Dietary calcium supplementation promotes the accumulation of intramuscular fatOA

Background: In the livestock industry, intramuscular fat content is a key factor affecting meat quality. Many studies have shown that dietary calcium supplementation is closely related to lipid metabolism. However, few studies have examined the relationship between dietary calcium supplementation and intramuscular fat accumulation.Methods: Here, we used C2C12 cells, C57BL/6 mice(n = 8) and three-way cross-breeding pigs(Duroc×Landrace×Large white)(n = 10) to study the effect of calcium addition o...     

Effects of dietary coenzyme Q10 supplementation during gestation on the embryonic survival and reproductive performance of high-parity sowsOA

Background Fertility declines in high-parity sows. This study investigated whether parity-dependent declines in embryonic survival and reproductive performance could be restored by dietary coenzyme Q10(Co Q10) supplementation.Methods Two experiments were performed. In Exp. 1, 30 young sows that had completed their 2^nd parity and 30 high-parity sows that had completed their 10^th parity, were fed either a control diet(CON) or a CON diet supplemented with 1 g/kg Co Q10(+ Co Q1...     

The significan e of N-carbamoylglutamate in ruminant productionOA

Improving the efficiency and production of grazing ruminants to support food and fiber production, while reducing the environmental footprint and meeting the welfare needs of the animals, is important for sustainable livestock production systems. Development of new technologies that can improve the efficiency of nitrogen(N) utilization in ruminants, and that are effective and safe, has important implications for ruminant livestock production. N-carbomoylglutamate(NCG) is a functional micronutrie...     

Effect of sialyllactose on growth performance and intestinal epithelium functions in weaned pigs challenged by enterotoxigenic Escherichia ColiOA

Background: Sialyllactose(SL) is one of the most abundant oligosaccharides present in porcine breast milk.However, little is known about its effect on growth performance and intestinal health in weaned pigs. This study was conducted to explore the protective effect of SL on intestinal epithelium in weaned pigs upon enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli(ETEC) challenge.Methods: Thirty-two pigs were randomly divided into four treatments. Pigs fed with a basal diet or basal diet containing SL(5.0 g/kg) ...     

Microbial and metabolomic mechanisms mediating the effects of dietary inulin and cellulose supplementation on porcine oocyte and uterine developmentOA

Background: Dietary fiber(DF) is often eschewed in swine diet due to its anti-nutritional effects, but DF is attracting growing attention for its reproductive benefits. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of DF intake level on oocyte maturation and uterine development, to determine the optimal DF intake for gilts, and gain microbial and metabolomic insight into the underlying mechanisms involved.Methods: Seventy-six Landrace × Yorkshire(LY) crossbred replacement gilts of s...     

Effect of protease supplementation on apparent ileal crude protein and amino acid digestibility of over-processed soybean meals in broilersOA

Background: Nutritional value of proteins in feed ingredients can be negatively affected by hydrothermal processing, which causes large variation in the bioavailability of amino acids(AA) and negatively affects animal productive performance. Supplementation of exogenous proteases could increase the rate of digestion of damaged proteins, thereby increasing overall AA digestibility and bioavailability. The aim was to determine the effect of exogenous protease supplementation on the apparent ileal ...     

Dietary supplementation of laminarin improves the reproductive performance of sows and the growth of suckling pigletsOA

Background Maternal nutrition is essential in keeping a highly efficient production system in the pig industry. Laminarin has been shown to improve antioxidant capacity, reduce the inflammatory response, and favor the homeostasis of intestinal microbiota. However, the effect of dietary supplementation of laminarin on the reproductive performance of sows and the growth of suckling offspring remains unknown.Methods A total of 40 Landrace × Yorkshire multiparous sows on d 85 of gestation, similar i...     

Maternal supply of cysteamine alleviates oxidative stress and enhances angiogenesis in porcine placentaOA

Background: Oxidative stress in placenta is associated with the occurrence of adverse pregnancy outcomes in sow,but there are few satisfactory treatment strategies for these conditions. This study investigated the potential of cysteamine(CS) as an antioxidant protectant for regulating the reproductive performance, redox status, and placental angiogenesis of sows.Methods: The placental oxidative stress status and vascular density of piglets with different birth weights: < 1.0 kg(low birth weig...     

Single-cell transcriptomic atlas of goat ovarian agingOA

Background The ovaries are one of the first organs that undergo degenerative changes earlier in the aging process, and ovarian aging is shown by a decrease in the number and quality of oocytes. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms of female age-related fertility decline in different types of ovarian cells during aging, especially in goats. Therefore, the aim of this study was to reveal the mechanisms driving ovarian aging in goats at single-cell resolution.Results For the firs...     

Perturbations of the ileal mycobiota by necrotic enteritis in broiler chickensOA

Background: Intestinal microbiota is critical for maintaining animal health and homeostasis. However, involvement of the fungal community, also known as the mycobiota, in animal health and disease is poorly understood. This study was aimed to examine the association between the intestinal mycobiota and the severity of necrotic enteritis(NE), an economically significant poultry disease.Methods: A total of 90 day-of-hatch Cobb broilers were infected with Eimeria maxima on d 10, followed by an oral...     

