Dietary choline, betaine and lecithin mitigates endosulfan-induced stress in Labeo rohita fingerlings

A five-week experiment was conducted to delineate stress-mitigating effects of three different methyl donors in Labeo rohita fingerlings subjected to endosulfan toxicity. Four iso-nitrogenous and iso-caloric feed were prepared with and without supplementation of methyl donors. The feed were basal or control diet (i.e., without methyl donor supplementation), feed supplemented with choline, feed supplemented with betaine and feed supplemented with lecithin. Two hundred and twenty-five fishes were distributed randomly in five treatment groups each with three replicates. The experimental setup were normal water (without endosulfan) and fed with control diet (control group), endosulfan-treated water and fed with control diet (T₁), endosulfan-treated water and fed with choline supplemented feed (T₂), endosulfan-treated water and fed with betaine supplemented feed (T₃) and endosulfan-treated water and fed with lecithin-supplemented feed (T₄). The level of endosulfan in endosulfan treated water was maintained at the level of 1/10 of LC₅₀, that is, 0.2 ppb. During the experiment, growth performances, metabolic enzyme activity and histological examination were done to assess the effect of treatments. The growth performance (percentage weight gain, feed conversion ratio, specific growth rate and protein efficiency ratio) and nutrient digestibility were significantly different (P<0.01) in lecithin, betaine and choline fed group when compared to endosulfan-exposed group fed with basal diet. The liver LDH and MDH activity were significantly (P<0.01) improved in the groups fed with methyl donor supplemented diet. The liver AST and ALT, brain AChE and muscle ALT did not change with supplementation in the diet, but muscle ALT and G6PDH significantly (P<0.01) changed with supplementation. The gill and liver ATPase and intestinal ALP were significantly (P<0.01) noticeably changed in supplemented group. After endosulfan exposure, histopathology alter like slight large vacuolation in hepatocyte and lipoid vacuole were observed and with supplementation normal appearance of liver were observed. The chromosome aberration (karyotype) was observed in endosulfan-exposed group. The result obtained in present study concluded that inclusion of methyl donors, particularly lecithin and betaine, in feed as nutritional supplements has a potential stress-mitigating effect in L. rohita fingerlings.

[Modification of the lipid component of bacterial membranes by the introduction of lipotropic compounds into lyophilized cells]

In order to elucidate potentialities of modifying the lipid component of bacterial membranes, lyophilized cells of M. lysodeikticus, E. coli and other bacteria were treated by hydrophobic compounds dissolved in the organic solvent, with the latter subsequently removed by evaporation or freezedrying prior to cell rehydration. The data obtained by means of spin-probes, fluorescent spectroscopy, electron microscopy, photoreactive label and other methods suggest that following bacteria rehydration at least part of the substance occurs in the membrane structures. The amount of the substance involved in bacterial cells depends on the type of compound and on whether bacterial cells belong to gram-positive or gram-negative microorganisms: the substance content of the latter is greater than of the former.

An amino acid diet supporting superior growth in mice

A diet containing, as a source of nitrogen, a mixture of purified L-amino acids simulating the amino acid composition of a successful diet containing vegetable and milk proteins was fed to mice in a 3% agar gel. This diet, at 17% amino acids, supported better growth of young male animals during a 21-day period than did the same assortment of amino acids at 23% of the diet, a commercial mouse food or the same basic diet containing a different assortment of amino acids from a published diet developed for rats. Cystine was removed from the diet, which contained 0.317% methionine and no choline, and this diet, fed for 52 days, continued to support growth and produced no microscopic evidence of fatty liver.

[Further comment on the lipotropic action of niacin]

An investigation into the total lipids, fatty acids, total phospholipids and ATP content in the liver of rats given nicotinamide, separately and together with hydrocortisone, showed that the disclosed shifts mutually correlate well and may be explained in keeping within the bounds of the idea as to the lipotropic action of the preparations. The coincidence of the corticosteroids and nicotinamide effects in regards to mobilization of lipids and their oxidation in the liver presumes a hormonal causation of shifts on the level of lipids metabolism.

