Methionine played a positive role in improving the intestinal digestion capacity, anti-inflammatory reaction and oxidation resistance of grass carp, Ctenopharyngodon idella, fry

Histology and transcriptomic analysis reveal the inflammation and affected pathways under 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB) exposure on grass carp

2-Methylisoborneol (2-MIB) is a common and widely distributed off-flavor compound in water. However, the toxic mechanisms of 2-MIB on aquatic organisms remain largely unexplored. In this study, grass carp larvae were exposed to different concentrations (0, 5, and 20 μg L-1) of 2-MIB for 96 h. The accumulation of 2-MIB in the dorsal muscle was measured. Histological analysis, ultrastructure observations, and transcriptomic sequencing were conducted on the liver tissues. The results showed that 2-MIB accumulated significantly in the fish muscle, with the accumulation increasing as the exposure concentration increased through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) detection. Histological and ultrastructure observations indicated that 2-MIB caused concentration-dependent inflammatory infiltration and mitochondrial damage in the liver. Transcriptomic analysis revealed lipid metabolism disorders induced by exposure to 2-MIB in grass carp. Additionally, 5 μg L-1 2-MIB affected the neurodevelopment and cardiovascular system of grass carp larvae through extracellular matrix (ECM)-receptor interaction and focal adhesion pathway. Furthermore, several pathways related to the digestive system were significantly enriched, implying that 2-MIB may impact pancreatic secretion function, protein digestion and absorption processes. These findings provide new insights into the potential toxicological mechanisms of 2-MIB.

An Innovative Approach to a Potential Neuroprotective Sideritis scardica-Clinoptilolite Phyto-Nanocarrier: In Vitro Investigation and Evaluation

The cutting-edge field of nanomedicine combines the power of medicinal plants with nanotechnology to create advanced scaffolds that boast improved bioavailability, biodistribution, and controlled release. In an innovative approach to performant herb nanoproducts, Sideritis scardica Griseb and clinoptilolite were used to benefit from the combined action of both components and enhance the phytochemical's bioavailability, controlled intake, and targeted release. A range of analytical methods, such as SEM-EDX, FT-IR, DLS, and XDR, was employed to examine the morpho-structural features of the nanoproducts. Additionally, thermal stability, antioxidant screening, and in vitro release were investigated. Chemical screening of Sideritis scardica Griseb revealed that it contains a total of ninety-one phytoconstituents from ten chemical categories, including terpenoids, flavonoids, amino acids, phenylethanoid glycosides, phenolic acids, fatty acids, iridoids, sterols, nucleosides, and miscellaneous. The study findings suggest the potential applications as a promising aspirant in neurodegenerative strategy.

The Role of Algae Extract (Ulva lactuca and Solieria chordalis) in Fishmeal Substitution in Gibel Carp (Carrassius auratus gibeilo)

The function of algae extract (AE) in fishmeal (FM) substitution with plant proteins in the diets of Gibel carp (Carrassius auratus gibeilo) was investigated during a 56-day trial. Diets 1 and 2 contained 10% FM, Diets 3 and 4 contained 5% FM, and Diet 5 and 6 contained 0% FM. In contrast, Diets 2, 4, and 6 were supplemented with 0.2% AE. The results showed that FM reduction inhibited growth performance, while AE supplementation alleviated growth inhibition. FM reduction significantly decreased the crude protein levels of the whole body, while the contents of whole-body lipids were significantly decreased with AE supplementation. There were no significant changes in ALB, ALP, ALT, AST, TP, GLU, GLU, and TC in plasma. FM reduction with AE supplementation mitigated the decrease in antioxidant capacity by heightening the activity of antioxidant enzymes and related gene expressions, which mitigated the decrease in immune capacity by affecting the expression of inflammatory factors. In summary, AE supplementation could alleviate the negative effects of FM reduction in Gibel carp.

