• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.163-170
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• 2020

Background: Gut microflora contributes to the nutritional metabolism of the host and to strengthen its immune system. However, if the intestinal barrier function of the living body is destroyed by radiation exposure, the intestinal bacteria harm the health of the host and cause sepsis. Therefore, this study aims to trace short-term radiation-induced changes in the mouse gut microflora-dominant bacterial genus, and analyze the degree of intestinal epithelial damage. Materials and Methods: Mice were irradiated with 0, 2, 4, 8 Gy X-rays, and the gut microflora and intestinal epithelial changes were analyzed 72 hours later. Five representative genera of Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes were analyzed in fecal samples, and the intestine was pathologically analyzed by Hematoxylin-Eosin and Alcian blue staining. In addition, DNA fragmentation was evaluated by the TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay. Results and Discussion: The small intestine showed shortened villi and reduced number of goblet cells upon 8 Gy irradiation. The large intestine epithelium showed no significant morphological changes, but the number of goblet cells were reduced in a radiation dose-dependent manner. Moreover, the small intestinal epithelium of 8 Gy-irradiated mice showed significant DNA damaged, whereas the large intestine epithelium was damaged in a dose-dependent manner. Overall, the large intestine epithelium showed less recovery potential upon radiation exposure than the small intestinal epithelium. Analysis of the intestinal flora revealed fluctuations in lactic acid bacteria excretion after irradiation regardless of the morphological changes of intestinal epithelium. Altogether, it became clear that radiation exposure could cause an immediate change of their excretion. Conclusion: This study revealed changes in the intestinal epithelium and intestinal microbiota that may pave the way for the identification of novel biomarkers of radiation-induced gastrointestinal disorders and develop new therapeutic strategies to treat patients with acute radiation syndrome.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.61 no.4
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• pp.30.1-30.11
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• 2021

From April 2014 to September 2015, 153 piglets from 52 farms in Jeju were diagnosed with porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED). The major PED cases were focused on suckling piglets (144 piglets, 94.1%), particularly in 1-7-day-old piglets. Histopathologically, severe villous atrophy was observed in the small intestine, especially in the jejunum and ileum. The mean villous height to crypt depth ratios of the jejunum and ileum were 1.4:1 and 1.5:1, respectively. The major histopathologic findings of the small intestine were cytoplasmic vacuolation, cuboidalization, squamation, and exfoliation of the mucosal enterocytes in the villi. The cytoplasmic vacuolations in the enterocytes were the most prevalent lesions in the small intestine and were more severe in the ileum than in the jejunum. According to immunohistochemistry methods, the PED virus (PEDV) antigens were presented in the cytoplasms of the enterocytes, and were distributed more prevalently in the ileum than in the jejunum. PEDV antigens were also detected in the colon of 26 piglets (19.5%). Sequence comparison and phylogenetic analysis indicated that 12 PEDV had more than a 98.9% homology with each other. These PEDV strains were highly homologous with the genogroup 2 North American group.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.64 no.4
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• pp.752-769
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• 2022

Wheat gluten is an increasingly common ingredient in poultry diets but its impact on the small intestine in chicken is not fully understood. This study aimed to identify effects of high-gluten diets on chicken small intestines and the variation of their associated transcriptional responses by age. A total of 120 broilers (Ross Strain) were used to perform two animal experiments consisting of two gluten inclusion levels (0% or 25%) by bird's age (1 week or 4 weeks). Transcriptomics and histochemical techniques were employed to study the effect of gluten on their duodenal mucosa using randomly selected 12 broilers (3 chicks per group). A reduction in feed intake and body weight gain was found in the broilers fed a high-gluten containing diet at both ages. Histochemical photomicrographs showed a reduced villus height to crypt depth ratio in the duodenum of gluten-fed broilers at 1 week. We found mainly a significant effect on the gene expression of duodenal mucosa in gluten-fed broilers at 1 week (289 differentially expressed genes [DEGs]). Pathway analyses revealed that the significant DEGs were mainly involved in ribosome, oxidative phosphorylation, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling pathways. These pathways are involved in ribosome protein biogenesis, oxidative phosphorylation and fatty acid metabolism, respectively. Our results suggest a pattern of differential gene expression in these pathways that can be linked to chronic inflammation, suppression of cell proliferation, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. And via such a mode of action, high-gluten inclusion levels in poultry diets could lead to the observed retardation of villi development in the duodenal mucosa of young broiler chicken.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
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• 2022.10a
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• pp.2-5
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• 2022

