Pharmacokinetics of sanguinarine,chelerythrine, and their metabolites in broiler chickens following oral and intravenous administration

Sanguinarine (SA) and chelerythrine (CHE) are the main active components of the phytogenic livestock feed additive, Sangrovit®. However, little information is available on the pharmacokinetics of Sangrovit® in poultry. The goal of this work was to study the pharmacokinetics of SA, CHE, and their metabolites, dihydrosanguinarine (DHSA) and dihydrochelerythrine (DHCHE), in 10 healthy female broiler chickens following oral (p.o.) administration of Sangrovit® and intravenous (i.v.) administration of a mixture of SA and CHE. The plasma samples were processed using two different simple protein precipitation methods because the parent drugs and metabolites are stable under different pH conditions. The absorption and metabolism of SA following p.o. administration were fast, with half‐life (t_1/2) values of 1.05 ± 0.18 hr and 0.83 ± 0.10 hr for SA and DHSA, respectively. The maximum concentration (C_max) of DHSA (2.49 ± 1.4 μg/L) was higher that of SA (1.89 ± 0.8 μg/L). The area under the concentration vs. time curve (AUC) values for SA and DHSA were 9.92 ± 5.4 and 6.08 ± 3.49 ng/ml hr, respectively. Following i.v. administration, the clearance (CL) of SA was 6.79 ± 0.63 (L·h^?1·kg^?1) with a t_1/2 of 0.34 ± 0.13 hr. The AUC values for DHSA and DHCHE were 7.48 ± 1.05 and 0.52 ± 0.09 (ng/ml hr), respectively. These data suggested that Sangrovit® had low absorption and bioavailability in broiler chickens. The work reported here provides useful information on the pharmacokinetic behavior of Sangrovit® after p.o. and i.v. administration in broiler chickens, which is important for the evaluation of its use in poultry.     

Green tea polyphenols supplementation alters immunometabolism and oxidative stress in dairy cows with hyperketonemia

Peripartal cows often experience negative energy balance, and are therefore prone to suffering from metabolic diseases such as hyperketonemia, which causes financial losses in dairy farms. This study aimed to investigate the effect of green tea polyphenol (GTP) supplementation during the periparturient period on production performance, oxidative stress and immunometabolism in dairy cows with hyperketonemia. One hundred Holstein cows were assigned to GTP (0.2 g/kg DM; n = 50) or control (without GTP; n = 50) group based on body weight, previous milk yield, and parity on d 15 before expected parturition. Subsequently, 10 cows with hyperketonemia were selected from each group, according to blood β-hydroxybutyric acid (BHBA) concentration between 1.2 and 2.9 mmol/L from 2 to 3 d postpartum. All cows were fed a close-up diet and a lactation diet with or without GTP supply from 15 d prepartum until 30 d postpartum. Milk and blood samples were obtained from 20 cows selected with hyperketonemia on 10, 20, and 30 d postpartum. Compared with control cows, greater milk yield and lower somatic cell count were observed in GTP cows. The GTP group had lower concentrations of BHBA, free fatty acids, cholesterol, triglyceride, reactive oxygen species, malondialdehyde, and hydrogen peroxide, greater concentrations of glucose, lower activities of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and glutamyl transpeptidase, alongside greater activities of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and total antioxidant capacity. Additionally, GTP supplementation up-regulated concentrations of interleukin-6 and interleukin-10, but down-regulated concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β, interleukin-2, interleukin-8, and interferon-γ in plasma. Greater concentrations of plasma immunoglobulin G were also detected in the GTP group. Overall, the data suggested that GTP supplementation from 15 d prepartum to 30 d postpartum improved the milk yield and health status in cows with hyperketonemia during early lactation.     

Molecular epidemiology of Newcastle disease viruses in Vietnam

Newcastle disease virus (NDV) causes significant economic losses to the poultry industry in Southeast Asia. In the present study, 12 field isolates of NDV were recovered from dead village chickens in Vietnam between 2007 and 2012, and were characterized. All the field isolates were classified as velogenic. Based on the sequence analysis of the F variable region, two distinct genetic groups (Vietnam genetic groups G1 and G2) were recognized. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that all the 12 field isolates fell into the class II genotype VII cluster. Ten of the field isolates, classified as Vietnam genetic group G1, were closely related to VIIh viruses that had been isolated from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Cambodia since the mid-2000s, while the other two field isolates, of Vietnam genetic group G2, clustered with VIId viruses, which were predominantly circulating in China and Far East Asia. Our results indicate that genotype VII viruses, especially VIIh viruses, are predominantly responsible for the recent epizootic of the disease in Vietnam.     

Impact of Food Restriction on Ovarian Development,RFamide‐Related Peptide‐3 and the Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Ovarian Axis in Pre‐Pubertal Ewes

RFamide‐related peptide‐3 (RFRP‐3), the mammalian ortholog of gonadotropin‐inhibiting hormone, has been implicated as a mediator between reproduction and energy balance. This study aimed to investigate the physiological effects of RFRP‐3 on the process of ovarian development in food‐restricted pre‐pubertal ewes. The results showed that food restriction significantly inhibited the ovarian development and follicular growth. The data of qPCR in the hypothalamic–pituitary–ovarian (HPO) axis showed that food restriction not only upregulated RFRP‐3 mRNA expression but also downregulated the mRNA expression of gonadotropin‐releasing‐hormone receptor, follicle‐stimulating hormone receptor and luteinizing hormone receptor (LHR). Immunohistochemistry of RFRP‐3 in the ovaries suggested that RFRP‐3 may regulate the follicular development. These results suggested that the changes of RFRP‐3 in response to food restriction might influence the HPO axis and inhibit ovarian development.     