Meta-Analysis Reveals Compositional and Functional Microbial Changes Associated with Osteoporosis

Over the past decade, the role of the gut microbiota in many disease states has gained a great deal of attention. Mounting evidence from case-control and observational studies has linked changes in the gut microbiota to the pathophysiology of osteoporosis (OP). Nonetheless, the results of these studies contain discrepancies, leaving the literature without a consensus on osteoporosis-associated microbial signatures. Here, we conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis combining and reexamining five publicly available 16S rRNA partial sequence data sets to identify gut bacteria consistently associated with osteoporosis across different cohorts. After adjusting for the batch effect associated with technical variation and heterogeneity of studies, we observed a significant shift in the microbiota composition in the osteoporosis group. An increase in the relative abundance of opportunistic pathogens Clostridium sensu stricto, Bacteroides, and Intestinibacter was observed in the OP group. Moreover, short-chain-fatty-acid (SCFA) producers, including members of the genera Collinsella, Megasphaera, Agathobaculum, Mediterraneibacter, Clostridium XIV, and Dorea, were depleted in the OP group relative to the healthy control (HC) group. Lactic acid-producing bacteria, including Limosilactobacillus, were significantly increased in the OP group. The random forest algorithm further confirmed that these bacteria differentiate the two groups. Furthermore, functional prediction revealed depletion of the SCFA biosynthesis pathway (glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid [TCA] cycle, and Wood-Ljungdahl pathway) and amino acid biosynthesis pathway (methionine, histidine, and arginine) in the OP group relative to the HC group. This study uncovered OP-associated compositional and functional microbial alterations, providing robust insight into OP pathogenesis and aiding the possible development of a therapeutic intervention to manage the disease. IMPORTANCE Osteoporosis is the most common metabolic bone disease associated with aging. Mounting evidence has linked changes in the gut microbiota to the pathophysiology of osteoporosis. However, which microbes are associated with dysbiosis and their impact on bone density and inflammation remain largely unknown due to inconsistent results in the literature. Here, we present a meta-analysis with a standard workflow, robust statistical approaches, and machine learning algorithms to identify notable microbial compositional changes influencing osteoporosis.

Effects of dietary tryptophan on the antioxidant capacity and immune response associated with TOR and TLRs/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathways in northern snakehead, Channa argus (Cantor, 1842)

Introduction

Dietary tryptophan (Trp) has been shown to influence fish feed intake, growth, immunity and inflammatory responses. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect and mechanism of Trp on immune system of juvenile northern snakehead (Channa argus Cantor, 1842).

Methods

A total of 540 fish (10.21 ± 0.11 g) were fed six experimental diets containing graded levels of Trp at 1.9, 3.0, 3.9, 4.8, 5.9 and 6.8 g/kg diet for 70 days, respectively.

Results and Discussion

The results showed that supplementation of 1.9-4.8 g/kg Trp in diets had no effect on the hepatosomatic index (HSI) and renal index (RI), while dietary 3.9 and 4.8 g/kg Trp significantly increased spleen index (SI) of fish. Dietary 3.9, 4.8, 5.9 and 6.8 g/kg Trp enhanced the total hemocyte count (THC), the activities of total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Malondinaldehyde (MDA) levels in the blood were significantly decreased by consuming 3.9 and 4.8 g/kg Trp. Fish fed with 3.0 and 3.9 g/kg Trp diets up-regulated interleukin 6 (il-6) and interleukin 8 (il-8) mRNA levels. The expression of tumor necrosis factor α (tnf-α) was highest in fish fed with 3.0 g/kg Trp diet, and the expression of interleukin 1β (il-1β) was highest in fish fed with 3.9 g/kg Trp diet. Dietary 4.8, 5.9 and 6.8 g/kg Trp significantly decreased il-6 and tnf-α mRNA levels in the intestine. Moreover, Trp supplementation was also beneficial to the mRNA expression of interleukin 22 (il-22). Additionally, the mRNA expression levels of target of rapamycin (tor), toll-like receptor-2 (tlr2), toll-like receptor-4 (tlr4), toll-like receptor-5 (tlr5) and myeloid differentiation primary response 88 (myd88) of intestine were significantly up-regulated in fish fed 1.9, 3.0 and 3.9 g/kg Trp diets, and down-regulated in fish fed 4.8, 5.9 and 6.8 g/kg Trp diets. Dietary 4.8 and 5.9 g/kg Trp significantly increased the expression of inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa B kinase beta subunit (ikkβ) and decreased the expression of inhibitor of kappa B (iκbα), but inhibited nuclear transcription factor kappa B (nf-κb) mRNA level. Collectively, these results indicated that dietary 4.8 g/kg Trp could improve antioxidant capacity and alleviate intestinal inflammation associated with TOR and TLRs/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathways.