Weaning piglets often suffer from pneumonia during growth, so in general, antibiotics are used by owners to make piglets grow smoothly. However, antibiotics may be accompanied by many side effects such as gastrointestinal discomfort and allergies. The aim of this study was to develop an alternative antibiotic herbal veterinary medicine for alleviating pneumonia in weanling piglets. As observed in the pig ranches, many weanling piglets suffer from the pneumonia and also show high expression of angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (ACE‐2) in their respiratory and intestinal tracts. ACE inhibitors have been reported that can decrease pneumonia risk through their main mechanism of action. Thus, we also try to find alternative antibiotic feed additives that can reduce expression of ACE‐2 in piglets. We selected the Guizhi Li‐Zhong Tang Extract Granules (GLZ) as a natural product for piglets. Then, we compared the serum immunoglobulin levels of piglets with sham, tilmicosin antibiotic (TAB), and GLZ treatments. Our results showed that piglets with GLZ treatment had significantly a higher expression of immunoglobulin A and immunoglobulin G but a lower expression of immunoglobulin E than those with sham and TAB treatments. In addition, piglets with GLZ treatment showed obviously low pneumonia incidence than those with sham and TAB treatments. Similarly, piglets with GLZ treatment showed significantly lower expressions of ACE‐2 in their tracheal, bronchial, and lung tissues than those with sham and TAB treatments. GLZ seems to be an alternative ACE inhibitor that can decrease pneumonia risk through inhibiting ACE‐2 expression and alleviating allergies in their respiratory systems. Thus, we suggest that GLZ can be an alternative antibiotic feed additive for weaning piglets.
Doxorubicin (DOX), a chemotherapeutic drug, often causes many adverse side effects in patients with cancer, such as weight loss, motor disability, blood circulation defects, myelosuppression, myocardial injury, joint degeneration, and bone loss. The Chinese herbal medicine Guilu Erxian Glue (GEG) has been used in the prevention and treatment of osteoarthritis and osteoporosis for hundreds of years, with considerably fewer side effects. We expected that GEG could serve as a protective and beneficial alternative treatment for DOX-induced adverse side effects. In this study, we evaluated whether GEG can alleviate DOX-induced weight loss, motor disability, abnormal blood circulation, myelosuppression, myocardial injury, joint degeneration, and bone loss by using chemotherapy models of synoviocyte cell line HIG-82 and mice. Moreover, we examined the antioxidant capacity of GEG by using DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) free-radical scavenging. Our results revealed that GEG treatment can significantly enhance DPPH free-radical scavenging and reduce DOX-induced cytotoxicity in synoviocyte HIG-82 cells. In addition, GEG treatment for 2 weeks can significantly relieve weight loss, enhance exhaustive exercise capacity, improve blood circulation, alleviate myocardial oxidative stress and inflammation, and strengthen the tibias of DOX-treated mice. Thus, we suggest that GEG treatment can be a protective and alternative therapy for alleviating chemotherapy-related side effects such as weight loss, motor disability, blood circulation defects, and bone loss.
Exhaustive exercise may damage muscles due to oxidative stress and inflammation and cause muscle fatigue and soreness. The study investigated the effects of Chinese herbal supplements (CHS) B307 on muscle endurance after exhaustive swimming (ES). Thirty‐two male ICR mice were randomly divided into 4 groups: Sham + ES, pretreatment of CHS B307 + ES (Pre + ES), post‐treatment of CHS B307 + ES (Post + ES), and dual treatment of CHS B307 + ES (Dual + ES). All mice were subjected to ES in the form of a forced swimming test. Then, we compared ES time (EST) as the index of muscular endurance. Also, we examined the fatigue, oxidative stress, inflammation, and damage in the muscle tissue among these groups by using immunohistochemistry (IHC), chemiluminescence, and biochemical analysis. Our results revealed that those mice of Pre + ES and Dual + ES groups had remarkably better EST than those mice of Sham + ES and Post + ES groups. Those mice with oral treatment of CHS B307(Pre + ES, Post + ES, and Dual + ES groups) showed significantly reduced leukocyte counts in the urine, and reduced levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), neutrophils, and lactic acid in the blood than those mice of Sham + ES. In addition, those mice with oral treatment of CHS B307 (Pre + ES, Post + ES, and Dual + ES groups) showed significant alleviation of oxidative stress, inflammation, and damage in the muscle tissue than those mice of Sham + ES. Thus, we suggested that CHS B307 can be a functional sports supplement because it can enhance muscle endurance after exhaustive swimming via suppressing fatigue, oxidative stress, and inflammation.
The study mainly investigated the effects of Chinese veterinary medicine B307 in cardiac and motor functions in animal models of pigeons and mice. Related cellular mechanisms were also studied in the neuroblastoma cell model of SH-SY5Y. Cardiac functions of pigeons and mice were examined by using moorFLPI Laser color Doppler imager and M-mode echocardiography, and motor functions were examined by using muscle electrical stimulation and force recording in the isolated breast muscle. Intracellular calcium levels and electrical activity of SH-SY5Y cells were examined by using Fura 2-AM fluorescence and MED64 system separately. Our results in vivo found that those pigeons under oral B307 treatment obviously enhanced subcutaneous microcirculation and contractile force and prolonged fatigue time in their breast muscles. Those mice under oral B307 treatment obviously elevated ejection fraction and cardiac output in their hearts. Our results in vitro showed that those SH-SY5Y cells under B307 treatment obviously increased intracellular calcium mobilization and electrical activities. These results revealed that improvement of cardiac and motor functions under B307 treatments may be caused by increasing electrical activities and intracellular calcium levels in neuromuscular cells and a similar mechanism may also occur in muscle cells. Thus, we suggested that B307 can be a functional Chinese veterinary medicine for flying pigeons.
1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) can damage dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra in many mammals with biochemical and cellular changes that are relatively similar to those observed in Parkinson’s disease. Our study examined whether MPTP-treated echolocation bats can cause changes in bat echolocation system. By considering ultrasound spectrums, auditory brainstem-evoked potentials and flight trajectories of normal bats, we observed that the vocal, auditory, orientation and movement functions of MPTP-treated bats were significantly impaired, and they exhibited various symptoms resembling those in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Our immunohistochemistry and western blot analyses further indicated that expression of vocal-related FOXP2 in the superior colliculus, auditory-related otoferlin in the inferior colliculus, dopamine synthesis-related aromatic l-amino acid decarboxylase in the substantia nigra and dopamine receptor in the striatum was significantly decreased. Furthermore, protein expression related to inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis in the substantia nigra was significantly increased in MPTP-treated bats. These results indicate that inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis may be instrumental in dopaminergic neurodegeneration in the substantia nigra. The vocal, auditory and orientation and movement dysfunctions of MPTP-treated bats are relatively consistent with symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
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