Red-osier dogwood (ROD) has high contents of phenolic compounds with profound antioxidant activity. Considering that piglets undergo oxidative stress at weaning, which negatively affect growth performance and gut integrity, ROD supplementation in a weaner diet would improve overall piglet performance. Therefore, a study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of ground ROD on growth performance, blood profile, and gut morphology in weaned pigs challenged with Escherichia coli K88+. Twenty-eight piglets weaned at 21 d of age (6.94 ± 0.28 kg of body weight) were assigned to one of five dietary treatments: 1) CON (a corn-wheat-soybean meal-based diet), 2) AGP (CON + 0.025% antimicrobial growth promotor), 3) ROD2 (CON + 2% ROD), and 4) ROD4 (CON + 4% ROD). On d 8, all pigs were orally inoculated with E. coliK88+ (2 × 109 CFU/mL). Blood samples were collected at 6 and 24 h after challenge for plasma urea nitrogen (PUN), plasma glucose, and serum haptoglobin determination. On d 13, all pigs were euthanized to obtain ileal tissue samples for histomorphology. The pre-planned orthogonal test was performed to compare 1) CON vs. AGP and 2) CON vs. ROD2 + ROD4. Dietary treatments did not affect growth performance and concentrations of PUN and plasma glucose across treatments. The inclusion of ROD in nursey pig diet reduced (P < 0.05) the crypt depth and tended to increase (P ≤ 0.10) the ratio of villus height to crypt depth in the ileum. The AGP supplementation decreased (P < 0.05) haptoglobin concentrations in serum at 24 h post-challenge but did not affect histomorphology. In conclusion, ROD inclusion in a weaner diet will be beneficial by improving histomorphology in weaned pigs infected with E. coli K88+.

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary folic acid (FA) supplementation on performance, serum biochemical indices, and mRNA abundance of intestinal folate transporters in young and older laying hens after acute lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge. Two experiments were conducted separately involving 48 Shaver White young laying hens (24 wk of age) in experiment 1 and 48 Shaver White older laying hens (58 wk of age) in experiment 2. Birds were fed 2 diets in a complete randomized design. The diets were wheat-soybean meal based, with or without supplemental 4 mg of FA/kg of diet. Birds were fed for 8 wk, during which time feed consumption and egg production were monitored. At the end of each feeding experiment, 6 hens from each dietary treatment were injected intravenously with 8 mg/kg of BW of either Escherichia coli LPS or sterile saline. Four hours after injection, blood and intestinal samples were collected for further analysis. Compared with the control, dietary FA supplementation increased egg weight and egg mass and decreased serum glucose levels in the young laying hens, and reduced serum uric acid in the older laying hens (P < 0.05). Relative to saline injection, plasma homocysteine, serum calcium, and phosphorus levels were found to be lower in both young and older laying hens after LPS challenge (P < 0.05). Other serum biochemical variables and the mRNA expression of 2 folate transport genes in the small and large intestine were differentially affected by LPS challenge, and some of those responses varied with the age of the birds. Additionally, interactions between diet and LPS challenge were specifically found in the older laying hens. In summary, in addition to improving production performance, there were effects of dietary FA supplementation and its interaction with LPS challenge on biochemical constituents, and age played a role in the development of responses to diet and bacterial LPS infections.

Renal ischemia-reperfusion injury causes acute kidney injury which is commonly associated with multiple organ injury. Impaired renal function is one of the important risk factors for cardiovascular complications. The pathogenesis and underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a gasotransmitter and at physiological levels exerts renal-cardioprotective effects. The kidneys play an important role in regulating H2S generation through cystathionine-beta-synthase (CBS) and cystathionine-gamma-lyase (CSE). The objectives of our study were to investigate the effect of renal ischemia-reperfusion on (1) CBS and CSE-mediated H2S generation and inflammatory cytokine expression; and (2) its impact on cardiovascular system. Renal ischemia was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats (250-300g) by clamping the left renal vascular pedicle for 45 min followed by reperfusion for 6 or 24h. Kidney function was evaluated by measuring plasma creatinine levels. The expression of CBS, CSE and cytokines was determined by real-time PCR analysis, Western immunoblotting and MSD® ECL assay. There was a significant increase in plasma creatinine levels in those rats, indicating that the kidney function was impaired. The mRNA and protein levels of both CBS and CSE were decreased in kidneys upon ischemia-reperfusion. The levels of kidney and circulating H2S were reduced in rats subjected to renal ischemia-reperfusion. The levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines were significantly elevated in the kidney as well as in the circulation. Taken together, these results suggested that renal ischemia-reperfusion injury led to a significant reduction of H2S levels not only in the kidney but also in the circulation. This was caused by decreased CBS and CSE-mediated H2S production. In view that endogenous H2S plays an important role in regulating blood vessel tone and cardiac function, reduction of circulatory H2S levels together with increased pro-inflammatory cytokine expression may increase the risk for cardiovascular complications in patients with acute kidney injury.

