Promotion Effect of Angelica Sinensis Extract on Angiogenesis of Chicken Preovulatory Follicles in Vitro

Chinese herb ultrafine powder supplementation improves egg nutritional value and quality in laying hens

This study evaluates the effects of dietary Chinese herb ultrafine powder (CHUP) supplementation in late-phase laying hens on the quality and nutritional values of eggs. A total of 576 Xinyang black-feather laying hens (300-day-old) were randomly allocated into eight groups for a 120-day feeding trial. Each group contained eight replicates with nine hens per replicate. The experimental groups included the control (basal diet) and different levels of CHUP groups (details in 'Materials and methods'). The results showed that the eggshell strength was increased (p < 0.05) in the L, LF, L-LF, L-T, and LF-T groups on day 60 of the trial. In addition, the plasma estradiol level in the L-LF, LF-T, and L-LF-T groups and unsaturated fatty acids concentrations in egg yolk of the CHUP groups (except LF-T group) were increased, whereas total cholesterol (T, L-LF, L-T, and L-LF-T groups) in egg yolk and the atherogenicity (T, L-T, and L-LF-T groups) and thrombogenicity (T, L-LF, L-T, and L-LF-T groups) indexes were decreased (p < 0.05) on day 60 of the trial compared with the control group. Moreover, bitter amino acids in egg albumen were decreased (p < 0.05) in the L-LF group on day 60 and the L-LF-T group on day 120 of the trial. Collectively, these findings indicate that dietary CHUP supplementation could improve eggshell quality and increase plasma reproductive hormone, fatty acid and amino acid composition, and nutritional values of eggs, especially L-LF and L-LF-T.

ErZhiTianGui Decoction alleviates age-related ovarian aging by regulating mitochondrial homeostasis and inhibiting ferroptosis

AIM

This study was designed to investigate the pharmacological effects and mechanisms of ErZhiTianGui Decoction (EZTG) for age-related ovarian aging in mice.

METHODS

This study used naturally aging mice as a model, and EZTG was used for intragastric administration. Ovarian pathological changes, as well as follicular reserve were assessed by hematoxylin and eosin staining, and serum hormone levels (anti-mullerian hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone), mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) damage marker 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine(8-OHdG), and lipid peroxidation markers glutathione(GSH) and malondialdehyde(MDA) were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) levels in ovaries were determined using flow cytometry. The levels of PINK1 and Parkin were observed using immunofluorescence staining. Mitochondrial-derived vesicles (MDVs) and mitochondrial morphology were observed using electron microscopy. Prussian blue staining was used to observe iron ion aggregation in ovarian tissue. The Iron assay kits detected total iron levels. Western blot was used to detect the expression of proteins related to mitochondrial and ferroptosis related genes.

RESULTS

After EZTG treatment, aged mice showed increased ovarian reserve, improved serum hormone levels, increased MMP, GSH levels, and decreased mitochondrial ROS, 8-OHdG, and MDA levels. Immunofluorescence staining showed decreased levels of PINK1 and Parkin, and the same trend was observed for the Western blot. Meanwhile, electron microscopy showed that EZTG improved the mitochondrial morphology in the ovaries of aged mice. EZTG also decreased the total iron and protein levels of Acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family4 (ACSL4) and increased the protein level of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) in the ovaries of aged mice.

CONCLUSIONS

EZTG can maintain PINK1/Parkin-mediated mitochondrial homeostasis, reduce the lipid peroxidation caused by the accumulation of ROS, and inhibit the occurrence of ferroptosis and delaying ovarian aging. These findings suggest that EZTG may be a promising drug for treating age-related ovarian aging in females.

