Sulfated ferulic acid is the main in vivo metabolite found after short-term ingestion of free ferulic acid in rats

The bioavailability of ferulic acid (FA; 3-methoxy-4-hydroxycinnamic acid) and its metabolites was investigated in rat plasma and urine after an oral short-term ingestion of 5.15 mg/kg of FA. Free FA, glucuronoconjugates, and sulfoconjugates were quickly detected in plasma with a peak of concentration found 30 min after ingestion. Sulfoconjugates were the main derivates ( approximately 50%). In urine, the cumulative excretion of total metabolites reached a plateau 1.5 h after ingestion, and approximately 40% were excreted by this way. Free FA recovered in urine represented only 4.9 +/-1.5% of the native FA consumed by rats. Glucuronoconjugates and sulfoconjugates represented 0.5 +/- 0.3 and 32.7 +/- 7.3%, respectively. These results suggested that a part of FA incorporated in the diet was quickly absorbed and largely metabolized in sulfoconjugates before excretion in urine.     

Antioxidant activity of malt rootlet extracts

To improve the malt rootlet value, the antioxidant potentialities of this byproduct of the malting industry have been analyzed. Three extracts have been considered from the points of view of dry matter yield, level of antioxidant compounds, and efficiency and cost of the extraction protocols. They respectively contain rootlet oil, free phenolic compounds, and bound phenolic compounds. The rootlet oil contains only a low quantity of tocopherols (respectively, 20.6 and 4.2 microgram of alpha-tocopherol and gamma-tocopherol per gram of dry rootlets), and a weak antioxidant activity, evaluated in a stripped corn oil by following spectrophotometrically the conjugated dienes, has been pointed out. The bound compound extract presents a good antioxidant power mainly due to the presence of trans-ferulic and trans-p-coumaric acids, but the dry matter yield is low (2%). The free compound extract has a good antioxidant power, and the valuable dry matter, mainly composed of proteins (52%), sugars (33%), and reducing compounds (5.5%), has a yield of 12%. The mixing of bound and free compound extracts presents an antagonistic effect on the antioxidant power, but a synergistic effect has been pointed out for the mixing of alpha-tocopherol and free compound extract.     

Occurrence and molecular analysis of Campylobacter in wildlife on livestock farms

Wildlife harbor a variety of Campylobacter spp. and may play a significant role in the transmission of Campylobacter to livestock. Although studies have been conducted on wildlife-associated Campylobacter isolates from farms in other countries, there are little data available for livestock farms in the United States. In addition, the critical questions of whether wildlife harbor Campylobacter that is pathogenic to ruminants and/or antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter have yet to be addressed. We captured wild small mammals (n=142) and small birds (n=188) at livestock farms in central Iowa and sampled them for thermophilic Campylobacter during autumn 2009, spring 2010, and autumn 2010. Overall prevalence was 4.79%, with isolates found only in wild birds. Molecular typing revealed four multilocus sequence types (STs), three of which are novel. The remaining ST (ST-806) was found in two house sparrows and is an ST previously associated with ruminant abortion cases. Further analysis of ST-806 wild bird and ruminant abortion isolates by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, resistance gene location, and antibiotic susceptibility tests indicated that the isolates are nearly identical. This is the first account of isolation of Campylobacter types from wild birds that are known to be pathogenic to ruminants. Furthermore, these same two wild bird isolates are resistant to the antibiotic fluoroquinolone. Our results indicate there is an overall low prevalence of Campylobacter in selected wildlife in Iowa, but suggest that wildlife may play a role in the epidemiology of pathogenic Campylobacter for domestic livestock, and may also serve as a reservoir for antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter.     

Pesticide residues in the total diet in Canada. III—1971

Foods, representing an average Canadian diet, were cooked, grouped by type of product and made into composites which were then analysed for organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticides and arsenic. The amounts found were at a consistently low level and would contribute approx. 22 μg total pesticide residues and 25 μg arsenic/person/day.     

