• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.243-249
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• 2022

Bacillus SW1-1 is a probiotic isolated from shrimp intestines. We investigated the effects of Bacillus SW1-1 coated diets on the growth, feed utilization, innate immunity, hematological parameters and resistance to Edwardsiella tarda in olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus). A commercial diet was used as the control (AP0) and two other diets were prepared by coating 0.25% (AP25) or 0.50% (AP50) probiotic powder which contains 1.0 × 10⁷ CFU/g Bacillus SW1-1. Four replicate groups of olive flounder (153 ± 2 g) were fed one of the diets for 12 weeks. Growth performance and feed utilization of the fish were not significantly affected by the dietary Bacillus SW1-1. After the challenge with E. tarda, AP50 group showed significantly higher survival than AP0 and AP25 groups. Innate immunity and anti-oxidant capacity of the fish were not significantly affected after the feeding trial. However, after the E. tarda challenge, the innate immune parameters (immunoglobulin, lysozyme and anti-protease) were significantly improved in fish fed AP25 and AP50 diets compared to those in fish fed AP0 diet. After the challenge test, significantly lower glucose level was observed in AP50 group compared to AP0 group. These results indicate that dietary supplementation of Bacillus SW1-1 could increase the disease resistance of olive flounder against E. tarda infection. The optimum coating levels of Bacillus SW1-1 needs to be further elucidated.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.10
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• pp.1606-1615
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• 2022

Objective: The present study was conducted to investigate the potential effects of dietary supplemented propolis in two growing rabbit breeds on growth performance, immune response, blood parameters, carcass characteristics, and cecal microflora composition. Methods: A total of 90 growing rabbits aged 6 weeks from two breeds (V-line and Jabali) were randomly allocated to 3 dietary propolis experimental treatments. The experimental treatments consisted of a 2×3 factorial arrangement with two rabbit breeds and three levels of dietary propolis supplementation (0, 250 mg/kg, and 500 mg/kg). Each sub-treatment has 15 rabbits. The experimental period lasted six weeks. Results: There were no significant differences in growth performance and carcass characteristics due to propolis administration. Propolis supplementation at a high level significantly increased (linear; p<0.05) cellular-mediated immunity compared with the unsupplemented group. Furthermore, the rabbits receiving propolis exhibited a significant increase (linear and quadratic; p<0.03) in IgM immunoglobulins compared to the control. The current study provides further evidence that the dietary inclusion of propolis can significantly reduce pathogenic bacterial colonization in growing rabbits. The total count of microflora, E. coli, and Salmonella spp. was significantly lower (linear; p<0.01) in supplemented rabbit groups compared to the control group according to the microbiological analysis of cecal digesta. Based on breed effect, the results indicated that Jabali rabbits (local) performed better than V-line rabbits (foreign) in the majority of the studied traits. Conclusion: Dietary propolis is promising for further investigation into improving intestinal health and enhancing immunity in growing rabbits.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.750-756
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• 2010

