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Exciting advances are revealing that breast milk harbors populations of stem and progenitor cells, and much attention is now intensified on delineating their properties and functions. The aim of this study is to isolate a mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-like population from rabbit breast milk and track their integration into the different organs of the breastfed rabbits after taken by oral route and to explore the functional role of stem cells in the breastfed newborn babies. Ten newborn rabbits 2 weeks old fed on 2 × 10 PKH26-labeled rabbit milk derived-MSCs suspended in 2 mL Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) and 10 newborn baby rabbits fed with 2 mL DMEM solution or with rabbit fibroblasts as a control group were used in the study. All rabbits were sacrificed after 1 week. We found that PKH26-labeled MSCs were engrafted into the offspring organs as liver, cartilage, bone and duodenum. Histologically, there was proliferation of cells in some organs. Moreover, there was overexpression of both PCNA and cyclin D1 genes in all organs from milk derived MSCs fed rabbits compared to the control group. Our results confirmed the presence of MSC-like population in the breast milk. We first showed that milk derived-MSCs were engrafted into the offspring organs when were taken orally. Milk derived-MSCs may elucidate the functional benefits to the newborn babies by increasing cell proliferation and growth. © 2016 IUBMB Life, 68(12):935-942, 2016.

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Banning antibiotic growth promoters has negatively impacted poultry production and sustainability, which led to exploring efficient alternatives such as probiotics, probiotics, and synbiotics. Effect of in ovo injection of Bacillus subtilis, raffinose, and their synbiotics on growth performance, cecal microbial population and volatile fatty acid concentration, ileal histomorphology, and ileal gene expression was investigated in broilers (Gallus gallus) raised for 21 days. On 300 h of incubation, a total of 1,500 embryonated eggs were equally allotted into 10 groups. The first was non-injected (NC) and the remaining in ovo injected with sterile distilled water (PC), B. subtilis 4 × 105 and 4 × 106 CFU (BS1 and BS2), Raffinose 2 and 3 mg (R1 and R2), B. subtilis 4 × 105 CFU + raffinose 2 mg (BS1R1), B. subtilis 4 × 105 CFU + raffinose 3 mg (BS1R2), B. subtilis 4 × 106 CFU + raffinose 2 mg (BS2R1), and B. subtilis 4 × 106 CFU + raffinose 3 mg (BS2R2). At hatch, 60 chicks from each group were randomly chosen, divided into groups of 6 replicates (10 birds/replicate), and fed with a corn–soybean-based diet. In ovo inoculation of B. subtilis and raffinose alone or combinations significantly improved body weight, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio of 21-day-old broilers compared to NC. Cecal concentrations of butyric, pentanoic, propionic, and isobutyric acids were significantly elevated in R1, R2, BS2R1, and BS2R2, whereas isovaleric and acetic acids were significantly increased in R1 and BS2R1 compared to NC. Cecal microbial population was significantly altered in treated groups. Ileal villus height was increased (p < 0.001) in BS1, R2, and BS2R2 compared to NC. The mRNA expression of mucin-2 was upregulated (p < 0.05) in synbiotic groups except for BS1R1. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression was increased (p < 0.05) in BS2, R1, BS1R1, and BS1R2 compared to NC. SGLT-1 expression was upregulated (p < 0.05) in all treated birds except those of R1 group compared to NC. The mRNA expressions of interleukin (IL)-2 and toll-like receptor (TLR)-4 were downregulated (p < 0.05) in BS2 and R1 for IL-2 and BS1R1 and BS2R2 for TLR-4. It was concluded that in ovo B. subtilis, raffinose, and synbiotics positively affected growth performance, cecal microbiota, gut health, immune responses, and thus the sustainability of production in 21-day-old broilers.

Ovarian damage and fertility impairment are major side effects of chemotherapy in pre-menopausal cancer patients. Cisplatin is a widely used chemotherapeutic drug. The present study was designed to assess the ameliorative effects of melatonin as an adjuvant for fertility preservation. Thirty-two adult female Wistar rats were divided randomly into four equal groups: Control, Melatonin, Cisplatin (CP) treated, and CP + Melatonin treated. The cisplatin-treated group showed decreased body and ovarian weights, decreased serum E2 and AMH, increased serum LH and FSH, reduced ovarian levels of SOD, CAT, GSH, and TAC, and increased ovarian MDA. The histopathological examination of the cisplatin-treated group showed deleterious changes within ovarian tissue in the form of damaged follicles and corpus luteum, hemorrhage, and inflammatory infiltrates with faint PAS reaction in zona pellucida, increased ovarian collagen deposition, and marked expression of caspase-3 immune reaction in granulosa and theca cells, stroma, and oocytes. Alongside, there was a significant downregulation in the mRNA expression of steroidogenic enzymes, IL10, AMPK, PI3K, AKT, mTOR, and PTEN, while TGF-β1, IL1β, IL6, TNF-α, NF-Kβ, P53, p38-MAPK, JNK, and FOXO3 mRNA expressions were upregulated in cisplatin-treated rats’ ovarian tissue. Coadministration of cisplatin-treated rats with melatonin reversed these changes significantly. In conclusion, melatonin’s antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic activities could modulate ovarian disturbances induced by cisplatin and preserve fertility.