Growth retardation affects the health and production of livestock, while overexertion can cause sudden cardiac arrest. Both cases are considered to be metabolic disorders and are detrimental to livestock production. Effective measures for relieving or treating these disorders are scarce. However, Pimpinella thellungiana H. Wolff (P. thellungiana), a medicinal herb, has been reported to relieve growth retardation and overexertion in ethnopharmacological clinical trials. This paper summarizes and classifies a total of 106 bioactive compounds that were isolated and identified from P. thellungiana, including flavonoids, simple phenylpropanoids, coumarins, volatile compounds, and simple polyphenols, and discusses its pharmaceutical benefits, including its growth-promoting, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-atherosclerotic, and hepatoprotective properties. The nutrition, metabolism, biological activities, and pharmacological effects of the principal compounds of P. thellungiana in livestock are reviewed, as well as their potential molecular targets and metabolic signaling pathways in which these compounds are involved. However, the pharmacological and toxicological effects of some compounds have not been well documented, and further investigations of the bioactive compounds are needed. Such studies are crucial for the development of natural drugs or feed additives from P. thellungiana to alleviate growth retardation and mitigate injuries from overexertion in livestock.

Grape seed proanthocyanidin (GSP) is a type of plant polyphenol with a wide variety of biological activities, such as antioxidant properties. This study investigated the effects of GSP supplementation on growth performance and meat quality in growing-finishing pigs. A total of 180 pigs (with an initial average body weight of 30.37 ± 0.66 kg) were randomly assigned to five treatments: a control diet or a control diet supplemented with GSP at 15, 30, 60, and 120 mg/kg. Each treatment group comprised six replicate pens (6 pigs per pen). Results showed that GSP supplementation linearly increased the average daily gain (P = 0.048) and quadratically decreased the feed intake to gain ratio (P = 0.049) with the lowest values at 30 and 60 mg/kg GSP. Serum concentrations of immunoglobulins (Ig) (IgA, IgG, IgM), total antioxidative capacity, catalase, and total superoxide dismutase were elevated with the peak levels at 30 mg/kg GSP (P < 0.05). Serum glutathione peroxidase increased and malondialdehyde decreased quadratically (P < 0.05), with peak and trough levels at 120 and 60 mg/kg GSP, respectively. The GSP also improved dressing percentage and muscle redness (a^*_{45 min}) with optimal levels at 30 and 60 mg/kg (P < 0.05). Additionally, GSP supplementation quadratically reduced the muscle yellowness (b^*_{24 h}) and shear force (P < 0.05), with the lowest values at 120 mg/kg. The expression level of myosin heavy chain I in muscle was quadratically increased with maximum expression at 30 and 60 mg/kg (P = 0.015). Furthermore, the expression levels of fatty acid synthase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), and glucokinase in the muscle were decreased quadratically (P < 0.05) with the lowest values at 120 mg/kg. Additionally, GSP supplementation at 60 mg/kg upregulated the expression of hepatic hormone-sensitive triglyceride lipase and PEPCK (P < 0.05). These results suggest that GSP enhances carcass characteristics and meat quality in growing-finishing pigs, potentially through improved antioxidative capacity, modified muscle fiber type distribution, and altered glucose-lipid metabolism in muscle and liver.

