14C(U)-glucose was assessed with a liquid scintillation counter.RESULTS:In experiment 1, the sperm motility, viability, AR and incorporation of 14C(U)-glucose increased significantly (P < 0.05) in SS, SeMet and Vit-E (5, 5 μg/l and 1.0 mM, respectively) compared with the control. In experiment 2, treatment of the sperm with SeMet and SeMet + Vit-E in the presence of 300 μM ammonia also resulted in a significant increase (P < 0.05) in the rate of motility, viability, AR and incorporation of 14C(U)-glucose. In contrast, the accumulation of ammonia was reduced by SeMet and SeMet + Vit-E compared with the other treatments.CONCLUSIONS:These findings indicate that SeMet and SeMet + Vit-E may play an important role in reducing the accumulation of ammonia and subsequently in increasing the rate of AR and the utilization of glucose in porcine spermatozoa.

PURPOSE:For understanding the roles of fatty acids on the induction of acrosome reaction which occurs under association of cholesterol efflux and PKA or PKC pathways in boar spermatozoa, metabolic fate of alone and combined radiolabeled 14C-oleic acid and 3H-linoleic acid incorporated in the sperm was compared, and behavior of cholesterol and effects of PKA and PKC inhibitors upon fatty acid-induced acrosome reaction were examined.METHODS:Semen was collected from a Duroc boar, and the metabolic activities of fatty acids in the spermatozoa were measured using radioactive compounds and thin layer chromatography. Cholesterol efflux was measured with a cholesterol determination assay kit. Participation of fatty acids on the AR through PKA and PKC pathways was evaluated using a specific inhibitor of these enzymes.RESULTS:Incorporation rate of 14C-oleic acid into the sperm lipids was significantly higher than that of 3H-linoleic acid (P < 0.05). The oxidation of 14C-oleic acid was higher in combined radiolabeling rather than in one. The highest amounts of 3H-linoleic acid and 14C-oleic acid were recovered mainly in the triglycerides and phospholipids fraction, and 14C-oleic acid distribution was higher than the 3H-linoleic acid in both labeled (P < 0.05) sperm lipids. In the 3H-linoleic and 14C-oleic acid combined radiolabeling, the incorporation rate of the radioactive fatty acids in all the lipid fractions increased 15 times more than the alone radiolabeling. Boar sperm utilize oleic acid to generate energy for hyperactivation (P < 0.05). Supplementation of arachidonic acid significantly increased (P < 0.05) cholesterol efflux in sperm. When spermatozoa were incubated with PKA or PKC inhibitors, there was a significant reduction of arachidonic acid-induced acrosome reaction (AR) (P < 0.05), and inhibition by PKA inhibitor is stronger than that by PKC inhibitor.CONCLUSIONS:Incorporation of unsaturated fatty acids, especially oleic acid, into triglycerides and phospholipids provides prerequisite energy for AR. Cholesterol efflux by arachidonic acid triggers AR. Arachidonic acid activated PKA and PKC pathway participate in induction of the AR.

Immune response and yolk cholesterol are crucial factors for commercial chicken producers. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effect of selenium-enriched Japanese radish sprouts (Se-enriched JRS) and R. capsulatus synergistically on immune response and cholesterol in laying hens. A total of 50 laying hens (20-wk old) were assigned to 5 dietary treatment groups, and fed diets supplemented with 2.5 mu g/kg, 5 mu g/kg, 10 mu g/kg Se-enriched JRS and 5 mu g/kg Se-enriched JRS+R. capsulatus (0.02%). Egg production and yolk color were significantly improved by the supplementation of Se-enriched JRS+R. capsulatus in the layer diet (p<0.05). Compared to the control, serum cholesterol concentration and triglyceride levels were decreased by all the treatments (p<0.05). After 8-wk of the experiment, supplementation of 5 mu g/kg, 10 mu g/kg and Se-enriched JRS+R. capsulatus significantly reduced yolk cholesterol and triglycerides, while the greatest reduction was observed when R. capsulatus was incorporated with Se-enriched JRS. Spleen, bursa and thymus weight were significantly increased by both the 5 mu g/kg and 10 mu g/kg Se-enriched JRS. Compared to the control, supplementation of 5 mu g/kg and 10 mu g/kg Se-enriched JRS significantly increased serum IgG and yolk IgY concentration and foot web index activity by Newcastle Disease Virus (p<0.05). After 4-wk and 8-wk of supplementation, the highest number of leukocytes was observed with Se-enriched JRS+R. capsulatus (p<0.05). The highest concentration of serum and yolk Se was found in Se-enriched JRS plus R. capsulatus treatment. Combined dietary supplementation of Se-enriched JRS and R. capsulatus might be beneficial for better health, disease protection and overall production performance.

