果寡糖和甘露寡糖对断奶仔猪免疫机能的影响

研究探讨了果寡糖和甘露寡糖对断奶仔猪免疫机能的影响。实验采用随机区组设计法将48头健康、体重一致的35日龄断奶杜洛克仔猪分为4组,每组3次重复,每个重复4头进行为期28天的饲养实验。4个处理组分别为:基础日粮 0.5%果寡糖(FOS组)、基础日粮 0.3%甘露寡糖(MOS组)、基础日粮 0.45%果寡糖 0.25%甘露寡糖(F M组)、基础日粮 75 mg/kg金霉素 40 mg/kg洛克沙生(ABT组)。实验结果表明:(1)寡糖组免疫器官指数较ABT组大(P>0.05)。(2)在断奶后第7天,FOS组(0.32±0.49)、MOS组(0.32±0.04)和F M组(0.32±0.07)均较ABT组(0.20±0.01)显著提高了血清免疫球蛋白A(IgA)的浓度(P<0.05),同时FOS组(3.50±0.49)较ABT组(2.68±0.47)显著提高了IgG浓度(P<0.05);F M组显著提高了断奶后第21天IgG浓度(P<0.05);MOS组显著提高了断奶后第21天IgM浓度(P<0.05)。(3)与ABT组相比,FOS显著提高了断奶后第7天胸腺(21.33±6.03对37.33±4.04)、脾脏(19.67±2.08对30.33±8.73)、淋巴结(24.67±4.16对37.67±2.52)CD4 T淋巴细胞百分数(P<0.05);FOS组(21.33±4.04对32.00±5.29)、MOS组(21.33±4.04对37.33±3.21)、F M组(21.33±4.04对32.00±3.60)显著提高了断奶后第28天胸腺CD4 T淋巴细胞百分数(P<0.05);MOS组(20.67±3.51对29.67±5.51)显著提高了断奶后第7天胸腺CD8 T淋巴细胞百分数;F M组(17.00±1.00对22.67±3.06)显著提高了断奶后第7天脾脏CD8 T淋巴细胞百分数(P<0.05);各寡糖组对断奶后第28天CD4 、CD8 T淋巴细胞百分数影响不显著(P>0.05);ABT组(34.33±5.03)在断奶后第7天较F M组(20.67±6.43)显著提高了淋巴结CD8 T淋巴细胞百分数(P<0.05);在断奶后第7天,FOS组(1.42±0.32)、MOS组(1.52±0.46)、F M组(1.51±0.30)淋巴结CD4 与CD8 比值显著(P<0.05)大于ABT组(0.71±0.03);在断奶后第28天,FOS组(1.36±0.21)和MOS组(1.34±0.16)脾脏CD4 与CD8 比值显著(P=0.01)大于ABT组(0.94±0.29),除此之外,各寡糖组CD4 与CD8 比值较寡糖组大(P>0.05),寡糖组间差异不显著。     

Transient Spinal Cord Ischemia in Rat: The Time Course of Spinal FOS Protein Expression and the Effect of Intraischemic Hypothermia (27°C)

1. In the present study, we characterize the time course of spinal FOS protein expression after transient noninjurious (6-min) or injurious (12-min) spinal ischemia induced by inflation of a balloon catheter placed into the descending thoracic aorta. In addition, this work examined the effects of spinal hypothermia on FOS expression induced either by ischemia or by potassium-evoked depolarization (intrathecal KCl).2. Short-lasting (6-min) spinal ischemia evoked a transient FOS protein expression. The peak expression was seen 2 hr after reperfusion in all laminar levels in lumbosacral segments. At 4 hr of reperfusion, more selective FOS expression in spinal interneurons localized in the central part of laminae V–VII was seen. At 24 hr no significant increase in FOS protein was detected.3. After 12 min of ischemia and 2 hr of reflow, nonspecific FOS expression was seen in both white and gray matter, predominantly in nonneuronal elements. Intrathecal KCl-induced FOS expression in spinal neurons in the dorsal horn and in the intermediate zone. Spinal hypothermia (27°C) significantly suppressed FOS expression after 6 or 12 min of ischemia but not after KCl-evoked depolarization.4. Data from the present study show that an injurious (but not noninjurious) interval of spinal ischemia evokes spinal FOS protein expression in glial cells 2 hr after reflow. The lack of neuronal FOS expression corresponds with extensive neuronal degeneration seen in this region 24 hr after reflow. Noninjurious (6-min) ischemia induced a transient, but typically neuronal FOS expression. The significant blocking effect of hypothermia (27°C) on the FOS induction after ischemia but not after potassium-evoked depolarization also suggests that simple neuronal depolarization is a key trigger in FOS induction.     

