1,720,974 research outputs found
Cell turnover and gene activities in sheep mammary glands prior to lambing to involution
No full textMammary glands are special tissue characterized by proliferation of the epithelium, during puberty and pregnancy and by programmed cell death, during involution. In this study, apoptosis was identified by TUNEL staining and then related to cell proliferation, as determined by Ki-67 staining. The apoptotic index was at its highest at 8 days of involution, whereas the proliferation index was at its highest during lactation. Caspase-3 was immunolocalised only in mast cells and along the basal membrane in the mammary tissue at -10 days from lambing, 150 days of lactation and at 8 days of involution. This finding could indicate that caspase-3 is not involved in sheep mammary gland apoptosis, but that other proteins - such as apoptosis inducing factor (AIF) - can trigger apoptosis, through the mitochondrial pathway, in a caspase-independent manner. The expression of genes involved in the regulation of lactation and apoptosis was also investigated and determined relatively to -10 days from lambing. The relative expression level of LALBA, reached its maximum during lactation, whereas the expressions of BCL2, BCL2L1, BAX, STAT5A, STAT3, IGFBP5 and FOXO3A, increased significantly during involution in correlation with apoptotic index. This work shows for the first time the turnover of mammary cells and the interaction of their signals during the complete lactation cycle in sheep. The data on gene expression can contribute to elucidate the mechanisms controlling milk production and cell turnover in this specie
An oral, low-dose interferon alpha treatment can modulate the stress of early weaning in pigs.
No full textActivity of plant wastes on acute phase proteins in cows
Full text linkThe effect of two patented protected plants wastes (PW), named in the paper as PE and CO, has been evaluated in dairy heifers under ACTH challenge. The experimental protocol used for each compound involved 3 groups of 5 heifers, 18 days of adaptation to the experimental diets and 5 days (22-26) of ACTH treatment (0.5 mg of Synachten – Novartis - twice a day). In addition to the basal diet, 1 kg of a mixture of dehy beet pulp and PW in the ratio of 1.0:0.0 (EXP-0), 0.1:0.9 (EXP-1) and 0.3:0.7 (EXP-2) was fed in the morning meal to the experimental groups. Blood was sampled before (days 19 and 22) and during (days 24 and 26) ACTH treatment and analysed for cortisol, glucose, ceruloplasmin and haptoglobin. Acute phase proteins increased in the EXP-1 group for PE (P<0.01) and in EXP-2 group for CO (P<0.05), while the higher concentration of CO reduced haptoglobin concentration (P=0.01). These results suggest that the efficacy of PW integration is dose dependent and the optimal dose seems to be different between the 2 selected compounds
Benessere animale e riflessi sulla qualità delle produzioni
No full textLe ricerche mirate a definire indicatori oggettivi di condizioni di stress e gli effetti sulle funzioni degli animali di allevamento rappresentano uno degli obiettivi
prioritari delle produzioni animali, in quanto rispondono ad esigenze normative comunitarie, ad un miglioramento dell’efficienza degli allevamenti e ad aspettative dell’opinione pubblica.In questa rassegna sono raccolte alcune recenti esperienze che indicano come alcuni fattori alimentari e di allevamento siano in grado di condizionare la risposta
biologica dei ruminanti da latte, ovini e bovini, e di influire quindi sulla qualità della vita degli animali e i riflessi che sulla qualità delle produzioni lattiero
casearie.La complessità delle risposte dei sistemi biologici ad eventi ambientali di diverso tipo ed intensità, indica la necessità di un approccio multidisciplinare, in grado di integrare conoscenze di base, tipiche delle scienze biologiche, con quelle della fisiologia, della nutrizione e dei sistemi di allevamento
A technique to screen plant extracts for anti-inflammatory activity on ovine neutrophils
Full text linkThe effect of two patented protected plants wastes (PW), named in the paper as PE and CO, has been
evaluated in dairy heifers under ACTH challenge. The experimental protocol used for each compound involved 3
groups of 5 heifers, 18 days of adaptation to the experimental diets and 5 days (22-26) of ACTH treatment (0.5 mg
of Synachten – Novartis - twice a day). In addition to the basal diet, 1 kg of a mixture of dehy beet pulp and PW
in the ratio of 1.0:0.0 (EXP-0), 0.1:0.9 (EXP-1) and 0.3:0.7 (EXP-2) was fed in the morning meal to the experimental
groups. Blood was sampled before (days 19 and 22) and during (days 24 and 26) ACTH treatment and analysed
for cortisol, glucose, ceruloplasmin and haptoglobin. Acute phase proteins increased in the EXP-1 group for PE
(P<0.01) and in EXP-2 group for CO (P<0.05), while the higher concentration of CO reduced haptoglobin concentration
(P=0.01). These results suggest that the efficacy of PW integration is dose dependent and the optimal dose
seems to be different between the 2 selected compounds
Modulation of ovine neutrophil function and apoptosis by standardized extracts of Echinacea angustifolia, Butea frondosa and Curcuma longa
No full textImpaired neutrophil function has been associated with increased infectious diseases in ruminants. Attachment of neutrophils to endothelium and superoxide production is critical features of their immune activity. Once the infection is cleared, programmed cell death ensures the rapid resolution of inflammation. To develop new natural therapeutics for ruminants, standard extracts of Echinacea angustifolia (PolinaceaTM), Butea frondosa and Curcuma longa (CurcuvetTM) were first evaluated on ovine neutrophil functions. CurcuvetTM strongly reduced PMA-stimulated adhesion and superoxide production. PolinaceaTM and B. frondosa extract also reduced these functions, but with less efficacy than CurcuvetTM. We analyzed the effect of extracts on spontaneous apoptosis and gene expression in neutrophils aged in vitro for up to 22 h. IL8 is critical for neutrophil recruitment and the immune response; Bcl2-related proteins, Bcl2A1 and Bax, are key regulators of neutrophil fate. Spontaneous apoptosis strongly increased in ovine neutrophils cultured for 22 h (T22), accompanied by an upregulation of IL8 and a decreased Bcl2A1:Bax ratio. CurcuvetTM stimulated spontaneous apoptosis and inhibited IL8 and Bcl2A1 gene expression at T22, whereas PolinaceaTM and B. frondosa extract inhibited spontaneous apoptosis and stimulated IL8 expression at T22. These results suggest that CurcuvetTM has antiinflammatory activity, whereas PolinaceaTM and B. frondosa have an immunomodulatory action on sheep neutrophils
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