Initiation of carp spermatozoa motility and early ATP reduction after milt contamination by urine

Fish sperm collected by stripping males is frequently contaminated by urine. In this study, carp milt mixed with urine (0.5–7.5% of volume) was studied in order to evaluate the changes of some motility parameters (percentage of motile spermatozoa, velocity and beat frequency) and the ATP content of spermatozoa. In the absence of urine contamination, spermatozoa had an ATP content in the range of 8–9 nmol/10⁸ spermatozoa, an initial velocity of 100–160 μm s⁻¹ and a flagellar beat frequency around 30–50 Hz, 10 s after a 1/2000 dilution in an activating medium (45 mM NaCl, 5 mM KCl, 30 mM Tris–HCl, pH 8.0, osmolality <160 mosM kg⁻¹). In contrast, when milt was contaminated with 7.5% of urine for 1 h, the ATP content was 4–5 nmol/10⁸ spermatozoa and most spermatozoa had low initial velocity (30–100 μm s⁻¹) and flagellar beat frequency (10–30 Hz). It appears that the low osmolality of urine was responsible for the degradation in the quality of carp spermatozoa by an early activation in the collecting tube which induced an early reduction of the intracellular ATP store. From a practical point of view, milt contamination by urine during stripping can be avoided by first pressing the abdomen before sampling and then collecting the remaining urine by means of a catheter introduced into the urinary bladder.     

Bound ferulic acid from bran is more bioavailable than the free compound in rat

Ferulic acid (FA) is reported as a good antioxidant absorbed by human or rat but only few data deal with the influence of the food matrix on its bioavailability and with its potential protection against cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Wheat bran is used as a source of ferulic acid, the compound being mainly bound to arabinoxylans of the plant cell walls. Pharmacokinetic profiles of FA and its metabolites are established in rats. Free and conjugated FA quickly appear in plasma, reach a plateau 1 h after intake and remain approximately constant at 1 microM up to 24 h. 2.3% of FA are eliminated in urine. Compared with results obtained after intake of free FA, the presence of FA-arabinoxylans bonds in the food matrix increases the occurrence time of FA in the organism and decreases the level of urinary excretion in 24 h. Nevertheless, sulfated FA is still the main plasmatic form. The antioxidant activity of plasmas of rats fed with a standard diet (containing no FA), pure ferulic acid (5.15 mg FA/kg bw) or bran (4.04 mg FA/kg bw) are measured in an ex vivo test using AAPH as free radical inducer. Plasmas of rats fed with bran show a better antioxidant activity than the control group and the pure FA supplemented group, increasing the resistance of erythrocytes to hemolysis by factors of 2 and 1.5, respectively. These results show the good bioavailability of FA from bran and its potential efficiency to protect organism against pathology involving radical steps of development.     

Antimicrobial susceptibility of canine Clostridium perfringens strains from Switzerland

Fifty Clostridium perfringens strains were isolated from individual dogs with acute diarrhoea that were not given antibiotics. Toxin types and minimal inhibitory concentrations of 15 antibiotics were determined for each of them. All strains harboured the alpha-toxin gene, 12 of them had both the alpha- and entero-toxin gene and 5 had both the alpha- and beta2-toxin gene. Eighteen percent of the isolates showed resistance to tetracycline and 54 % showed decreased susceptibility to metronidazole which is one of the most frequently used antibiotics in the treatment of canine diarrhoea. Apart from that, all isolates were susceptible to the remaining antibiotics tested. These findings lead to the conclusion that despite a general susceptibility to antibiotics in C. perfringens, resistance is developing in isolates from dogs. Therefore, careful identification of the pathogenic agent and antibiotic susceptibility testing should be performed prior to therapy in order to minimise further selection of antibiotic resistance.     

A LAT mutation that inhibits T cell development yet induces lymphoproliferation

Mice homozygous for a single tyrosine mutation in LAT (linker for activation of T cells) exhibited an early block in T cell maturation but later developed a polyclonal lymphoproliferative disorder and signs of autoimmune disease. T cell antigen receptor (TCR)-induced activation of phospholipase C-gamma1 (PLC-gamma1) and of nuclear factor of activated T cells, calcium influx, interleukin-2 production, and cell death were reduced or abrogated in T cells from LAT mutant mice. In contrast, TCR-induced Erk activation was intact. These results identify a critical role for integrated PLC-gamma1 and Ras-Erk signaling through LAT in T cell development and homeostasis.