Two trials were conducted to study the effects of two Chinese herbal polysaccharides, Astragalus polysaccharides (APS) and Achyranthes bidentata polysaccharides (ABPS), and one Chinese herbal saponin, Acantbepanax senticosus saponin (ASS), on the immunity and growth performance of weaned pigs. Experiment 1 was a 14-day growth assay, in which 32 weaned pigs were randomly allocated to one of four dietary treatments: i) 0.05% talcum powder control; ii) 0.05% APS; iii) 0.05% mixture of APS and ASS in a 1:1 ratio by weight; and iv) 0.05% mixture of APS, ASS, and ABPS in a ratio of 1:1:1 by weight. Blood samples were collected on day 14 to determine plasma parameters. Feed intake, body weight gain, and feed efficiency were also determined. Experiment 2 was a 21-day immunity assay, in which 16 weaned pigs were randomly allotted to one of two dietary treatments: i) 0.05% talcum powder control; and ii) 0.05% mixture of APS and ASS in a 1:1 ratio by weight. On day 21, pigs were challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and 3 h later blood samples were collected and analyzed for lymphocyte proliferation as well as interleukin 6 (IL-6), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), growth hormone (GH), and cortisol levels. In Experiment 1, feeding Chinese herbal polysaccharides and saponin increased growth performance of the pigs. The effects of the mixture of APS and ASS were especially notable, as there was a significant improvement in growth performance compared with the control (p<0.05). The plasma concentration of immunoglobulin G (IgG), nitric oxide (NO), and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) were increased in all treatments groups, with the mixture of APS and ASS increasing the level of IgG and NOS significantly (p<0.05), compared with the control. There was no difference in the NO level between the control and treatment groups (p>0.05). In Experiment 2, Chinese herbal polysaccharides and saponin showed immunostimulating effects. The level of cortisol, GH, and IGF-I were significantly increased (p>0.05), and the level of IL-6 showed a significant decrease (p<0.05) in the APS and ASS treatment after the LPS challenge. The mixture of APS and ASS could stimulate the blood lymphocyte proliferation significantly whether the LPS was injected or not (p<0.05). These results show that Chinese herbal extracts can improve growth performance and stimulate immunity of weaned pigs. A mixture of APS and ASS, compared with APS alone, could be a new kind of immunostimulant for weaned pigs, which could result in greater positive effects on their growth performance and immunity.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.399-405
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• 1997

Progesterone is necessary for successful pregnancy and had immunosuppressive properties. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from many women with unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion responded to trophoblast extract in vitro by prolifertion and releasing soluble, heat-labile factors that are toxic to mouse embryos (embryotoxic factors). Accumulating evidence suggests that T Helper (Th)-1 type immunity to trophoblast is correlated with embryotoxic factor production and is associated with pregnancy loss, while Th2-type immunity is associated with successful gestation. The objective of this study was to determine whether progesterone can inhibit Th1-type cytokine secretion (IFN-${\gamma}$, TNF-${\alpha}$) by trophoblast-activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 23 nonpregnant women (age 25-35) with unexplained recurrent abortion (median 5, range 3 to 15)who otherwise produce embryotoxic factors in response to trophoblast. We also determined whether progesterone affected Th2-type cytokines (IL-4, IL-10) in this system in vitro and if IL-10 (1,500 pg/mL) could inhibit Th1-type immunity to trophoblast. IFN-${\gamma}$ was detected in 17 of 23 (74%) trophoblast stimulated PBMC culture supernatants ($77.94{\pm}23.79$ pg/mL) containing embryotoxic activity. TNF-${\alpha}$ was detected in 19 (83%) of these same supernatants ($703.15{\pm}131.36$ pg/mL). In contrast, none of the supernatants contained detectable levels of IL-4 or IL-10. Progesterone ($10^{-5}$, $10^{-7}$, $10^{-9}$M) inhibited Th1-type immunity in a dose dependent manner, but had no effect on Th2-type cytokine secretion. The inhibitory effects of progesterone were abrogated with RU486, but did not affect Th2-type cytokine secretion in trophoblast-activated cell cultures. IL-10, like progesterone also inhibited Th1-type cytokine secretion but had no effect on Th2-type cytokines. These data suggest that therapies designed to suppress Th1-type cytokine secretion in women with recurrent abortion who have evidence of Th1-type immunity to trophoblast may be efficacious in preventing pregnancy loss and should be tested in appropriately designed clinical trials.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.248-254
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• 2022

