This review provides an in-depth analysis of vitamin E’s multifaceted role in swine nutrition, incorporating both traditional insights and contemporary research. It begins with an exploration of vitamin E from an evolutionary perspective, followed by a detailed examination of its absorption, metabolism, and excretion in swine. The review emphasizes the micronutrient’s critical functions in swine physiology, particularly its antioxidant properties and its emerging links to epigenetics, which include deoxyribonucleic acid methylation, histone modification, and noncoding ribonucleic acid regulation. The interactions of vitamin E with other dietary components are discussed, along with established nutritional requirements and current recommendations for supplementation. Additionally, the health benefits and performance improvements associated with vitamin E are presented, emphasizing its importance in immune function, growth, and meat quality. Despite extensive research, the review identifies gaps in understanding the bioavailability and long-term impacts of different vitamin E isoforms and supra-nutritional supplementation levels. It concludes with a discussion of research gaps and future directions, particularly the need for studies on the long-term effects of high-dose vitamin E supplementation and the influence of environmental factors on its metabolism. Through this comprehensive synthesis, this study aims to provide a holistic understanding of vitamin E’s essential contributions to swine health and nutrition, with the goal of informing better dietary practices and enhancing swine productivity.
To address the escalating challenge of food scarcity and the associated conflicts between human and animal consumption, it is imperative to seek alternative resources that can substitute for traditional feed. Non-grain feed (NGF) raw materials represent a category of biomass resources that are distinct from grains in their composition. These materials are characterized by their high nutritional content, cost-effectiveness, ample availability, and consistent supply, which contribute to their significant economic potential. Nonetheless, the extensive application of NGF is currently hindered by several limitations, including a high concentration of antinutritional factors, suboptimal palatability, and an offensive odor, among other shortcomings. The synergistic fermentation of probiotics and enzymes (SFPE) is an innovative approach that integrates the use of a diverse array of enzymes during the feed fermentation process, as well as various strains of probiotics throughout the feed digestion process. This method aims to enhance the nutritional value of the feed, diminish the presence of antinutritional factors, and improve the overall palatability, thereby facilitating the optimal utilization of NGF. This strategy holds the promise of not only replacing conventional feed options but also mitigating the pressing issue of grain scarcity. This paper delves into the practical applications of NGF and presents an overview of the latest research advancements in SFPE fermentation techniques, which can provide cutting-edge and valuable reference for researchers who devote themselves to research in this field in the future.
Aeromonas hydrophila infection is one of the key factors limiting tilapia production, and antibiotics play important roles in the control of diseases. This study evaluated the effectiveness of florfenicol (FFC) when administered orally at the therapeutic dose of 15 mg/kg fish biomass/day for 10 days against A. hydrophila infection in Oreochromis niloticus in terms of survival, changes in haemato-biochemistry, erythrocyte morphology, and histoarchitecture of the vital organs. A. hydrophila was moderately virulent to tilapia with an LD50 of 1.15 × 107 cells/fish. When challenged, it caused systemic infection in fish. The challenged fish were lethargic, wandered around the corners, rested at the bottom, swam vertically, and darkly pigmented. The FFC therapy effectively reduced bacteria-induced mortalities and physiological stress as the measured haemato-biochemical parameters indicated. The histopathological findings suggested alterations in tissue architecture of the kidney and liver tissues, which improved in the treated fish. Erythrocytes of the challenged fish showed elongated, irregularshaped, tear-drop-shaped, crenated, and hypochromic erythrocytes, ragged cytoplasmic membranes, vacuolation, hypertrophied nucleus, and eccentric nucleus. These morphological alterations were reduced with FFC therapy. Compared to the untreated group, the FFC treatment normalized the haemato-biochemical parameters, improved wound healing, and promoted fish recovery against bacterial infections. The results hinted at the effectiveness of FFC against A. hydrophila infection in O. niloticus juveniles at the therapeutic dose. However, care must be taken for its judicious aquacultural application to avoid its negative impacts on fish, the environment, and consumers.
To meet the requirements of the modern chicken industry, high levels of productivity and efficient feed conversion are necessary. This can be partially accomplished by using particular feed additives. The prohibition of antibiotic usage has compelled researchers to explore alternative options to antibiotics. Organic acids and their salts are commonly employed in poultry farming as substitutes for antibiotic growth promoters. These compounds are distinguished by the presence of a carboxylic acid group and are classified as weak acids. They function as intermediates in the degradation of amino acids, sugars, and fatty acids. Organic acids encompass a wide range of chemical substances that are commonly found naturally as fundamental constituents of animal tissues, plants, and microorganisms. Organic acids decrease the pH of the intestinal tract, promoting the growth of beneficial microorganisms. This enhances the digestion of nutrients and increases immunity in chickens, eliminating the need for antibiotics. This review provides an overview of recent research findings regarding the antimicrobial effect of organic acids and the impact of organic acids on growth performance, intestinal health, and carcass and organ characteristics of broiler chickens.