Mongolian gerbil 1-cell embryos can develop into blastocysts in vitro in a co-culture with oviductal cells in mTCM199 medium. When 1-cell embryos are cultured in a chemically defined medium, they do not develop into blastocysts. Thus, the objective of this study was to examine the effects of amino acids on the in vitro development of Mongolian gerbil embryos. Amino acid depletion/accumulation by the Mongolian gerbil preimplantation embryo was analyzed with an amino acid analyzer. The amino acids of threonine, valine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, serine, glutamine, glycine, and alanine were depleted in the medium at all the developmental stages. Two-cell stage embryos were cultured in mM16 medium supplemented with each amino acid. We found that 37.1% and 11.4% of 2-cell embryos reached the morula and blastocyst stages, respectively, after supplementation of the medium with valine. Three amino acids (threonine, aspartic acid, and glutamine) promoted development to the 4-cell stage (P < 0.05). Although the combination of valine and threonine, aspartic acid, or glutamine significantly increased development to the 4-cell and 8-cell stages, no improvement of the blastocyst rates was observed. This study has demonstrated that amino acids can support preimplantation gerbil embryo development in vitro.

Glucose is the main fuel for most cells, and its importance as an energy substrate has led to intense research on its cellular metabolites and the mechanism controlling its uptake. A vast number of studies have been conducted on glucose metabolism in mammalian preimplantation embryos. However, most have shown that the presence of glucose in early preimplantation embryos from the 2-cell to the 8-cell stage is detrimental to further embryo development in vitro for several species, including mouse, rat, hamster, cow, sheep, and human. The belief that glucose is inhibits the physiological development of early preimplantation embryos of all species is now widely held. Recent publications have recommended that low concentrations of glucose be used in media for culturing embryos, and the beneficial effects of using media containing other energy souces like fructose have deen examined.We review the energy substrates and amino acids used in embryo culture media, and describe the history of mouse embryo culture. In addition, we describe the use of fructose in mouse embryos and the use of glucose and fructose in rat embryos.

1. The objective of the study was to investigate the effect of dietary karaya saponin on cholesterol deposition in laying hens. 2. A total of 40 Boris Brown hens were randomly assigned at 20 weeks of age to 4 treatment groups and fed on diets supplemented with 0 (control), 25, 50 or 75 mg/kg karaya saponin for an 8-week experimental period. 3. After 8 weeks of dietary supplementation, karaya-saponin-treated groups had significantly lower serum cholesterol (23·0%) and triglycerides but increased high density lipoproteins cholesterol concentration than controls, irrespective of karaya saponin content in the diet. Egg yolk cholesterol and triglycerides were also significantly reduced by dietary karaya saponin. Hepatic cholesterol and triglycerides were significantly reduced by karaya saponin but bile acids concentration in the faeces and liver were significantly increased by karaya saponin. The concentrations of oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids in the yolk were greater in hens receiving karaya saponin than in controls. Karaya saponin significantly increased egg production, feed efficiency and yolk colour compared with controls. Karaya saponin tended to increase egg weight, feed consumption, Haugh units, albumen weight and yolk index. 4. In conclusion, karaya saponin is a potential agent for reducing yolk cholesterol concentration together with an overall increase of production performance and improvement in egg quality.

Abstract: Mongolian gerbil 1-cell embryos do not develop into blastocysts in vitro because of 8-cell block. Recently, we reported that 2-cell embryos of Mongolian gerbils developed into blastocysts in vitro in mM16 supplemented with valine. However, the role of valine in the in vitro development of Mongolian gerbil embryos is unclear. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate of the role of valine in the in vitro development of Mongolian gerbil embryos. Mongolian gerbil embryos at the 1-cell, 2-cell, 8-cell, morula, and blastocyst stages were cultured in mM16 medium containing 14C-valine or 14C-glucose. A 2.5 mM NaOH solution was used as a trap for the evolved 14CO2. After incubation, all samples were analyzed using a liquid scintillation counter. The incorporation of 14C-valine significantly increased at the 8-cell stage. The oxidation of 14C-valine significantly increased at the 8-cell and blastocyst stages. The incorporation of 14C-glucose in mM16+valine was significantly higher than that in mM16 at the blastocyst stage. The oxidation of 14C-glucose in mM16 was significantly higher than that in mM16+valine at the 8-cell stage, although that in mM16+valine was significantly higher than that in mM16 at the blastocyst stage. The carbon skeleton of 14C-valine was metabolized into lipid. Our results suggest that valine was used and metabolized as an energy source in preimplantation Mongolian gerbil embryos.

This study was conducted to elucidate the mechanism underlying the hypolipidemic action of karaya saponin or Rhodobacter (R.) capsulatus. A total of 40 laying hens (20-week-old) were assigned into four dietary treatment groups and fed a basal diet (as a control) or basal diets supplemented with either karaya saponin, R. capsulatus, or both for 60 days. The level of serum low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol and the levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in the serum, liver, and egg yolk were reduced by all the supplementations (P < .05). Liver bile acid concentration and fecal concentrations of cholesterol, triacylglycerol, and bile acid were simultaneously increased by the supplementation of karaya saponin, R. capsulatus, and the combination of karaya saponin and R. capsulatus (P < .05). The supplementation of karaya saponin, R. capsulatus, and the combination of karaya saponin and R. capsulatus suppressed the incorporation of 14C from 1-14C-palmitic acid into the fractions of total lipids, phospholipids, triacylglycerol, and cholesterol in the liver in vitro (P < .05). These findings suggest that the hypocholesterolemic effects of karaya saponin and R. capsulatus are caused by the suppression of the cholesterol synthesis and the promotion of cholesterol catabolism in the liver.

The fatty acid composition of rabbit blastocysts, blood serum and uterine fluids were analyzed to study embryonic lipid metabolism.