Human organs in the body have a complex structure, and in particular, the small intestine is about 7m long, so endoscopy is not easy and the risk of endoscopy is high. Currently, the test is performed with a capsule endoscope, and the test time is very long. The doctor connects the removed storage device to the computer to store the patient's capsule endoscope image and reads it using a program, but the capsule endoscope test results in a long image length, which takes a lot of time to read. In addition, in the case of the small intestine, there are many curves due to villi, so the occlusion area or light and shade of the image are clearly visible during the examination, and there may be cases where lesions and abnormal signs are missed during the examination. In this paper, we provide a method of assisting small intestine capsule endoscopic lesion examination using artificial neural networks to shorten the doctor's image reading time and improve diagnostic reliability.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.861-869
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• 2023

This study aimed to evaluate the effectivity of full-fat black soldier fly Hermetia illucens (BSF) and defatted mealworm Tenebrio molitor (MW) larvae meal as a fish meal (FM) substitute in a low-fish meal (LFM) diet for juvenile olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus. The LFM diet comprising 45% FM with tankage meal, poultry byproduct meal, soy protein concentrate and wheat gluten was the control diet. Three experimental diets were 10% FM in Con with BSF, MW and a mixture of both at the same ratio (designated as B10, M10 and B5M5, respectively). Four hundred and forty-fourth juvenile P. olivaceus (34.3±0.1 g) were randomly distributed into 12 tanks (425 L) in three replicate groups per treatment and fed the experimental diets for 15 weeks. At the end of the feeding trial, growth performance, survival, biological indices (condition factor, viscerosomatic index, hepatosomatic index), non-specific immune responses (lysozyme, myeloperoxidase) and intestinal histology (villi length and goblet cells) were not significantly affected by treatments. Feed utilization was significantly decreased in M10 compared to the control group. Alanine aminotransferase level was significantly higher in M10 than in the control group. Glucose level was significantly lower in B10 than in the control group. These results suggest that BSF and MW can be used as FM substitutes. However, considering feed conversion ratio and AST level, MW availability is thought to be lower than that of BSF, and feeding fish with a diet containing MW for an extended period is thought to adversely affect fish growth.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.49.1-49.15
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• 2023

Background: Hystricomorpha rodents display a similar placentation model to humans. The present study was carried out considering the scarcity of information concerning the placental development in agouti. Objective: Describe the microscopy of the placenta, subplacenta and yolk sac of agoutis in early pregnancy and report on the inversion of the yolk sac. Methods: Fifteen females between the 14^th-32^nd day of gestation were used following euthanasia. Gestational buttons were collected, fixed, processed, stained to optical microscopy or immunohistochemistry. Results: Chorioallantoic placenta (CP) ranged from conical to a half-sphere, as follows: from the 14^th to 17^th day, the CP displays an inverted "V" shape, predominantly formed by cytotrophoblasts; from 20 to 22 days, formed almost entirely by cytotrophoblasts; at 28 days, a half sphere, with distinct lobes and interlobular area, numerous maternal gaps delimited by syncytiotrophoblasts and trophoblast giant cells; at 32 days, globose and undergoing the maturation process. Subplacenta, located between decidua and CP, initially presents septa consisting of simple columnar epithelium and after 17 days, comprising stratified epithelium. Visceral yolk sac (VYS) is attached to two CP projections between 14 and 17 days, formed by a simple cubic epithelium and inverted. Between 20 and 22 days, the epithelium displays apical villous projections with cytoplasmic vacuoles and a vascularized mesoderm. After the 24^th day, the VYS near the placenta is pleated, very vascularized and villous, with decreased villi sizes further away from the placenta. Conclusion: The agouti CP displays similar characteristics to other hystricomorpha, including placenta lobulation, a subplacenta and an inverted vitelline placenta.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.1111-1127
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• 2023

Health-promoting preparations of inanimate microorganisms or their components are postbiotics. Since probiotics are sensitive to heat and oxygen, postbiotics are stable during industrial processing and storage. Postbiotics boost poultry growth, feed efficiency, intestinal pathogen reduction, and health, making them acceptable drivers of sustainable poultry production. It contains many important biological properties, such as immunomodulatory, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory responses. Postbiotics revealed promising antioxidant effects due to higher concentrations of uronic acid and due to some enzyme's production of antioxidants, e.g., superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide oxidases and peroxidases. Postbiotics improve intestinal villi, increase lactic acid production, and reduce Enterobacteriaceae and fecal pH, all of which lead to a better immune reaction and health of the gut, as well as better growth performance. P13K/AKT as a potential target pathway for postbiotics-improved intestinal barrier functions. Similarly, postbiotics reduce yolk and plasma cholesterol levels in layers and improve egg quality. It was revealed that favorable outcomes were obtained with various inclusion levels at 1 kg and 0.5 kg. According to several studies, postbiotic compounds significantly increased poultry performance. This review article presents the most recent research investigating the beneficial results of postbiotics in poultry.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.66 no.3
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• pp.457-470
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• 2024

