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Probiotics can ferment nondigestible carbohydrates and produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFA; acetate, propionate, and butyrate) in the human colon. In this study, the levels of SCFA were determined in the following yogurts fermented with different combinations of probiotics: (1) cocultures of Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus (control, C); (2) S. thermophilus, L. bulgaricus, and Bifidobacterium bifidum (C-Bb); (3) S. thermophilus, L. bulgaricus, and Lactobacillus acidophilus (C-La); and (4) S. thermophilus, L. bulgaricus, and Lactobacillus gasseri (C-Lg). Results showed that the acetate levels were significantly higher in C-Bb, C-La, and C-Lg yogurts than in C yogurt. Fermentation and physicochemical characteristics of all yogurts were identical. Treatment of mucus-secreting colon epithelial cells (HT29-MTX) with C-Bb, C-La, and C-Lg yogurt supernatants resulted in an increase in the expression of MUC2 and CDX2 and the production of mucin proteins. The adhesion of probiotics onto HT29-MTX cells increased following treatment with C-Bb, C-La, and C-Lg yogurt supernatants. Our data suggest that a yogurt diet rich in acetate improves the protective function of the intestinal epithelium.

1. The present study was designed to evaluate purified bee venom (BV) as an alternative to antibiotics in broiler chickens. The experimental treatment diets were formulated by adding BV into a maize-soybean meal-based diet to give 0, 10, 50, 100, and 500 μg BV per kg of diet. 2. Dietary BV quadratically improved (P < 0.05) feed conversion ratio and increased body weight gain at 1-21 d as level in diet increased. Higher BV levels lowered relative weight of spleen (linear and quadratic, P < 0.05), bursa of Fabricius (quadratic, P < 0.05), and liver (linear and quadratic, P < 0.05) at 21 d of age. Relative breast meat yields were increased quadratically at 21 d and linearly at 35 d with supplementation levels. Dietary BV increased (linear and quadratic, P < 0.05) lightness (L*) value for meat at 21 d, decreased (linear, P < 0.05) ileal villus height and narrowed (quadratic, P < 0.05) width. 3. Dietary BV inclusion linearly increased the concentration of secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) on ileal mucosa at 21 d and decreased (quadratic, P < 0.05) nitric oxide contents in serum samples at 21 d and 35 d. Total short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) in caecal digesta were reduced with increasing venom in diets at 21 d of age. None of the serum parameters except for creatinine was affected by dietary BV. 4. It was concluded that dietary BV exhibited wide range of in vivo biological properties in broiler chickens and could be incorporated into feed to promote growth and animal health.

Neuropeptide gamma belongs to tachykinin families which have a common C-terminal amino acid sequence (Phe-X-Leu-Met-NH2) and which induce various biological responses including salivation, hypotension, and contraction of gastrointestinal, respiratory, and urinary smooth muscle. In the present study, we present the solution structures of neuropeptide gamma (NPgamma) from gold fish (G-NPgamma) and mammalian NPgamma (M-NPgamma), as determined by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy in 50% trifluoroethanol (TFE)/water (1 : 1, v/v) solution and 200 mm sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micelles. In aqueous TFE solution, G-NPgamma has a alpha-helical conformation in the region of His12-Met21 and a short helix in the N-terminal region, and has a beta-turn from Arg9 to Arg11 in between. In aqueous TFE solution, M-NPgamma also has alpha-helical conformations both in the C-terminal region and the N-terminal region and a beta-turn from His9 to Arg11 in between. In SDS micelle, the structure of G-NPgamma contains a stable alpha-helix from His12 to Met21 and a beta-turn from Arg9 to Arg11, while M-NPgamma has a short helix from Ser16 to Met21. The region from His12 to Met21 corresponds to the amino acid sequence of neurokinin A. Neuropeptide gamma may act as a precursor of neurokinin A and the post-translational processing of this peptide involves the enzymatic attack of the basic beta-turn region from residue 9 to residue 11 in the middle. From our relaxation study, it could be suggested that in fish system G-NPgamma induces the biological actions corresponding to those of substance P in mammalian system. The structures of G-NPgamma and M-NPgamma contain alpha-helical structures at the C-terminus and this helix seems to promote the affinity for NK1 and/or NK2 receptor.

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