The optimal immunization procedure of DNA vaccine pcDNA–TA4–IL-2 of Eimeria tenella and its cross-immunity to Eimeria necatrix and Eimeria acervulina

The immunization procedure of DNA vaccine pcDNA–TA4–IL-2 of Eimeria tenella, including route, dose, time of immunization and age of primary immunization of chicken, was optimized. The stability and the cross-species protection of the vaccine were also analyzed. Efficacy of immunization was evaluated on the basis of oocyst decrease ratio, lesion score, body-weight gain and the anti-coccidial index (ACI). Chinese Yellow chickens were randomly distributed into corresponding groups (30/group). The challenged, unchallenged and vector control groups were designed. The results illustrated that 25 μg was the optimal dose and intramuscular injection was the most effective route to induce protective immunity. There were no significant differences of ACIs between boosting and non-boosting groups. Storage time and temperature had little effect on the immunizing efficacy of the vaccine. The vaccine could provide partial cross-protection against the challenge with E. necatrix and E. acervulina, but not with E. maxima.     

New technique of sex preselection for increasing female ratio in boar sperm model

In this study, we tried to optimize the porcine semen extender conditions to maximize the differences between live X chromosome-bearing (X) spermatozoa and to Y chromosome-bearing (Y) spermatozoa without a decline in the fertility rate at different pH conditions during storage. We observed the viability of X and Y boar spermatozoa in acidic (pH 6.2), original (pH 7.2), and alkaline condition (pH 8.2) for 5 days to investigate the effect of storage conditions on the X to Y spermatozoa ratio. The functional parameters of spermatozoa were also examined to evaluate sperm quality. Sperm motility was preserved at pH 7.2 and pH 6.2 for 3 days, while sperm motility at pH 8.2 decreased significantly after 2 days. Non-capacitated spermatozoa increased while capacitated spermatozoa decreased during storage. Sperm viability decreased significantly duration-dependent under all pH conditions, but there was no significant difference during storage at pH 6.2 and 7.2. The X: Y ratio of live spermatozoa in acidic condition was maximized (1.2:1) without affecting the sperm function and fertility-related protein expression after 2 days compared to original conditions. Moreover, insemination of sows using acidic extender increased the number of female pups on days 1 and 2 of preservation. These results indicate that the production of female offspring may increase when acidic BTS is used for 2 days without affecting the success rate of AI. Above all, this method is simple and economical compared to other methods.     

Effect of follistatin on pre‐implantational development of pig parthenogenetic embryos

The present study was designed to explore effects of follistatin (FST) on pre‐implantational development of parthenogenetically activated embryos (PAEs) in pigs. First, we investigated the FST messenger RNA expression level and dynamic FST protein expression patterns in porcine oocytes and PAEs. Then, PAEs were placed in embryo culture medium supplemented with 10 ng/mL of FST‐288, FST‐300, and FST‐315. Next, PAEs were cultured with 0, 1, 10 and 100 ng/mL of FST‐315 protein throughout the in vitro culture (IVC) duration. Further, 10 ng/mL of FST‐300 was added from the start of IVC in which PAEs were treated for 30, 48 and 60 h. The results showed that 1 ng/mL FST‐315 could significantly increase the total cell numbers of blastocyst and trophectoderm cell number in PAEs. Exogenous FST‐300 supplementation could significantly promote the early cleavage divisions and improve the blastocyst formation rate of porcine embryos. FST‐300 appeared to affect early embryonic development before activation of the embryonic genome. In all, the study confirmed for the first time that FST plays a role in promoting early embryonic development in pigs, which differed with different FST subtypes. FST‐300 could facilitate the initial cleavage time and improve the blastocyst formation rate, and FST‐315 could improve the blastocyst quality.     

宁夏某猪场猪流行性腹泻紧急流行病学调查

2017年5月10日,宁夏回族自治区动物疾病预防控制中心接到青铜峡市某规模化猪场发生大规模腹泻的报告。经流行病学调查和实验室检测,确定猪流行性腹泻病毒是导致该猪群发生大规模腹泻的主要原因,生物安全管理水平不高、运输车辆或人员进场管理不严是疫病传入的主要风险因素;场内管理不严是疫情扩散的原因。按照调查建立的病因假设,采取了针对性防控措施,包括对猪场的入场清洗消毒设施等进行升级改造,加强饲养管理等。半年内该场未再发生大规模猪腹泻疫情。     

我国陆生动物疫病检测诊断技术标准化发展分析

动物疫病检测和诊断类标准是检测和判断动物疫病的主要依据。本文梳理了我国动物疫病检测和诊断技术标准的建设现状,并将其与我国《一、二、三类动物疫病病种名录》以及OIE《陆生动物疫病诊断和疫苗手册》和《中华人民共和国进境动物检疫疫病名录》中的陆生动物疫病目录进行对比。分析发现:我国动物疫病检测和诊断技术标准体系对我国一、二、三类动物疫病的覆盖率为92.6%,其中80%的标准有PCR和(或)ELISA检测方法 ;对OIE陆生动物疫病诊断和疫苗手册名录疫病的覆盖率为88.3%,其中73%的标准有PCR和(或)ELISA检测方法 ;对我国进境动物检疫名录疫病的覆盖率为87.7%,其中73%的标准有PCR和(或)ELISA检测方法。由此提出了提高我国动物疫病检测和诊断技术标准覆盖率,强化快速诊断检测技术标准化建设的建议。