Hypercholesterolemia is associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease, such as atherosclerosis. The liver plays a central role in regulating cholesterol homeostasis. High fat diet has been shown to induce obesity and hyperlipidemia. Despite considerable advance in our understanding of cholesterol metabolism, the regulation of liver cholesterol biosynthesis in response to high fat diet feeding has not been fully addressed. The aim of the present study was to investigate mechanisms by which a high fat diet caused activation of hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoA reductase), the rate-limiting enzyme, leading to increased cholesterol biosynthesis.

Different aspects of folic acid (FA) transport in the intestine of the laying hen have been characterized. Less is known about the adaptive response of this process to a dietary challenge. To this end, a study was conducted to evaluate the effect of increased dietary FA supplementation on the rate of intestinal FA transport and the expression of the intestinal folate transporter genes, the proton-coupled folate transporters (PCFT) and the reduced folate carrier (RFC), in the laying hen. Twenty-four Shaver White hens at 34 wk of age were randomly assigned to receive 1 of 3 dietary treatments: 1) basal diet with no supplemental folate (n = 8), 2) basal diet + 10 mg/kg of crystalline FA (n = 8), and 3) basal diet + 100 mg/kg of crystalline FA (n = 8). A completely randomized design with 3 dietary treatments was used. Production performance was not affected by FA supplementation; however, egg and plasma folate concentrations increased (P < 0.001), whereas plasma homocysteine concentrations decreased (P < 0.011) in birds fed 10 or 100 mg of FA/kg of diet, relative to controls. Mucosal to serosal uptake of FA in the duodenum was decreased (P < 0.002), but the mRNA levels of the duodenal PCFT and RFC genes were not affected when birds were fed 10 or 100 mg of FA/kg of diet. In the jejunum, the mucosal to serosal uptake of FA, as well as the mRNA levels of the PCFT and RFC genes, were not influenced by increased FA supplementation. Overall, increased dietary levels of FA resulted in decreased transport of FA in the duodenum but not in the jejunum of laying hens. This decrease was not associated with decreased mRNA expression of the duodenal PCFT and RFC genes. Therefore, a posttranscriptional or translational adaptation of the intestinal folate transporters may be involved in the much lower transport of FA in the duodenum of laying hens during increased dietary supplementation of FA.

We investigated the effects of dietary folic acid (FA) supplementation on immunological parameters in young laying hens under acute conditions of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge. Twenty-four Shaver White laying hens at 24 wk were fed 2 diets in a completely randomized design. The diets were wheat-soybean based, with either 0 or 4 mg of supplemental FA per kilogram of diet. At 32 wk of age, 6 hens from each dietary treatment were injected intravenously with 8 mg/kg of BW of either LPS or saline. Four hours after injection, blood was collected and the hens were euthanized to obtain spleen and cecal tonsils. Heterophil:lymphocyte ratio, CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ T cells, and CD4+:CD8+ cells in the blood and spleen were not affected by dietary FA. Relative to saline-injected hens, LPS-injected hens had fewer (P < 0.05) CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, and CD4+:CD8+ cells in the blood, and no difference was found in the spleen. Total protein, albumin, and globulin were found to be higher (P < 0.05) in FA-supplemented hens compared with the control. However, total protein, albumin, and globulins decreased (P < 0.05) in the LPS-injected hens compared with the saline control. Expression of interleukin (IL)-1β in cecal tonsils decreased (P < 0.05) in FA-supplemented hens, but no dietary influence was found on the expression of other genes in both the spleen and cecal tonsils. Lipopolysaccharide upregulated (P < 0.05) expression of IL-10 and interferon (IFN)-γ in the spleen, and IL-1β, IL-10, and IFN-γ in the cecal tonsils, whereas the expression of Toll-like receptor (TLR)-4 and IL-8 was not influenced by LPS in the spleen and cecal tonsils. There was a diet × challenge interaction for total IgG, and cytokines IL-1β and IL-18 in the spleen as well as IL-18 in the cecal tonsils. In conclusion, there were few interactions of dietary FA and LPS; however, FA increased biochemical constituents, enhanced generation of total IgG, as well as exhibiting pleoitropic effects in inflammatory responses.