Insights into the architecture of human-induced polygenic selection in Duroc pigsOA

Background: As one of the most utilized commercial composite boar lines, Duroc pigs have been introduced to China and undergone strongly human-induced selection over the past decades. However, the efficiencies and limitations of previous breeding of Chinese Duroc pigs are largely understudied. The objective of this study was to uncover directional polygenic selection in the Duroc pig genome, and investigate points overlooked in the past breeding process.Results: Here, we utilized the Generation ...     

A review of the resistome within the digestive tract of livestockOA

Antimicrobials have been widely used to prevent and treat infectious diseases and promote growth in food-production animals. However, the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance poses a huge threat to public and animal health, especial y in less developed countries where food-producing animals often intermingle with humans. To limit the spread of antimicrobial resistance from food-production animals to humans and the environment, it is essential to have a comprehensive knowledge of the role of th...     

Dietary Macleaya cordata extract supplementation improves the growth performance and gut health of broiler chickens with necrotic enteritisOA

Background The poultry industry needs effective antibiotic alternatives to control outbreaks of necrotic enteritis(NE) caused by Clostridium perfringens.Methods The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with Macleaya cordata extract(MCE) on the immune function and gut microbiota of broilers with NE. A total of 288 1-day-old broiler chicks were randomly assigned to a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement with two concentrations of dietary MCE supplementation(0 or 350 m...     

The optimal dietary arginine level of laying hens fed with low-protein dietsOA

Background: Arginine(Arg) is an essential amino acid(EAA) in poultry, an important substrate for protein synthesis and a precursor of several molecules. Supplementation of EAAs with low protein(LP) diet increases the utilization efficiency of dietary crude protein(CP). However, if the EAA requirement is changed in hens fed a LP diet remains to be elucidated. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the optimal level of dietary Arg in the LP diet of hens. A total of 1350 Hy-Line Brown laying ...     

Dietary supplementation of zinc oxide modulates intestinal functionality during the post-weaning period in clinically healthy pigletsOA

Background To improve our understanding of host and intestinal microbiome interaction, this research investigated the effects of a high-level zinc oxide in the diet as model intervention on the intestinal microbiome and small intestinal functionality in clinically healthy post-weaning piglets. In study 1, piglets received either a high concentration of zinc(Zn) as zinc oxide(Zn O, Zn, 2,690 mg/kg) or a low Zn concentration(100 mg/kg) in the diet during the post weaning period(d 14–23). The effec...     

Harnessing male germline epigenomics for the genetic improvement in cattleOA

Sperm is essential for successful artificial insemination in dairy cattle, and its quality can be influenced by both epigenetic modification and epigenetic inheritance. The bovine germline differentiation is characterized by epigenetic reprogramming, while intergenerational and transgenerational epigenetic inheritance can influence the offspring’s development through the transmission of epigenetic features to the offspring via the germline. Therefore, the selection of bulls with superior sperm q...     

Insights into the role of major bioactive dietary nutrients in lamb meat quality: a reviewOA

Feed supplementation with α-linolenic acid(ALA) and linoleic acid(LA) increases their content in muscle, ALA increases n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and decrease n-6/n-3 ratio in muscle, and LA increases rumenic acid.However, high LA supplementation may have negative effects on lambs’ lipid oxidative stability of meat. When the sources of ALA and LA are fed as fresh forage, the negative effects are counterbalanced by the presence of other bioactive compounds, as vitamin E(mainly α-tocopherol) ...     

Effect of the dietary supplementation with extracts of chestnut wood and grape pomace on performance and jejunum response in female and male broiler chickens at different agesOA

Background: Recently, interest in the use of herbs and phytogenic compounds has grown because of their potential role in the production and health of livestock animals. Among these compounds, several tannins have been tested in poultry, but those from chestnut wood and grape-industry byproducts have attracted remarkable interest. Thus, the present study aimed to gain further insights into the mechanisms involved in the response to the dietary supplementation with extracts of chestnut wood or gra...     

Role of functional fatty acids in modulation of reproductive potential in livestockOA

Fatty acids are not only widely known as energy sources,but also play important roles in many metabolic pathways.The significance of fatty acids in modulating the reproductive potential of livestock has received greater recognition in recent years.Functional fatty acids and their metabolites improve follicular development,oocyte maturation and embryo development,as well as endometrial receptivity and placental vascular development,through enhancing energy supply and precursors for the synthesis ...     

Genomic patterns of homozygosity and inbreeding depression in MurcianoGranadina goatsOA

Background: Inbreeding depression can adversely affect traits related to fitness, reproduction and productive performance. Although current research suggests that inbreeding levels are generally low in most goat breeds, the impact of inbreeding depression on phenotypes of economic interest has only been investigated in a few studies based on genealogical data.Results: We genotyped 1040 goats with the Goat SNP50 BeadChip. This information was used to estimate different molecular inbreeding coeffi...