The current study aims to investigate the potential interaction between glycosylation profiles of the Ningxiang breed (NX) and Western Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire breed (DLY) weaned piglets, and their characteristic microbes, employing integrated analyses of transcriptomics and metagenomics. Twenty-four (12 NX and 12 DLY) at 28 days of age were transported into an experimental house and fed the same weaned piglet diet. The trail period was 7 days. Results revealed that the NX piglets had a higher growth-to-feed ratio, body weight gain scale, and lower pathological score of intestinal injury compared with the DLY piglets (P < 0.01). DLY piglets displayed elevated mRNA expression levels of MUC2 and MUC5AC in colonic mucosal tissue than NX piglets (P < 0.05). Within the O-linked glycosylated differentially expressed genes (DEGs), FNTA, GALNT18, POMGNT1, POMGNT2, and POMT1 were significantly upregulated in DLY piglets relative to NX piglets (P < 0.05). Conversely, C1GALT2, GALNT1, KMT2C, and OGT were significantly downregulated in DLY piglets compared to NX piglets (P < 0.05). The KMT2C gene was hardly expressed in the transcriptome of DLY piglets. At the phylum taxonomic level, NX piglets had a higher abundance of Firmicutes, while DLY piglets had a higher abundance of Proteobacteria. At the genus taxonomic level, NX piglets had a higher abundance of Lactobacillus, whereas DLY piglets had a higher abundance of Collinsella, Enterococcus and Escherichia. The results of the correlation between intestinal differential bacteria and O-chain glycosylated DEG showed that C1GALT2, GALNT1 and KMT2 were associated with Lactobacillus_pontis showed a positive correlation (R = 0.67). Through comparative analysis of differentially glycosylated genes and their associated functions, this study highlights the potential role of reduced expression of GALNT1 and KMT2C genes, involved in O-linked protein and glycan reactions, in impairing the intestinal barrier function of DLY piglets. Furthermore, members of the Lactobacillus and Prevotella genera may actively contribute to the regulation of piglet colon glycosylation profiles.

This study aimed to explore the effects of glutamate (Glu) supplementation on the growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality, composition of amino acids and fatty acids in the longissimus dorsi muscle, and the colonic microbial community of Shaziling pigs. A total of 48 healthy male Shaziling pigs (150 d, 31.56 ± 0.95 kg) were randomly assigned to two groups, and fed a basal diet with no supplement (control group) or supplemented with 1% Glu (Glu group) for 51 d, and 6 pigs per group were finally slaughtered. Glu significantly increased the average daily gain (P = 0.039), lean percentage (P = 0.023), and intramuscular fat (IMF) content (P = 0.015), and decreased the fat percentage (P = 0.021) of Shaziling pigs. In the muscle, Glu increased the concentrations of inosine-5′-monophosphate (P = 0.094), Fe (P = 0.002), Cu (P = 0.052), and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) (P = 0.024), and decreased the content of C18:2n6 (P = 0.011), n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-6 PUFAs) (P = 0.014), and PUFAs (P = 0.014). Moreover, Glu significantly upregulated the mRNA expression of adipogenesis-related genes (FAS, SREBP-1C) (P = 0.032, P = 0.026) and muscle growth-related genes (MyHCIIb, MyHCIIx) (P = 0.038, P = 0.019) in the muscle, and increased the relative abundance of Spirochaetota (P < 0.001) and the acetic acid content in the colon (P = 0.039). Correlation analysis indicated that the acetic acid content was positively correlated with the relative Spirochaetota abundance and the IMF content, and a negative trend with the fat percentage of Shaziling pigs. In conclusion, these results indicated that Glu could simultaneously increase the lean percentage and IMF content and decrease the fat percentage of Shaziling pigs, and these beneficial effects may be related to increased colonic Spirochaetota abundance and acetic acid concentrations.

An 8-week feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effects of replacing dietary fish oil (FO) with black soldier fly larval oil (BSFO) on growth performance, antioxidant and immune response, lipid metabolism and mitochondrial function of the juvenile mud crab. A total of 160 mud crabs (18.58 ± 0.02 g) were randomly distributed into five treatments spread across 160 aquaria. There were 4 replicates per treatment and 8 crabs per replicate. The basal diet (Control) contained 3% fish oil and fish oil was replaced with BSFO at 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% in the remaining four treatments. The results showed that when the proportion of BSFO replacing FO was less than 50%, there were no significant differences in percent weight gain (PWG), specific growth rate (SGR) and feed efficiency (FE) between the experimental and the control groups (P > 0.05); however, PWG and SGR decreased as the percentage of substitution increased from 50% to 100% (P < 0.01). When the percentage of substitution was less than 50%, the expression levels of genes related to lipid synthesis and catabolism were significantly up-regulated and down-regulated, respectively (P < 0.05). When 25% and 50% FO were replaced with BSFO, the antioxidant and immune responses enhanced (P < 0.05), and antioxidant and immune-related enzyme activities and metabolite concentrations in the hemolymph and hepatopancreas significantly increased (P < 0.05), and the concentrations of malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyl (PC), and the apoptosis index in the hepatopancreas significantly decreased (P < 0.05). Moreover, mitochondrial function indexes in the hepatopancreas, such as mitochondrial DNA copy number and expression levels of energy metabolism-related genes were significantly up-regulated (P < 0.05). Hepatopancreas mitochondria were more abundant in crabs fed diets with 25% and 50% replacement of FO with BSFO, while adenosine triphosphate content was the highest in 25% FO replacement group (P = 0.003). In summary, the results of the present study demonstrated that the replacement of FO with BSFO at less than 50% (i.e. in-feed BSFO level of 1.5%) did not negatively affect the growth performance of mud crabs, and could improve the antioxidant capacity, immune response, and enhance mitochondrial function.