Background: Occupational hazards in crop farms vary diversely based on different field operations as soil management, harvesting processes, pesticide, or fertilizer application. We aimed at evaluating the immunological status of crop farmers, as limited systematic investigations on immune alteration involved with crop farming have been reported yet. Methods: Immunological parameters including plasma immunoglobulin level, major peripheral immune cells distribution, and level of cytokine production from activated T cell were conducted. Nineteen grape orchard, 48 onion open-field, and 21 rose greenhouse farmers were participated. Results: Significantly low proportion of natural killer (NK) cell, a core cell for innate immunity, was revealed in the grape farmers (19.8±3.3%) in comparison to the onion farmers (26.4±3.1%) and the rose farmers (26.9±2.5%), whereas cytotoxic T lymphocyte proportion was lower in the grape and the onion farmers than the rose farmers. The proportion of NKT cell, an immune cell implicated with allergic response, was significantly higher in the grape (2.3±0.3%) and the onion (1.6±0.8%) farmers compared with the rose farmers (1.0±0.4%). A significantly decreased interferon-gamma:interleukin-13 ratio was observed from ex vivo stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells of grape farmers compared with the other two groups. The grape farmers revealed the lowest levels of plasma IgG1 and IgG4, and their plasma IgE level was not significantly different from that of the onion or the rose farmers. Conclusion: Our finding suggests the high vulnerability of workplace-mediated allergic immunity in grape orchard farmers followed by open-field onion farmers and then the rose greenhouse farmers.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.30 no.10
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• pp.1478-1485
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• 2017

Objective: The effects of vaccinating 18-day-old chicken embryos with the combination of recombinant Eimeria profilin plus Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) NetB proteins mixed in the Montanide IMS adjuvant on the chicken immune response to necrotic enteritis (NE) were investigated using an Eimeria maxima (E. maxima)/C. perfringens co-infection NE disease model that we previously developed. Methods: Eighteen-day-old broiler embryos were injected with $100{\mu}L$ of phosphate-buffered saline, profilin, profilin plus necrotic enteritis B-like (NetB), profilin plus NetB/Montanide adjuvant (IMS 106), and profilin plus Net-B/Montanide adjuvant (IMS 101). After post-hatch birds were challenged with our NE experimental disease model, body weights, intestinal lesions, serum antibody levels to NetB, and proinflammatory cytokine and chemokine mRNA levels in intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes were measured. Results: Chickens in ovo vaccinated with recombinant profilin plus NetB proteins/IMS106 and recombinant profilin plus NetB proteins/IMS101 showed significantly increased body weight gains and reduced gut damages compared with the profilin-only group, respectively. Greater antibody response to NetB toxin were observed in the profilin plus NetB/IMS 106, and profilin plus NetB/IMS 101 groups compared with the other three vaccine/adjuvant groups. Finally, diminished levels of transcripts encoding for proinflammatory cytokines such as lipopolysaccharide-induced tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$ factor, tumor necrosis factor superfamily 15, and interleukin-8 were observed in the intestinal lymphocytes of chickens in ovo injected with profilin plus NetB toxin in combination with IMS 106, and profilin plus NetB toxin in combination with IMS 101 compared with profilin protein alone bird. Conclusion: These results suggest that the Montanide IMS adjuvants potentiate host immunity to experimentally-induced avian NE when administered in ovo in conjunction with the profilin and NetB proteins, and may reduce disease pathology by attenuating the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines implicated in disease pathogenesis.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.152-160
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of aging process on the immunity in human subjects. In this investigation, nineteen families of three generations (daughters on college age, their mothers, and grandmothers) participated to avoid genetic variation among individuals. Dietary food records, anthropometric measurements and biochemical assessments of serum nutrients were used to evaluate the nutritional status of subjects. The immune parameters of subjects were assessed by the total and differential WBC count. Total B and T lymphocytes, and T cell subsets were quantified by flowcytometer. Serum immunoglobulin G, A, M concentrations were also measured as an index of humoral immunity. The result of this study can be summarized as follows: 1. Along with the aging process, body fat was found to be increased whereas lean body mass and total body water were diminished. Since there were no significant difference in serum vitamin E levels in all age groups, serum retinal concentrations tended to decrease as one gets old. 2. Although total number of T lymphocytes seemed to be unchanged, B lymphocytes and NK cell numbers were increased by aging. The Percentage of CD8 + lymphocytes was lower in the elderly subjects compared with the younger, resulting in higher ratio of CD4 +/CD8 + lymphocytes in the elderly. Serum Ig G and Ig A levels remained unchanged, but IgM levels were significantly decreased as the age processes continue. Taking all together, it could be suggested that the alteration of immune cell population by aging is selective and possibly nonage factors such as nutrition may be attributable to the change of immunity in the elderly. The nutritional status and aging process may selectively affect both the cell-mediated (CD8 +, CD4 + CD8 + ratio, NK cell) and humoral (B lymphocyte, Immunoglobulin M, G) immune parameters in human subjects.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.17 no.10
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• pp.1447-1451
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• 2004

