• Journal of agriculture & life science
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.45-54
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• 2009

This study was designed to investigate the effect of cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica var. saboten) extracts on the intestinal bacteria, antioxidative activity and angiotensin -I-converting enzyme(ACE) inhibitory activity. The antimicrobial activities were measured using the 96well-plate method and disc plate method with concentration of 20mg of cactus extract. The stem extract of cactus was inhibitory against Eubacterium limosum, Clostridium perfringens, C. butyricum, C. difficile and Staphylococcus aureus, but was not inhibitory against Bacteroides fragilis, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Lactobacillus acidophilis, Streptococcus thermophilus. The fruit extract of cactus showed no inhibition against Bacteroides fragilis, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Lactobacillus acidophilis, and Streptococcus thermophilis. Their inhibitory activities were not reduced after heat and pH treatment. Antioxidative effects of cactus extracts showed high total polyphenol and flavonoid contents and high activity against free radical DPPH. The stem and fruit extract of cactus showed strong ACE inhibitory activities of 88.8% and 69.2%, respectively. In conclusion cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica var. saboten) extract might be utilized as a functional food material to control intestinal microflora.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.963-971
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• 2022

Production of high-quality horses is important to make the horse industry grow. Grazing during the growing period can be an important factor affecting the production of high-quality horses. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of grazing on growing horses by analyzing their blood components and intestinal microbiota. Twelve growing horses for evaluating blood components and ten growing horses for evaluating intestinal microbiota were raised for about seven months and separated by two treatments: grazing vs. stable. Complete blood count, blood chemistry, and creatine kinase levels were analyzed as blood components and a 16s rRNA gene sequence analysis was performed to analyze intestinal microbiota. Calcium ions tended to be lower in the group with grazing treatment. Alkaline phosphatase and creatine kinase tended to be higher in the group with grazing treatment. These results indicate that grazing can provide horses with more exercise than staying in stables. At the phylum level, Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratios in grazing and stable groups were 4.2 and 6.5, respectively. Because various studies have reported that a. high Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio indicates obesity, the method of raising horses might affect their physical ability. At the species level, rates of Clostridium butyricum in grazing and stable groups were 3.2% and 13.1%, respectively. Some strains of C. butyricum can cause several diseases such as botulism. These results indicate that grazing can positively affect growing horses in terms of blood components and intestinal microbiota. Moreover, grazing can be helpful to make growing horses healthy through proper exercise.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.155-162
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• 1999

This study was performed to assess that clinco-therapeutic effect of natural Italian honeybee (Apis mellifera) venom in adjuvant-induced arthritic rat. Ninety Sprague- Dawley rats of male were injected with complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). Adjuvant arthritis was produced by a single subcutaneous injection of 1 mg Mycobacterium butyricum suspended in 0.1 ml paraffin oil into the right hindpaw. Righting reflex was uniformly lost and considered to be the point of arthritis development on day 14 after CFA injection. Experimental groups were divided into three groups. When arthritis was developed in the rat hind-paw, tested groups were administrated with prednisolone (10 mg/kg, p.o) and honeybee venom (one bee, s.c) at an interval of two days. Control group was subcutaneously injected with 0.1 ml of physiological saline solution in the rat at an interval of two days. Clinical findings, hematological values and histopathological findings were observed during or after the drugs administration. In tested groups, the development of inflammatory edema and polyarthritis on day 14 after treatment was suppressed. No significant differences of hindpaw edema volume and lameness score between prednisolone and honeybee venom groups were observed during or after therapeutic drugs treatment. WBC counts of prednisolone and honeybee venom treatment groups as compared with the control group were getting remarkably decreased during or after the therapeutic drugs administration(p＜0.01). Erosions of articular cartilage and inflammatory cell infiltrations during or after the therapeutic drugs treatment was effectively suppressed in natural honey venom.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.491-497
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• 1992

The water extract of Sinomeniiacuti Radix (Sinomenium acutum) was found out to have a strong inhibition activity on the growth of Clostridium perfringens. The anti-bacterial activity was stable at the range of pH 1 to pH 13 and kept in a thermal treatment at $121^{\circ}C$ for 15 minutes. The minmal inhibition concentration of the Sinomeniiacuti Radix extract on the growth of Cl. peifringens was 1000 ppm. The Sinomeniiacuti Radix extract also suppressed the growth of Cl. ramosum, Cl. paraputnficum, Cl. butyn'cum, Bifidobacterium blficum, Bacteriodes fragilis, Eubacterium limosum. The extract, however, did not inhibit the growth of Bif adolescentis, Blf. infantis, Bif longum, E. coli. Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus. On the other hand, the extract showed a promoting effect for the growth of Bif animalis and Lactobacillus acidophilus.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.31-37
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• 1998

Two experiment were conducted to evaluate the feeding value of probiotics for the broiler chicks. Basal diets based on corn and soybean meal with no supplemental probiotics contained 21% dietary crude protein for the first 3 weeks and 19% for the rest of two weeks. In experiment 1, 0.2 % probiotics containing 2X 10 6 cfu /ml of Saccharomyces cerevisiae(S), Clostridium butyricum(C), Lactobacillus acidophilus(L), Bacillus polyfermenticus(B) were respectively supplemented to control groups. Two hundred day-olo chicks were randomly assigned to five treatments which had four replicates of 10 chicks each per treatment. Weight gain, feed consurnption, feed conversion ratio (FCR) were weekly measured for 5 weeks. The number of intestinal microflora was examined at the end of experiment. In experiment 1, Weight gain and feed intake of chicks fed probiotics exhibited a significant response compared to those of control for the first three weeks(P<0.01). Weight gain of S or C treatments was higher than that of control for the rest of two weeks, whereas it was significantly lower in L and B treatments than S or C treatments (P<0.01). Chicks fed S or C was significantly increased weight gain(P <0.05) compared to that of control at five weeks of age. FCR of C treatment seemed to improve relative to other supplemental probiotics groups, but was not significantly different. The number of intestinal anaerobes and Lactobacillus in large intestine of chicks fed probiotics supplements was significantly decreased compared to control groups(P<0.01). In experiment 2, there were six treatments: Ti, control; T2, 0.2%S; T3, 0.2%S + 0.2%C; T4, 0.2%S + 0.2%L; T5, 0.2%S + 0.2%B; T6, 0.2%S + 0.1%C + o.i%L + 0.1%B. Control diet based on corn soybean meal contained 21% CP and 3,2OOca1 /g ME with no probiotics. There were four replicates of 10 chicks each per treatment. Weight gain of chicks fed probiotics tended to increase compared to control groups, but were not significantly different between them. FCR was also improved in probiotics treatments. However, there were no significant differences between probiotics supplementation and control groups. The results of these experiments indicated that dietary supplemental probiotics improved weight gain, feed efficiency for the first three weeks of young broiler chicks, whereas supplementation of C, L, B combined probiotics to young broiler chicks was not superior to those of single or two probiotics.