The present study investigated whether replacing dietary rice straw with peanut vine (PEV) and Broussonetia papyrifera silage (BPS) reduces the use of soybean meal and explored its effects on the growth performance, blood biochemical indicators, serum metabolomics, and meat quality of fattening bulls. Forty-five Simmental crossbred bulls (initial body weight = 484.29 ± 8.49 kg) were randomly allotted into three dietary treatment groups (n = 15): (1) CON, 5% rice straw (DM basis); (2) PEV, 5% peanut vine (DM basis); and (3) BPS, 5% B. papyrifera silage (DM basis). The remaining roughage for all three treatment groups was supplemented with 25% corn silage (DM basis). The experiment lasted for 123 d, with the first 14 d serving as an adaptive period. Throughout the experiment, dietary BPS decreased the average daily dry matter intake (P < 0.001) and feed cost (P < 0.001). Serum metabolomics analysis showed that PEV affected the phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan biosynthesis pathways (P = 0.021) and lysine degradation pathway (P = 0.042), whereas BPS affected the phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis pathways (P = 0.004), lysine degradation pathway (P = 0.012), and serotonergic synapse pathway (P < 0.001). Regarding meat quality, the redness (P = 0.025) and hue angle values (P < 0.001) of the longissimus dorsi muscle were lower in the BPS group than in the CON and PEV groups. The yellowness of the longissimus dorsi muscle was lower in the BPS group than in the PEV group (P = 0.024), and the shear force was lower in the PEV group than in the BPS group (P = 0.014). However, lysine content in beef was higher in the BPS group than in the CON group (P = 0.005). In conclusion, replacing rice straw with PEV and BPS reduced the use of soybean meal but had no adverse effects on growth performance. BPS affected the amino acid metabolism of bulls, thus decreasing feed intake and increasing the lysine content in meat. The PEV group showed better meat quality than the BPS group.