An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of different dietary crude protein (CP) levels on growth performance, nutrient utilization, small intestine protease activity and immunity index of weaner to 2 month-old New Zealand rabbits. Eighty weaner rabbits were allocated in individual cages to five treatments in which they were fed diets with CP at 14%, 16%, 18%, 20% and 22%, respectively. The growth performance and nutrient digestibility of rabbits increased firstly when dietary CP increased, then decreased. The average daily gain was the highest and feed conversion rate was the lowest when dietary CP reached 20%, namely 34.9 g/d and 2.74:1, respectively. Maximum CP digestibility was 72.1% in the 18% CP group, maximum crude fiber digestibility of 28.4% occurred in the 16% CP group and was significantly different from other treatments (p<0.01), apparent digestibility of Lys and Val followed the same trend as CP digestibility, and reached their maximum when dietary CP was 18%. Apparent digestibility of Cys, Tyr, Leu and Thr also had a similar trend to CP digestibility. Nitrogen retention (RN) increased with CP level (p>0.05), and was highest for 20% CP treatment (1.5 g/d). The effect of CP level on the rate of digestible nitrogen (DN) converted RN was small. The spleen index, thymus index, chymotrypsin and trypsin activities in small intestine were highest when dietary CP was 16%, which were 1.0, 2.8, 15.7 U/g and 125.7 U/g, respectively. There was no significant difference among treatments (p>0.05). According to the above results, the appropriate dietary CP level from weaner to 2 month-old meat rabbits was 18-20%.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.103-107
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• 2007

We hypothesized that plaque-associated bacteria may have a role in maintenance of alveolar bone. To test it, immortalized gingival epithelial HOK-16B cells were co-cultured with live or lysed eight plaque bacterial species and the expression levels of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2 and -4 were examined by real time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Un-stimulated HOK-16B cells expressed both BMP-2 and -4. Co-culture with plaque bacterial lysates had significant effects on the level of BMP-2 but not on that of BMP-4. Five species including Streptococcus sanguinis, S. gordonii, Veillonella atypica, Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Treponema denticola substantially up-regulated the level of BMP-2. In contrary to the upregulatory effect of lysate, live T. denticola suppressed the expression of BMP-2. In addition, in vitro osteoblastic differentiation assay using C2C12 cells and the conditioned medium of HOK-16B cells confirmed the production of BMPs by gingival epithelial cells and the modulation of BMP expression by the lysates of S. sanguinis and T. denticola. In conclusion, we have shown that plaque bacteria can regulate the expression of BMP-2 by gingival epithelial cells, the physiologic meaning of which needs further investigation.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.191-202
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• 2020

We evaluated the effects of dietary supplementation of phytosterol on the growth, feed utilization, immunity, digestibility, wound healing ability and disease resistance of olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus. We conducted two consecutive feeding trials at different growth stages of the fish: EXP-1 (68.9 g) and EXP-2 (16.5 g). The experimental diets were supplemented with graded levels of phytosterol (1% ecdysteroid extracted from Achyranthis radix) at 0, 0.025, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4% (designated as Con, PHY0.025, PHY0.05, PHY0.1, PHY0.2 and PHY0.4, respectively). Dietary phytosterol did not significantly affect growth and cholesterol concentration. Feed utilization was higher in fish fed phytosterol-supplemented diets than in fish fed the control diet. Dietary phytosterol increased innate immunity and digestibility of protein and dry matter. Wound healing ability was also increased by the phytosterol supplementation. The survival against Edwardsiella tarda challenge was higher in fish fed low-phytosterol diets than in fish fed the control diet. The optimum dietary level of phytosterol seems to be approximately 0.05%. The results in this study indicate that the phytosterol could be used as a functional supplement in diets to improve feed utilization, immunity, digestibility and wound healing ability of olive flounder.