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of supplementing different protease enzymes on growth performance, intestinal morphology, and selected carcass traits in broilers fed diets reduced 3.5% in crude protein (CP) and amino acids (AA). One thousand one-day-old Ross 308 broilers (41 g) were assigned to five dietary treatments with ten replicates of 20 birds each: a positive control (PC) diet formulated to meet Ross 308 AA requirements, a negative control (NC) diet reformulated to provide 3.5% lower CP and AA compared to PC, NC supplemented with a multi-protease (PR1) solution, containing 3 different coated proteases produced from Aspergillus niger, Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis, NC supplemented with a serine protease (PR2) produced from Bacillus licheniformis, and NC supplemented with an alkaline protease (PR3) produced from Bacillus licheniformis. At slaughter, 40 birds per treatment were used to assess the effect of the different treatments on carcass traits. At 32 days, samples of the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum of 10 birds per treatment were collected for intestinal morphology evaluation. Birds fed PC and NC supplemented with multi-protease exhibited better (p < 0.05) feed efficiency compared to NC and NC supplemented with all the other protease enzymes. Multi-protease supplementation was linked to the highest (p < 0.05) carcass weight and yield. There were significant differences (p < 0.05) between treatments in all gut segments, with PC, PR1, PR2, and PR3 exhibiting longer villi height (VH) compared to NC. This study demonstrates that 3.5% reduction of CP and AA negatively affected for the overall period feed efficiency, carcass yield, and intestinal morphology. The supplementation of the multi-protease restored feed efficiency and improved carcass yield.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.66.1-66.12
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• 2024

Importance: Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) binds to particular cell surface receptors to penetrate cells. The virus specifically identifies certain carbohydrate structures present on the surface of the cell to facilitate the binding process. Nevertheless, the influence of viral infections on specific alterations of glycoconjugates in the small intestines remains unexplored. Objective: This work aimed to examine the alterations in glycoconjugates in the small intestines of piglets naturally infected with PEDV using lectin histochemistry. Methods: Six piglets including three PEDV-infected and three non-infected piglets were evaluated. Small intestinal samples were histopathologically examined, and lectin histochemistry was performed. Results: Piglets infected with PEDV had significant histological abnormalities in their small intestines, such as pronounced villous atrophy, varying degrees of villous fusion, and diverse mucosal alterations. Specific regions of the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum showed discernible variations in glycoconjugate distribution, as determined by lectin histochemistry. Compared with the controls, the PEDV-infected piglets showed significant changes in N-acetylglucosamine- and galactose-binding lectins (particularly wheat germ agglutinin and Arachis hypogaea (peanut) agglutinin) in multiple intestinal regions. Conclusions and Relevance: These findings can enhance understanding of how viruses such as PEDV impact the glycoconjugate composition of the small intestines and emphasize the potential connection between the pathogenesis of PEDV and glycoconjugate.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.1079-1088
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• 2003

This study was conducted to test the efficacy of the automatic liquid feeder(designated as NLRI) developed by National Livestock Research Institute, Korea for 7-day old early-weaning piglets. The other automatic liquid feeder imported from USA(designated as IALF) was used for a comparative purpose. A total of sixty piglets of 7 days of age were allotted to three treatments. The control group of 20 piglets was raised by their own sows until 21 days of age, while others were shifted to automatic liquid feeders of either NLRI or IALF on 7 days of age and reared during 14 days post-weaning. After then, all the piglets were fed nutritionally identical mash diets until 70 days of age. Compared with control group, body weight of piglets reared on automatic liquid feeders were lighter(P〈0.05) at 21 days of age [5.55kg (control) vs 4.97 (NLRI) and 4.98kg (IALF)], while heavier(P〈0.05) at 70 days of age(24.82kg vs 30.17 and 29.42kg). The results indicated that pigs reared on liquid feeding showed higher(P〈0.05) average daily gain than control pigs during the whole experimental period [346.7g (control) vs 425.8 (NLRI) and 416.1g (IALF)], while no difference was found in feed/gain (1.67 vs 1.78 and 1.84). There was no difference in growth performance and incidence of diarrhea between two automatic liquid feeders, NLRI and IALF. Compared with control group, intestinal villi tended to be shorter in liquid feeding group during the first week, but were recovered within two weeks. The results suggest that the automatic liquid feeder newly developed by National Livestock Research Institute, Korea can be successfully used for rearing young piglets weaned at very early age.