Bacteroides fragilis (B. fragilis), a crucial commensal bacterium within the gut, has shown connections with hepatic lipid metabolism and inflammation regulation. Nonetheless, the role of B. fragilis in the progression of fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome (FLHS) remains unknown. This study aims to explore the ameliorative effects of B. fragilis on FLHS in laying hens, as well as its underlying mechanisms. This is the first study to employ a chicken FLHS model, combining microbiomics and oxylipin metabolomics to investigate the mechanism of action of intestinal symbiotic bacteria. Exp. 1: 40 laying hens at 25 weeks old were randomly divided into five treatment groups (eight replicates per group and one hen per replicate), including the control group (basal diet), the high-energy and low-protein (HELP) group, and the HELP group with three different levels (10⁸, 10⁹, and 10¹⁰ CFU) of B. fragilis. Exp. 2: 18 chickens at 25 weeks old were randomly divided into three treatment groups (six replicates per group and one hen per replicate) including the control group (basal diet), the model group (HELP diet), and the arachidonic acid (AA) group (HELP diet with 0.3% AA). The experiment period of Exp. 1 and Exp. 2 were 8 weeks. B. fragilis significantly improved body weight of seventh week (P = 0.006), liver lipid degeneration, blood lipid levels (triglycerides, cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; P < 0.05), and liver function (alanine aminotransferase and aminotransferase; P < 0.05) in laying hens. B. fragilis downregulated the expression of lipid synthesis-related genes fatty acid synthase, acetyl-CoA carboxylase, and liver X receptor α, and inflammation-related genes tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 in the liver of FLHS-affected hens (P < 0.05), while upregulating the expression of lipid oxidation-related genes carnitine palmitoyl transferase-1, peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR) α, and PPARγ (P < 0.05). The in-depth analysis indicated alterations in oxylipin pathways triggered by B. fragilis, as evidenced by changes in the expression of pivotal genes arachidonate 15-lipoxygenase, arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase (P < 0.05), subsequently causing modifications in relevant metabolites. This included a decrease in pro-inflammatory substances such as 15-oxoETE (P = 0.004), accompanied by an increase in AA (P = 0.008). B. fragilis regulated the homeostasis of intestinal flora by increasing the abundance of Bacteroides and decreasing the abundance of Succinatimonas and Faecalicoccus (P < 0.05). The integrated analysis revealed a robust positive correlation between Bacteroides abundance and AA levels (P = 0.007). This relationship was corroborated through in vitro experiments. Subsequently, the beneficial effect of AA in mitigating FLHS was confirmed in laying hens with FLHS, further supported by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrating gene expression patterns akin to B. fragilis intervention. This study demonstrated that B. fragilis exerts an anti-FLHS effect through modulation of oxylipin metabolism and gut microbiota stability, with a pivotal role played by AA.

Maternal inulin intake has been shown to alleviate oxidative stress in piglets, but the role of bile acids (BAs) in this process remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the roles of gut microbiota and BAs metabolism in the amelioration of intestinal oxidative stress in piglets through a maternal inulin diet. A total of 40 sows were allocated into two dietary treatments from day 85 of gestation until the end of lactation: CON (control diet) and INU (diet with 2% wheat bran replaced by inulin). An oxidative model was further established on the intestinal porcine epithelial cell-jejunum 2 cell line (IPEC-J2) to examine the effect of bacterial BAs on intestinal oxidative stress. Results showed that the maternal inulin diet promoted the average daily gain of piglets during suckling and reduced diarrhea rate during weaning (P = 0.026 and P = 0.005, respectively). Piglets from the INU group had lower serum levels of reactive oxygen species (P = 0.021), malondialdehyde (P = 0.045), along with higher serum levels of glutathione peroxidase (P = 0.027), catalase (P = 0.043), and total superoxide dismutase (P = 0.097). Compared to the CON group, maternal inulin intake increased fecal ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) by 10.84%, hyodeoxycholic acid (HDCA) by 250.64% (P = 0.026), and lithocholic acid (LCA) by 16.41% (P = 0.048) in piglets. Moreover, the fecal abundance of Ruminococcus and Christensenellaceae_R-7_group increased by 167.08% and 75.47% in INU piglets (P = 0.046 and P = 0.037, respectively). Furthermore, the in vitro study using IPEC-J2 cells demonstrated that UDCA, LCA, and HDCA attenuated intestinal oxidative stress by mediating kelch-1ike ECH-associated protein 1/nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 signaling. In conclusion, our results suggested that maternal dietary inulin intake during late gestation and lactation alleviates intestinal oxidative stress of piglets by regulating gut microbiota and BA metabolism.

