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Abstract Background Nutritional interventions with natural antioxidants can provide a pragmatic solution for modifying hens’ performance and maintaining oxidative stability of eggs during storage. Quercetin is the most abundant flavonoids with potent antioxidant and immune stimulant activities. The concept of incorporating of quercetin, as potent antioxidant and immunostimulant, into effective nano-carriers (QNPs) has promoted their bioavailability and stability thus, their effectiveness for the first time were assessed on laying hens’ performance and immunity, eggs quality during storage. Four hundred 12-weeks-old Hy-line brown laying hens were distributed to four experimental groups: control group fed basal diets, and other 3 groups fed basal diets fortified with 100, 200 and 300 mg/kg QNPs for 60 weeks. Results Laying performance and quality of laid eggs were improved as expressed by elevated laying rate, egg mass %, eggs weight and yolk weight in QNPs200 and 300. Fortification of QNPs300 remarkably decreased layers serum total cholesterol concurrently with decreased egg yolk saturated fatty acids and cholesterol while increased polyunsaturated fatty acids. Over- 45 days storage period, QNPs enhanced phospholipids, total phenolics and flavonoids, total antioxidant activity (T-AOC) simultaneous with decreased MDA content in eggs. Furthermore, enhanced immune response was detected in both in serum and intestine of QNPs fed hens as reflected by higher lysozymes activity, IgM, IgG and phagocytic index and demotion of NO together with AvBD 6–12, IL-10, IgM and ATg 5-7-12 upregulation and downregulation of IL-1β and TNF-α especially at QNPs200 and 300. Intestinal redox balance was modified via decreasing H2O2 and MDA simultaneous with upregulation of catalase, SOD, GSH-Px, HO-1 and NQO1 in groups fed higher doses of QNPs. Conclusions QNPs supplementation provides a new nutritional strategy towards increasing hen performance, fortification of eggs with natural antioxidants that prevents egg quality deterioration during storage.

Background and Aim: Artemisia annua (AA), used as a growth promoter in poultry, lowers feed costs and enhances economic efficiency. This study aimed to assess the impact of varying AA concentrations on broiler chicken growth, gene expression, and profitability. Materials and Methods: Two hundred 1-day-old male Cobb chicks were randomly allocated into four treatment groups, each containing five replicates and 10 birds. The experimental groups consisted of G1 (basal diet), G2 (basal diet with 0.3% AA), G3 (basal diet with 0.6% AA), and G4 (basal diet with 0.9% AA). The birds had continuous access to feed and water throughout the study. The experiment lasted for 42 days. we measured the growth performance (Feed intake, Life weight), carcass traits (weight after slaughter, dressed carcass, heart, gizzard, spleen, giblet and thymus weight), liver and spleen antioxidants (CAT, GSH, SOD), and gene expression of anti-inflammatory and immune- related genes. Results: The primary findings revealed that the addition of 0.6% AA had a positive impact (p < 0.05) on all investigated variables compared with the control and other groups. Dietary supplementation with 0.6% AA led to increased breast, giblet, skeleton, and total yield, and net return compared with the control group. Supplementation with AA exhibited antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunological effects through improved levels of antioxidant superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in tissue homogenates of the liver and spleen. It also upregulated the relative messenger RNA levels of anti-inflammatory interleukin (IL)-10, SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px, whereas IL-1β and tumor necrosis factor-alpha were downregulated. Conclusion: The study found that AA is a promising replacement for antibiotics in poultry farming as a growth promoter for chickens. 0.6% AA in the broiler diet yielded the best results, striking a balance between superior performance and robust economic benefits.

This study sheds the light on the potential of licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) root aqueous extract as a cornerstone for mitigating and detoxifying the residues of the widely used agricultural Glyphosate-based pesticides (GBPs). This study examined the GBPs toxic effects on kidney, liver, thyroid functions, and apoptosis using 50 adult male albino rats. All rats were divided into 5 groups, with 10 each. Control: served as untreated rats. GBP: rats were treated with 1 mL glyphosate solution 24 % orally for three weeks. The glyphosate-treated rats were gavaged with licorice root aqueous extractsolution (100, 200, and 300 mg/mLdistilled water, respectively) daily for three weeks. Licorice root aqueous extract solution (300 mg/mL distilled water) yielded notable reductions in liver, kidney enzymes, albumin, and AFP levels within the serum. Immunological tests, including immunohistochemical evaluations of caspase-3 and TNF-α expressions revealed a dose-dependent attenuation of apoptosis and inflammation with licorice intervention. This will provide a valuable perspective for agricultural practices future and paving the way for a more sustainable approach for using GBPs in animal agriculture industries.

