The effect of different dietary levels of sodium and chloride on performance and blood parameters in goslings (1–28 days of age)

A total of 702 1-day-old male Jiangnan White goslings were used to study the effects of varying levels of Na⁺ and Cl⁻ on their growth performance and blood parameters. In this experiment, goslings were randomly allotted to nine treatments, with six pens per treatment in a 3 × 3 factorial arrangement, and fed diets with three concentrations of added Na⁺ (0.10%, 0.15% and 0.20%) and three concentrations of added Cl⁻ (0.15%, 0.20% and 0.25%). The purpose of this experiment was to investigate the sensitivity of goslings to Na⁺ and Cl⁻ during brooding to determine the appropriate levels of Na⁺ and Cl⁻ in their feed. The results are as follows: (a) Different levels of Na⁺ and Cl⁻ in the diet, especially low Na⁺ and Cl⁻, significantly affected the body weight (BW), average daily gain (ADG) and feed/gain ratio (F/G) of the 28-day-old goslings (p < .05). But Na⁺ × Cl⁻ has no significant effect on water consumption (p > .05). (b) Serum concentrations of urea increased linearly with Na⁺ content (p < .05). Serum concentrations of creatinine (CR) and uric acid (UA) increased linearly with Cl⁻ content (p < .05). (c) Na⁺ × Cl⁻ has a significant impact on the serum sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl; p < .05). The content of serum Na and Cl increased linearly with increasing levels of Na⁺ and Cl⁻. These results show that low levels of Na⁺ and Cl⁻ had significant adverse effects on the growth of 1- to 28-day-old goslings. The results of the experiment support a recommendation to supplement the diet of goslings with 0.20% Cl⁻ and not <0.15% Na⁺.     

Effect of Illicium verum or Eucommia ulmoides leaf extracts on the anti-stress ability,and mRNA and protein expression of Nrf2 and TNF-α in Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire and Chinese native Licha-black nursery piglets

Plant extracts are considered to be an effective alternative to antibiotics in response to weaning stress in piglets. This study evaluated the effect of Illicium verum extracts (IVE) or Eucommia ulmoides leaf extracts (ELE) on growth performance, serum and liver antioxidant ability of nursery piglets, as well as the difference of IVE and ELE on Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire (DLY) and Chinese native Licha-black (LCB) piglets. A total of 96 nursery piglets (48 DLY and 48 LCB piglets) with an average body weight of 11.22 ± 0.32 kg were randomly divided into four treatments in a 2 × 4 factorial design. Each treatment had four replicates with 3 DLY and 3 LCB piglets per replicate respectively. Treatments included: basal diet, basal diet + 500 mg/kg IVE, basal diet + 250 mg/kg ELE and basal diet + 50 mg/kg chlortetracycline (CHL). All piglets were housed individually for the 42 days trial period after 7 days adaptation. Results showed that there were significant interactions (p < .05) between piglets species and dietary treatments in average daily gain (ADG) and feed efficiency, serum and hepatic glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and malondialdehyde (MDA), hepatic integral optical density (IOD) of α-tumour necrosis factor (TNF-α), hepatic relative mRNA expressions of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/TNF-α and protein expression of TNF-α. Regardless of piglets species, supplementation with IVE and ELE increased (p < .05) ADG and feed efficiency, T-SOD and GSH-Px in serum and liver, hepatic IOD of Nrf2, hepatic mRNA and protein expression of Nrf2/TNF-α. However, CHL treatment resulted in lower (p < .05) serum GSH-Px and hepatic mRNA and protein expression of Nrf2/TNF-α, and higher hepatic MDA and IOD of TNF-α. Compared to LCB, DLY piglets had higher (p < .05) ADG and feed efficiency, serum and hepatic MDA, and protein expression of TNF-α, but lower (p < .05) ADFI, liver index, serum and hepatic GSH-Px, hepatic IOD of TNF-α, mRNA expressions of Nrf2/TNF-α were observed. In conclusion, Illicium verum (500 mg/kg) and Eucommia ulmoides leaf (250 mg/kg) extracts can increase the growth performance and antioxidant ability of DLY and LCB piglets, while chlortetracycline produces undesirable side-effects on the antioxidant ability of DLY and LCB piglets. Illicium verum and Eucommia ulmoides leaf extracts produced different antioxidant effects in DLY and LCB piglets with the Chinese native Licha-black pig responding better than Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire.     

Effects of the phytoestrogen,genistein, and protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor–dependent mechanisms on steroidogenesis and estrogen receptor expression in porcine granulosa cells of medium follicles

The use of soy-based products in pig diets had raised concerns regarding the reproductive toxicity of genistein, the predominant isoflavone in soybeans. Genistein was reported to exhibit weak estrogenic activity but its mechanism of action is not fully recognized. The aim of the study was to examine the in vitro effects of genistein on (1) progesterone (P₄) and estradiol (E₂) secretion by porcine granulosa cells harvested from medium follicles, (2) the viability of cultured granulosa cells, and (3) the mRNA and protein expression of estrogen receptors α and β (ERα and ERβ) in these cells. In addition, to verify the role of protein tyrosine kinase (PTK)–dependent mechanisms possibly involved in genistein biological action, we tested the effects of lavendustin C, the nonsteroidal PTK inhibitor, on granulosa cell steroidogenesis. We found that genistein inhibited (P < 0.05) basal P₄ secretion by granulosa cells harvested from medium follicles of pigs. In contrast, lavendustin C did not affect basal P₄ secretion by the cells. Moreover, genistein increased (P < 0.05) basal granulosal secretion of E₂. In contrast, lavendustin C did not alter basal E₂ secretion by porcine granulosa cells. In addition, we demonstrated that genistein increased mRNA and protein expression of ERβ (P < 0.05) in the examined cells. The expression of ERα mRNA was not affected by genistein and ERα protein was not detected in the cultured granulosa cells of pigs. In summary, the genistein action on follicular steroidogenesis in pigs involved changes in the granulosal expression of ERβ. However, the genistein action on P₄ and E₂ production by granulosa cells harvested from medium follicles did not seem to be associated with PTK.