The growth and development of sheep late fetal skeletal muscle undergoes significant changes. However, the specific mechanism remains unknown. In this study, we performed the comprehensive analysis of transcriptome and proteome of Chinese Merino sheep at embryonic ages Day85 (D85N), Day105 (D105N), and Day135 (D135N) by the tandem mass tags (TMT) and RNA-seq methods. Totally 717, 1253, and 1873 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in the three comparison groups (D85N vs. D105N, D105N vs. D135N, and D85N vs. D135N). Among which 7, 80, and 162 DEGs were identified with the same trends at mRNA and protein levels in the three groups. Enrichment analysis showed that 7 genes with same trends in D85 vs. D105 have not been enriched in any pathways, which indicated that the development of skeletal muscle underwent significant changes with post-transcription regulation during this period. These genes with same trends in D105N vs. D135N were mainly enriched in the pathways related to skeletal muscle metabolism and maturation, including oxidative phosphorylation, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, tight junction, and HIF-1 pathways, which indicated that the development of skeletal muscle tended to maturation during this period. These results provided evidence for ovine late fetal skeletal muscle fibers development from proliferating to thickening at simultaneous transcriptional and translational levels.
Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) is the central hormone of the mammalian reproductive system. It targets the FSH receptor (FSHR), a member of the G protein-coupled receptor family, to induce the FSH signal transduction. In the highly prolific Jintang black goat, gonadotropin level is not higher than that of Boer goat. However, two isoforms of FSHRs (FSHRA and FSHRB), generated from the alternative splicing of the same primary FSHR transcript, were expressed in the reproductive organs of Jintang black goat simultaneously. The mRNA level of FSHRB is 45.89, 3.80, and 13.81 times greater than that of FSHRA in the hypothalamus, pituitary, and ovary of the Jintang black goat, respectively. We found that FSHRA could interact with FSHRB protein, leading to augment of the FSH signaling transduction pathway. The enhancement of FSH signaling could increase the in vitro oocyte maturation rate. It implied that this might be the important reason for the high prolificacy in Jintang black goat.
Hemp forage (HF) seems a suitable forage for ruminants for its high nutritional value and rich phytochemicals that exert health and growth-promoting activities. We investigated the effects of hemp-related phytochemicals on rumen and plasma metabolism using metabolome when partially substituting alfalfa hay with HF in goat diets. Numbers of differential metabolites linearly increased with increasing HF substituting rate, approximately 50% of which were phytochemicals. Metabolic pathway enrichment analysis showed that the inclusion of HF greatly promoted steroid hormone biosynthesis, one carbon pool by folate, and retinol metabolism pathways in both rumen and plasma, which are beneficial for promoting animal health and well-being and enhancing the quality of animal products. Some phytochemicals showed inhibitory activities on the growth of certain ruminal bacteria; meanwhile, the detected intermediate metabolites indicated degradation of the phytochemicals by ruminal microbes. These phytochemicals work individually and synergistically to alter ruminal and plasma metabolic pathways, thus exerting benefits in promoting the health and wellbeing of animals.
Fatty liver syndrome (FLS) poses a threat to the poultry industry due to its high occurrence and mortality rate. Folic acid (FA) is a coenzyme crucial for one-carbon metabolism. However, the mechanism by which FA mitigates FLS in laying hens remains elusive. In this study, 60 21-week-old Hy-Line Brown layers were divided into three groups: the Control (Con) group, the dexamethasone (DXM) group, and the DXM + FA group. Results showed that liver index was significantly increased in the DXM group. H&E and oil red O staining showed the accumulation of lipid droplets in the liver was intensified, confirming the successful establishment of an early fatty liver model without inflammation. FA significantly reversed hepatic lipid deposition, and 57 differentially expressed genes affected by FA were identified in the transcriptome analysis. Their transcriptional and translational levels indicate that in the early FLS, insulin-like growth factor 2/phosphatidylinositol- 3-kinase/protein kinase B pathway related to lipid metabolism was activated; folate cycling was inhibited, while endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and apoptosis-related protein abundance were elevated. Dietary FA enhanced the folate circulation, reduced lipogenesis and ER stress, and apoptosis-related protein expression, thereby mitigating the lipid metabolism disturbance in FLS. Metabolomics identified 151 differential metabolites involved in early FLS occurrence, 34 of which were reversed by FA. Metabolites were also enriched in pathways related to lipid metabolism and hepatic damage. Collectively, these findings can be concluded that FA can alleviate early FLS by affecting lipogenesis, ER stress and apoptosis, which may be mediated by enhanced folate metabolism.
Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is one of the most severe swine diseases in the pig industry. The identification of biomarkers for PRRSV infection is valuable for controlling, eliminating, and treating PRRSV. This study utilized the ultra-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry metabolite profiling platform to identify differential metabolites in exosomes between the control and NADC30-like PRRSV strain infected pigs. Using multivariate analysis combined with univariate analysis, unsupervised principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis models were constructed between the groups. A total of 41 differential metabolites were detected, with 14 upregulated and 27 downregulated metabolites with PRRSV infection. MetaboAnalyst and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes andGenomes were used to identify potentially relevant significant pathways, and a receiver operating characteristic curve was used to quantify the predictive performance of differential metabolites. The results indicated that tryptophan-related Lkynurenine, 5-hydroxytryptophan, and D (+)-tryptophan significantly increased among PRRSV infected groups, which may play an important role in the progression of PRRSV infection. Metabolites related to amino acid synthesis and metabolism, including 2-arachidonoylglycerol Lysopcs and phosphatidylcholines may also contribute to the lack of immune protection in piglets after PRRSV infection. Moreover, L-kynurenine and taurocholic acid may serve as potential biomarkers for early diagnosis or drug targeting of PRRSV. Overall, these findings provide an important reference to our understanding of PRRS pathogenesis and immune or protective responses during PRRSV acute infection in the host.