Nutrition and experimental carcinogenesis: a review

Restriction of the total diet or the number of calories fed to rats and mice inhibits the formation of tumors in several tissues. Unless animals are fed equivalent levels of food, or attain equivalent body weights, it is difficult to assess the significance of the effect of other nutritional modifications on carcinogenesis. The effects of altering the levels of protein or fat are much less than those seen with dietary restriction. Feeding a protein-free diet is tolerated for a limited period and can alter the metabolism of carcinogens. It may thus affect the tumor incidence induced by one-shot carcinogens. Vitamins have specific effects on the activity of certain carcinogens, the fullest information being available for vitamin A, which has been shown to inhibit or enhance carcinogenesis, and vitamin C, which by reducing sodium nitrite, prevents nitrosation of secondary and tertiary amines occurring in acidic conditions of the stomach. Inorganic substances, such as iodine (thyroid) and copper (liver), may affect the tumor incidence in specific tissues. The metabolic activation of carcinogens is modified by enzyme induction and the administration of antioxidants. The relevance of these results to the induction of cancer in humans is briefly discussed.

Variable effects of a lipotrope-deficient, high-fat diet on chemical carcinogenesis in rats

Earlier studies demonstrated enhanced chemical carcinogenesis in the liver, colon, and probably esophagus of male rats that were fed a lipotrope-deficient, high-fat diet. In further experiments, designed to examine the range of the dietary effect on chemical carcinogenesis, rats were fed either the marginally lipotrope-deficient, high-fat diet or an adequate control diet, and treated wit- N-2-fluorenylacet-amide, 3,3 diphenyl-3-diemthylcarbamoyl-1-propyne, N-methyl-N-nitroso-N'-nitroguanidine, N-[4-(5-nitro-2-furyl)-2-thiazolyl]formamide, aflatoxin G1, or ethionine. N-2-Fluorenylacetamide indiced hepatocarcinomas more rapidly and in higher incidence in deficient rats than in control rats. 3,3-Diphenyl-3-dimethylcarbamoyl-1-propyne induced a higher incidence of hepatocarcinomas but not gastric tumors in deficient rats. Aflatoxin B1, included as a positive control, was significantly more hepatocarcinogenic in deficient rats. Gastric tumor induction by N-methyl-N-nitroso-N'-nitroguanidine and induction of tumors of the urinary bladder by N-[4-(5-nitro-2-furyl)-2thiazylyl]formamide were not influenced by diet. Aflatoxin G1 and ethionine were toxic to deficient rats, and carcinogenic doses could not be administered.

Nutrition and immunological responsiveness. T-cell function in the offspring of lipotrope and protein-deficient rats

The progeny of mothers subjected to marginal lipotrope or moderately low protein diets exhibit deficient humoral immune responses. Serum antibody titres and numbers of antibody-forming cells to sheep erythrocytes (SRBC) are lower in the offspring of mothers whose diets were limited in either percentage protein or percentage lipotropes than in offspring whose mothers were fed a complete diet. Immune lymphocyte stimulation by SRBC antigens was marginal and not measurably different between the progeny of malnourished mothers and controls.

The in vitro response of spleen cells from offspring of nutritionally deprived mothers to the T-cell mitogen phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) is considerably less than that of controls. Thymus cells from marginal lipotrope offspring respond well to PHA, suggesting that PHA-reactive cell migration may be inhibited in these animals.

These results, obtained using a T-dependent antigen (SRBC) and a T-dependent mitogen (PHA), support the conclusion that maternal dietary deficiency can adversely affect T-cell function in rat offspring.

Animal model: fatty liver and cirrhosis in lipotrope-deficient male rats

Images

Effects of severe and marginal lipotrope deficiency on response of postnatal rats to infection

Female rats were fed from weaning on 1 of 4 different diets varying in lipotrope content (I, deficient; II, marginal; III, moderate; and IV, complete). Offspring littered to these dams were divided into 2 groups at weaning, one of which was continued on the mothers' diet; the other was fed the complete diet (IV). Birth and weaning weights were low in dietary groups I and II, and when the rats were infected with Salmonella typhimurium at about 100 days after weaning, mortality was high in these 2 groups. A switch to diet IV at weaning corrected body weight in groups II and III but not in group I, and decreased mortality in group III but not in groups I and II. Although clinical evidence of deficit induced by maternal deficiency during prenatal and lactation periods was largely eliminated by post-weaning supplementation in group II, biochemical defects were not corrected, as was shown by mortality, serum proteins, and blood cell counts. Results of this study support the hypothesis that maternal nutritional deficiency in lipotropic factors can predispose offspring to infection much later in life even though they appear to be in good clinical condition. These findings are discussed in light of their possible relevance to nutritional problems of some population segments in developing countries.