The immunological genes that may interact with inflammatory postpartum diseases in Italian buffaloes were examined in this study. A total number of 120 female Italian buffaloes (60 normal and 60 with inflammatory reproductive diseases) were employed. Each buffalo’s jugular vein was pierced to get five milliliters of blood. To obtain whole blood and extract DNA and RNA, the blood was placed within tubes containing sodium fluoride or EDTA anticoagulants. The immunological (IKBKG, LGALS, IL1B, CCL2, RANTES, MASP2, HMGB1, and S-LZ) genes’ nucleotide sequence differences between healthy buffaloes and buffaloes affected by inflammatory reproductive diseases were found by employing PCR-DNA sequencing. According to Fisher’s exact test (p ˂ 0.01), there were noticeably different probabilities of all major nucleotide changes spreading among buffalo groups with and without reproductive problems. Buffaloes were significantly more likely to express the examined genes when they had inflammatory reproductive diseases. The outcomes might support the significance of these markers’ nucleotide variations and gene expression patterns as indicators of the prevalence of inflammatory reproductive disorders and provide a workable buffalo management policy.

The immune and antioxidant genetic factors that could converse with mastitis susceptibility in dromedary camels were looked at in this research. Of 120 female dromedary camels (60 healthy, and 60 with mastitis) were utilised. Each camel’s jugular vein was pierced to obtain five millilitres of blood. The blood was placed within tubes containing sodium fluoride or EDTA anticoagulants to obtain whole blood and extract DNA and RNA. The immunological (OTUD3, TLR2, TLR4, STAB2, MBL2, TRAPPC9, and C4A) and antioxidant (CAT, SOD3, PRDX6, OXSR1, NDUFS6, SERP2, and ST1P1) genes’ nucleotide sequence polymorphisms between healthy and mastitis affected she-camels were discovered using PCR-DNA sequencing. Fisher’s exact test revealed that camel groups with and without mastitis had noticeably different odds of all major nucleotide alterations propagating (p < 0.01). Mastitic camels were significantly more likely to express the OTUD3, TLR2, TLR4, STAB2, MBL2, TRAPPC9, C4A, OXSR1, SERP2, and ST1P1 genes (p < 0.05). However, CAT, SOD3, PRDX6, and NDUFS6 genes elicited a different pattern. The results may be used to develop management strategies and support the significance of nucleotide differences and gene expression patterns in these markers as indicators of the incidence of mastitis.

The aim was to evaluate the performance, blood lipid profile, and the relative expression of growth-related genes in purebred white and brown quail lines and their crossbred lines. A total of 240 one-day-old Japanese quail chicks of white and brown line, their crossbred line (WBQ: male white × female brown), and reciprocal crossbred line (BWQ: male brown × female white) were divided into four equal groups (60 birds each). The white quail line showed significantly higher final body weight, daily gain, and feed intake compared with the other quail lines (p < 0.001). Meanwhile, both crossbred quail lines (WBQ and BWQ) showed significantly lower FCR compared with both purebred quail lines (p = 0.001). Both crossbred quail lines showed greater dressing percentages compared with both purebred quail lines (p = 0.038). The brown quail line showed significantly (p = 0.05) higher levels of serum triglycerides and VLDL compared with the white and BWQ lines. The WBQ crossbred line exhibited significantly higher mRNA expression of GHR and IGF-1 genes compared with other quail lines (p < 0.001). Both crossbred lines (WBQ and BWQ) exhibited negative heterosis percentages for body weight (−4.39 and −3.90%, respectively) and feed intake (−10.87 and −14.59%, respectively). Meanwhile, heterosis percentages for FCR (−6.46 and −9.25%, respectively) and dressing percentage (7.54 and 6.38%, respectively) were improved in both crossbred lines. The WBQ line showed high heterosis percentages for the expression of GHR and IGF-1 genes (52.28 and 88.81%, respectively). In conclusion, the WBQ line exhibited significantly greater dressing percentage and better FCR, as well as higher mRNA expression of GHR and IGF-1 genes. These results may be helpful to improve breeding programs and to develop commercial lines of meat-type Japanese quail.

Background: Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is the infection of pre-existing ascitic fluid without evidence of a secondary infection. Objective: To evaluate ascitic fluid calprotectin as a diagnostic marker of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in cirrhotic patients. Patients and Methods: This study was conducted on 50 cirrhotic patients with ascites. Patients were divided into 2 groups: Group (I): Included 40 cirrhotic patients with SBP on the basis of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) count in the ascitic fluid ≥250 cells/μL in the absence of secondary peritonitis, irrespective of ascitic fluid culture results, Group (II): Included 10 cirrhotic patients with ascites but without SBP (control group). Results: There was a statistically significant difference between the two studied groups regarding hemoglobin (Hb) (P=0.006), white blood cells (WBCs) (P=0.015), platelet count (P>0.001), C-reactive protein (CRP) (P=0.001) and bilirubin (P=0.013). There was also significant difference between the two studied groups regarding ascitic fluid analysis parameters; as ascitic lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and PMN count were significantly higher in SBP group (P<0.001, for both). Ascitic fluid calprotectin was significantly higher in SBP group compared to non-SBP group (26.3 ng/ml (6.5 – 75) vs. 15 ng/ml (6.5-33); P=0.013). Ascitic calprotectin was significant at a cutoff level of 18 ng/ml with a sensitivity of 90% and 70% specificity for diagnosing SBP with an area under the curve (AUC) = 0.835). Conclusion: Ascitic fluid calprotectin could be used to serve as a convenient reliable diagnostic marker for SBP in cirrhotic patients with ascites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]