Potential role of plant polysaccharides as immunostimulants in aquaculture: a review

Aquaculture is one of the primary food-producing sectors in the world that ensures human nourishment. However, aqua farmers are facing serious problems due to disease out breaks and development of antimicrobial resistance. Until now, chemical or antibiotic based strategies has been applied to control disease related concern in aquaculture. Frequent usage of antibiotics in feed or usage of disinfectant to overcome the disease may end up with negative impacts to the environment and human. Utilization of plant derived polysaccharides has been drastically increased due to their effective roles and could serve as a best replacement for chemical agents and antibiotics. In addition, plant derived compounds and plant extracts was utilized to improve the immunity, intestinal health and growth performance of aquaculturable organisms. In addition, large number of plant-based polysaccharides was utilized as immunostimulants in aquaculture. Hence, this review aims to highlight the multifunctional properties of plant-based polysaccharides in aquaculture. Moreover, advantages and different concentration of plant polysaccharides as a feed additives in aquaculture sector has been discussed herein.

Phytochemical Constituents, Folk Medicinal Uses, and Biological Activities of Genus Angelica: A Review

Genus Angelica is one of the widely distributed and well-known genera of family Umbelliferae. It is utilized mainly by Chinese and Korean populations especially in their folk medicine. Angelica comprises a lot of medicinally important phytoconstituents such as coumarins, furanocoumarins, flavonoids, essential oils, verbascosides, polysaccharides, etc. Members of this genus play important roles, namely antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-diabetic, skin-whitening, cytotoxic, hepatoprotective, and many others. This review draws attention to many species of genus Angelica with much focus on A. dahurica being one of the highly medicinally used species within this genus.

Ligusticum chuanxiong promotes the angiogenesis of preovulatory follicles (F1-F3) in late-phase laying hens

Ligusticum chuanxiong (CX) is a traditional Chinese medicine that is widely planted throughout the world. CX is one of the most important and commonly used drugs to enhance blood circulation. The preovulatory follicles in laying hens have a large number of blood arteries and meridians that feed the follicles' growth and maturation with nutrients, hormones, and cytokines. With the extension of laying time, preovulatory follicles angiogenesis decreased gradually. In this study, we studied the mechanism of CX on preovulatory follicles angiogenesis in late-phase laying hens. The results show that CX extract can increase the angiogenesis of preovulatory follicles (F1-F3) of late-phase laying hens. CX extract can promote vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) phosphorylation in preovulatory follicles theca layers, promote the proliferation, invasion and migration through PI3K/AKT and RAS/ERK signaling pathways in primary follicle microvascular endothelial-like cells (FMECs). In addition, CX extract can up-regulate the expression of hypoxia inducible factor α (HIF1α) in granulosa cells (GCs) and granulosa layers through PI3K/AKT and RAS/ERK signaling pathways, thereby promoting the secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA). In conclusion, the current study confirmed the promoting effect of CX extract on the preovulatory follicles angiogenesis, which sets the stage for the design of functional animal feed for late-phase laying hens.

Effect of Angelica Sinensis extract on the angiogenesis of preovulatory follicles (F1-F3) in late-phase laying hens

In order to form follicles and ovulate normally, there must be abundant blood vessels. Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels (AS), as a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, has the effects of tonifying the blood and activating the blood circulation. However, the effect of AS on angiogenesis in hen-follicles remains to be discovered. In this study, we identified vascular richness, granulosa layer thickness, expression of platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (CD31) and the content of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) in granulosa layers to elucidate the effect of AS extract on angiogenesis in preovulatory follicles (F1-F3) of late-phase laying hens (75 wk). Based on network pharmacology, we predicted beta-sitosterol, ferulic acid, and caffeic acid as the main active components of AS, and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF1α), vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) as hub targets of AS in angiogenesis. The intersection targets were enriched by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways, and the hub targets were verified by immunofluorescence and western blot. Molecular docking of active components with hub targets was performed and verified in vitro. The results showed that AS extract promoted angiogenesis in preovulatory follicles and increased granulosa cell layer thickness, CD31 expression and content of VEGFA. Experiments in vitro and in vivo demonstrated that AS extract promoted the expression of HIF1α and VEGFA, up-regulated the phosphorylation levels of VEGFR2. These results further demonstrated the reliability of molecular docking and network pharmacology findings. In summary, AS extract can promote angiogenesis in the preovulatory follicles in late-phase laying hens.