Isolation and characterisation of an equol-producing mixed microbial culture from a human faecal sample and its activity under gastrointestinal conditions

Only about one third of humans possess a microbiota capable of transforming the dietary isoflavone daidzein into equol. Little is known about the dietary and physiological factors determining this ecological feature. In this study, the in vitro metabolism of daidzein by faecal samples from four human individuals was investigated. One culture produced the metabolites dihydrodaidzein and O-desmethylangolensin, another produced dihydrodaidzein and equol. From the latter, a stable and transferable mixed culture transforming daidzein into equol was obtained. Molecular fingerprinting analysis (denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis) showed the presence of four bacterial species of which only the first three strains could be brought into pure culture. These strains were identified as Lactobacillus mucosae EPI2, Enterococcus faecium EPI1 and Finegoldia magna EPI3, and did not produce equol in pure culture. The fourth species was tentatively identified as Veillonella sp strain EP. It was found that hydrogen gas in particular, but also butyrate and propionate, which are all colonic fermentation products from poorly digestible carbohydrates, stimulated equol production by the mixed culture. However, when fructo-oligosaccharides were added, equol production was inhibited. Furthermore, the equol-producing capacity of the isolated culture was maintained upon its addition to a faecal culture originating from a non-equol-producing individual.     

游离及固定化果糖基转移酶部分酶学性质的比较研究

 从诱变、筛选的米曲霉GX0 0 10菌株所产生的果糖基转移酶 ,经过纯化和固定化操作分别制备游离酶和固定化酶 ,对两者的酶学性质进行了比较研究 .结果表明 ,两者在蔗糖转化为蔗果低聚糖的酶促反应中 ,最适pH为 5 5,在pH5 0～ 7 5之间酶活性相对稳定 .游离酶和固定化酶的适宜温度范围分别是 4 5～ 52℃和 4 0～ 55℃ .在 55℃保温 60min ,酶活性保存率分别是 61 6%和 87 5% .固定化酶的热稳定性提高 .0 1mmol LHg2 +和 1mmol LAg+能完全抑制游离酶的活性 ,但只能部分抑制固定化酶的活性 ,1mmol L的Ti2 +能完全抑制两者的活性 .以蔗糖为底物时 ,游离酶的米氏常数Km=2 15mmol L ,而固定化酶Km =386mmol L .游离酶只能使用一次 ,固定化酶反复使用 54次后 ,剩余活力为 55 2 % .用 55% (W V)蔗糖溶液与固定化酶在pH5 0 ,4 6℃下作用 12h ,可获得61 5% (总低聚糖 总糖 )产物 ,其中蔗果五糖含量达到 7 2 % .     

Levan-type FOS production using a Bacillus licheniformis endolevanase

In the present work we describe an enzymatic production method to obtain β2-6 fructose oligosaccharides (levan-type FOS) through a sequential reaction in which a bacterial endolevanase is applied to levan produced from sucrose by bacterial levansucrases. A putative gene encoding an endolevanase, designated as LevBl, was identified through a bioinformatics search, isolated from a strain of Bacillus licheniformis IBt1 from our own collection and expressed in Escherichia coli. LevB1 showed a specific activity of 1.8 U/mg protein at 35 °C in 50 mM phosphate buffer pH 6.0. A first order kinetic behavior was found when up to 150 g/L of low molecular weight levan (8.3 kDa) was used as the substrate. The product profile was determined by HPAEC-PAD and consisted of levan-type FOS with a polymerization degree between 2 and 8, with levanbiose as the major product after long reaction times. Yields of 97% of levan-type FOS were obtained when 1.0 U/mL of LevB1 reacted with 100 g/L of levan produced by the levansucrase from Bacillus subtilis. Finally, it was observed that levan-type FOS are efficiently fermented by probiotic lactic acid bacteria.     

LGR5 expressing skin fibroblasts define a major cellular hub perturbed in scleroderma

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Main and accessory olfactory bulbs and their projections in the brain anticipate feeding in food-entrained rats

The olfactory bulb (OB) has a circadian clock independent of the suprachiasmatic nucleus, but very little is known about the functional significance of its oscillations. The OB plays a major role in food intake as it contributes to the evaluation of the hedonic properties of food, it is necessary for a normal pattern of locomotor behavior and their ablation disrupts feeding patterns. Previously we demonstrated that OB of rabbit pups can be entrained by periodic nursing but it was not clear whether food was the entraining signal. Here we hypothesized that OB can be entrained by a food pulse during the day in adult rats under a restricted feeding schedule. Then we expect that OB will have a high activation before food presentation when animals show food anticipatory activity (FAA). To this aim we determined by immunohistochemistry the expression of FOS protein, as an indicator of neural activation, in the mitral and granular cell layers of the main and accessory OB. Additionally we also explored two of the OB brain targets, the piriform cortex (PC) and bed nuclei of the accessory olfactory tract (BAOT), in three groups: ad libitum (ALF), restricted feeding (RF), and fasted rats after restricted feeding (RF-F). In ALF group FOS levels in both main and accessory OB were low during the day and high during the night at the normal onset of the increase of activity, in agreement with previous reports. On the contrary in RF and RF-F groups FOS was high at the time of FAA, just before food presentation, when animals are in a state of high arousal and during food consumption but was low during the night. In their brain targets, we observed a similar pattern as OB in all groups with the only difference being that FOS levels remained high during the night in RF-F group. We conclude that the OB is entrained by food restriction by showing high activation at the time of food presentation, which persists during fasting and impose a similar FOS pattern to the two brain targets explored only in fed animals.