Feedstuffs derived from canola, predominantly canola meals plus whole, "full-fat" canola seed, and even canola protein isolates and/or concentrates, have the potential to decrease soybean meal inclusions in diets for broiler chickens. The protein content of soybean meal exceeds that of canola meal; however, canola meal contains more methionine and cysteine in absolute and relative terms. The purpose of this review is to explore this potential as Australian chicken-meat production is uniquely positioned to take advantage of this opportunity to the extent that it can be realised. Australia harvests ample quantities of canola, the bulk of which is exported as seed; alternatively, soybean production is very limited; therefore, large quantities of soybean meal are imported as the principal source of dietary protein for broiler chickens. This importation of soybean meal is not sustainable; however, canola meal inclusions in broiler diets do not usually exceed 100 g/kg. Regression equations derived from 15 recent studies indicate that dietary inclusions of 150 g/kg solvent-extracted canola meal would compromise weight gain by 4.04% and feed conversion ratio (FCR) by 4.72%. The foremost factors driving these depressions in canola meal are probably (1) high fibre contents coupled with low energy densities and (2) the presence of glucosinolates, which may be converted into toxic metabolites including thiocyanates. Moreover, regression equations from nine studies suggest that calculated dietary glucosinolate concentrations of 2.00 μmol/g would compromise weight gain by 5.72% and FCR by 6.56%. The nutritive value of canola meal could be enhanced by improvements in canola breeding programs, processing methods in canola meal production, and dietary formulations including judicious application of exogenous enzymes. Consideration is given to these aspects in this review as any improvements would increase the extent to which canola meal can feasibly replace soybean meal in broiler diets. An additional pathway to decrease the reliance on soybean meal could be the adoption of reduced-crude protein (CP) diets containing canola meal. The combined strategy of canola meal replacing soybean meal in reduced-CP diets, if successful, would tangibly decrease soybean meal requirements in global chicken-meat production.

This study was to evaluate the effects of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) from China with different content of glucosinolate (Gls) and erucic acid (EA) on laying hens. A total of 600 laying hens at 33 wk of age were randomly divided into 5 treatments containing a control diet and 4 diets with 11.5% rapeseed. The 11.5% rapeseed diets varied in Gls and EA levels: 1) Deyou no. 6 (DY6) with Gls at 22.67 μmol/g and EA at 0.7%, 2) Mianbangyou no. 1 (MB1) with Gls at 43.23 μmol/g and EA at 3.5%, 3) Deyou no. 5 (DY5) with Gls at 74.66 μmol/g and EA at 16.20%, 4) Xiheyou no. 3 (XH3) with Gls at 132.83 μmol/g and EA at 44.60%. Each group had eight replicates and each replicate had 15 hens. The trial lasted for 12 wk with 4 wk withdrawal. From 1 to 8 wk of the trial, 11.5% rapeseed reduced average daily feed intake (ADFI) compared to the control group (P = 0.002), and egg-laying rate of XH3 rapeseed was lower than that of DY6 rapeseed (P = 0.006), and egg weight of MB1, DY5, and XH3 rapeseed were lower than that of the control group (P = 0.007). Egg mass was reduced by 11.5% rapeseed and egg mass of XH3 and DY5 rapeseed were lower than that of DY6 rapeseed (P = 0.004). Feed conversion ratio (FCR) of 11.5% rapeseed was higher than that the control group and FCR was higher in XH3 rapeseed than in DY6 rapeseed from 1 to 8 wk (P = 0.008). At wk 8, the lightness value of eggshell color of XH3 rapeseed was significantly lower than that of the control and DY5 rapeseed (P = 0.012). Xiheyou no. 3 rapeseed had a higher redness value of eggshell color than the control and MB1 and DY5 rapeseed (P = 0.008). Albumen height of DY5 rapeseed was lower than that of the control group at wk 8 (P = 0.012). Mianbangyou no. 1 and DY5 rapeseed decreased Haugh unit at wk 4 and 8, respectively (P = 0.011, P = 0.024). Serum estradiol (E2) content was decreased by 11.5% rapeseed (P = 0.003). Thyroid index increased as the Gls and EA content increased (P = 0.008). The smallest hierarchical follicle numbers of XH3 and MB1 rapeseed were lower than that of the control group (P = 0.009). After 4 wk withdrawal, the egg weight, egg mass, and FCR did not recover (P = 0.011, P = 0.033, P = 0.024, respectively). In conclusion, 11.5% rapeseed decreased egg production performance which might be caused by decreasing hormone levels, and high Gls and EA rapeseed had a lower performance than low Gls and EA rapeseed.